Our Scuba Diving Sprinter Van Layout and Conversion: A Breakdown
You can travel the world on a budget by converting and living in a Sprinter van. For generations, travelers have been drawn to the open road, the freedom of driving, and the flexible schedule. I always imagined my husband and I jumping from one tropical island to another, chasing the sun. We both love scuba diving, warm weather, and clear water. We never thought we’d trade island hopping for van life.
The Adventure Sport Enthusiast’s Sprinter Van
Joey and I are both very active people. We’re true adventurers, everyone who knows us would agree. We’ve tried everything from scuba diving to snow skiing and even Nordic skiing. Over the past year, we’ve been working on one of our biggest adventures yet turning a Mercedes Benz Sprinter into a mini RV. We built it to let us scuba dive and travel across the U.S. At first, I wasn’t excited about living in such a small space. But this home on wheels, built for our scuba-diving needs, has really grown on me.
Our Custom Sprinter Van Camper, with its dive tank storage, is mainly used for scuba. But we’ve been surprised by how many other uses it has. As we’ve used it through different seasons, the storage locker has become more useful. In winter, we store snowboards, Nordic skis, and snowshoes. In summer, the locker is great for holding kayaking, surfing, and paddleboarding gear even though we haven’t used it that way yet.
The Van Build-Out
We built the Sprinter to fit what Joey and I needed for our van, which we call The Fish Bowl. My parents helped build the cabinets, counters, and locker that hold all our diving gear.
The Sprinter Van Living Quarters
The living area was one of the most important parts of our van conversion. This space would be where we spent most of our time, whether on a road trip or between dives. We wanted a bed, work/dining tables, seating, counter space, a fridge, and plenty of storage.
The Fish Bowl Bed
We designed our bed to be both raised and foldable because of the van’s small size. We raised it to make room for storage underneath. During the day, we can fold it to create more space to move around. The bed is a bit smaller than a king. It’s located at the back of the van, next to the dive locker. My dad built a narrow bookshelf above the bed, and Joey installed phone charging ports at both ends of the shelf.
Tables and Cabinetry
In the middle of the van is our table and seating area. We built booth-style benches with storage underneath. Though a bit tight, the benches fit four adults. We added a pocket table between the seats that slides in and out. It’s mounted on drawer slides and hides under the bed when not in use. It’s large enough for two adults to work at.
Cabinetry and storage run from the edge of the bench to the back of the driver’s seat. On the other side, near the sliding door, there’s a small cabinet and counter that go halfway past the door. Storage spaces are scattered around the van. We added shelves, drawers, and racks based on what we needed. The chest-style fridge sits on a sliding drawer so it’s easy to use and tuck away.
We also have two separate counter areas built into the cabinets. These are made from nailed and glued flooring boards. One counter has a beautiful wood-burned coaster made by my sister. Both counters are sealed with a shiny epoxy coating.
Stay Warm
Our most recent upgrade was installing a small heater under the passenger seat. This helps keep us warm during the Canadian winter. The Espar D2 heater connects to the van’s gas tank and is programmable. It keeps us warm even when the temperature drops to -22°F.
The Adventure Locker with a Focus on Diving
The main part of our custom sprinter van camper project was building a dive locker. Joey and I wanted to be sure we had enough room for all our scuba gear. The locker is a waterproof space to store everything before and after diving. It’s located in the back of the van and is about 34 inches by 70 inches. We finished the walls and floor with waterproof fiberglass, like what you find in bathtubs. We added a roof fan to air it out because diving gear gets wet and can cause a lot of moisture.
The back of the van also has a GFCI plug that’s weather-resistant. We use it to charge camera gear, lights, and to hang our dry suits. Joey added a metal bar across the top of the locker to hang heavy wet gear. We also mounted two square boxes above the bar to hold tools, spare parts, and repair kits.
We had a plastic welder create a custom scuba tank holder. It holds six tanks, each 14.5 inches wide and 28 inches long. The holder keeps the tanks from sliding around and leans back slightly to hold them in place. We also added a pipe system to direct warm air from the living space into the dive locker. We did this after our gear started freezing in the back. Now we can keep diving into November and December in Canada. The ABS pipe system warms our suits and dries our gloves.
Fish Bowl Power Supply
Like many adventure vans, ours runs on a battery system. The Fish Bowl has a 420 amp-hour battery bank. It can be charged in three ways: shore power (like plugging in at a campsite), 800-watt solar panels on the roof, or while driving using the van’s alternator. A Smart Battery Isolator connects the vehicle and house batteries.
A 3000-watt power inverter lets us use the battery bank for power when not plugged in. This means we can still use our induction stove, fridge, waxing irons, gear dryers, and chargers for our underwater cameras and diving torches even when camping off-grid.
Bring on the Dive Adventures
No matter where we are or how old we get, Joey and I will always love scuba diving and adventure. After more than a year of building The Fish Bowl, we couldn’t be happier. Even though I had doubts about van life at first, this tiny home on wheels is perfect for road trips, diving, and exploring the U.S.
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