Underwater scooters and Seabobs on a yacht: where they are banned in the Med and the Caribbean

Few places name underwater scooters in their rules, and where they do, it is usually a ban: in Portofino, Cinque Terre and Meloria in Italy, within 600 metres of Port-Cros and Porquerolles without permission, and in the nature reserves of St Barths and Saint-Martin. Croatia treats them as personal craft: by day, within 300 metres of the coast.

Underwater scooters, from small dive scooters to the Seabob, are among the most popular toys on yachts, yet most coastal rules were written for boats on the surface. This guide collects what we found in the official texts for our regional guides to the Balearics, the Côte d'Azur and Monaco, Italy, Croatia and the Caribbean.

Disclosure: Toys & Crew is published by Lakeberg GmbH, which trades as E-SURFER and sells SEABOB and the mo-jet DivingJet. This article covers the rules only; specifications and prices are in our guide to the SEABOB models.

Where are underwater scooters banned?

Where do you need permission first?

• British Virgin Islands: in national parks and protected areas, leaving or landing an underwater craft, and diving other than snorkelling, need the National Parks Trust's permission (National Parks Act 2006, s. 50).
• Antigua and Barbuda: in the national park, motor boats and diving equipment need the Parks Commissioner's written permission (National Parks Regulations 2012, reg. 12(1)).
• Port-Cros and Porquerolles: the park can grant permission for the 600-metre zone (see the table).

What are the rules in Croatia?

Croatia is the only destination in our research whose general rules name the underwater scooter. It is listed among the osobno plovilo, personal craft, "whatever the type of propulsion" (NN 52/2025, Art. 45(6)). For personal craft:

• anywhere within 300 metres of the coast from sunrise to sunset, except in managed bathing areas (Art. 49(4));
• motorised ones no closer than 50 metres to the coast (Art. 49(6));
• beyond 300 metres only with an escort by a motorised vessel (Art. 49(7));
• 50 metres from a diver's marker (Art. 49(12)).

How the 50-metre rule applies to a scooter used under water, the regulation does not say.

Where did we find no rule?

• Spain: the decrees name motorised boards, but not underwater scooters (our Balearics guide).
• France outside Port-Cros and Porquerolles, and Monaco: no rule of their own.
• Italy outside the three protected areas: no rule of their own; the local coastguard ordinances could not be read.
• Bahamas, Sint Maarten: no rule of their own. Sint Maarten's marine park bans motorised water sports in general (Nature Foundation).

What should crew check before guests dive?

• The protected areas on the route: Portofino, Cinque Terre, Meloria, Port-Cros, Porquerolles, St Barths and Saint-Martin are the clear no-go zones.
• A permit before using scooters in BVI or Antigua parks.
• Distances in Croatia: by day, within 300 metres, at least 50 metres off the coast.
• Diver flags: in France, boats keep to 5 knots within 100 metres of a diver's flag (Prémar arrêté 109/2024, Art. 6); in Croatia, personal craft keep 50 metres away.

Sources

All rules come from official texts used in our regional guides, checked on 4 October 2026 (Balearics, Côte d'Azur, Monaco, Italy) and 7 October 2026 (Croatia, Caribbean), and are linked at each point above.