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Using an underwater drone can be a huge amount of fun. Being able to search the sea floor and explore the depths will allow you to take some stunning images. There are a lot of requirements though and getting the best underwater drone is very important.
There is plenty to consider when looking for the best submersible drone. Aspects like battery life, camera quality, depth rating and their level of autonomy are all going to be important in your buying decision among other features.
That’s where we can help, as we have written a buying guide to explain all the key features. We have also looked at the underwater drone reviews to show you the best products on the market. Once you’ve finished reading this guide, you’ll know exactly what you need.
Power Vision Wizard Remotely Operated Underwater Drone
- What Makes This Submersible Drone Stand Out
- 2 hours of battery life
- High-quality camera
- Has a fishfinder and bait line
- Perfect underwater exploration
Geneinno Poseidon I 1080P Full HD Underwater Drone
- What Makes This Submersible Drone Stand Out
- Different tether lengths
- Easy to use
- 5 hours of battery life
- Easy remote control interface
ROBOSEA BIKI Submersible Wireless Underwater Drone
- What Makes This Submersible Drone Stand Out
- No wire attached
- Can be controlled via smartphone
- Camera stabilizer
- Perfect underwater exploration
- Easy remote control interface
How To Choose An Underwater Drone – Buying Guide
Battery Life
The battery life is going to be a crucial aspect of any drone as you want to make sure that it is going to be worthwhile taking it out to the water. Thankfully the drones that we have looked at here all have a good level of battery life.
You will be hoping for around two hours of life at the minimum to ensure that you are going to get enough footage. The charge time is also going to be important too if you wanted to get back out there as soon as possible.
The Geneinno model has a run time of 5 hours which is going to be able to give you a great amount of time to do everything that you wanted to do and this is the best option if you wanted to be out there for a long time.
Wired Or Wireless
One of the biggest questions is if you need the drone to be wired or wireless. It may seem as though wireless is going to be the best option but there are going to be some downsides to that option, mainly with radio contact.
With the types of antenna that these models have, you aren’t going to be able to control a wireless drone from a long distance as the signal doesn’t travel well in water. Wired models, on the other hand, can be controlled as far as the tether goes, which can be a great distance.
Also you are more likely to get real-time images through a wired drone and also retrieval can be easier. Wireless drones tend to have a higher level of autonomy as they need to search on their own once out of contact with the receiver.
Needs And Expectations
Before buying an underwater drone you need to know exactly what you are getting. They aren’t devices that are going to be able to search the Titanic or give you the most beautiful images if you’re not in clear water.
Just like airborne drones, these devices have their limitations and it’s important to know that before you buy one. Many people have complained about drones just because they didn’t know what they were buying, even though it was a fine product.
Due to this, it’s a good idea to get fully read up on how to control the drone, the speed it can travel, the depths it can get and whether or not you can see images in real time. When you are comfortable with what a drone is capable of, you can have a lot more fun.
Controllers
Each different drone is going to come with a different controller which you will need to learn before you start trying to dive to its maximum depth. A large factor on the controls will be whether the device is going to be wireless or not.
Wireless models tend to be a lot simpler and therefore better for beginners. A large part of the reason for this is due to the wireless connection being weaker and less stable and therefore it needs more simple input. If the drone is autonomous then it won’t need much input at all.
With wired controllers, the connection is a lot quicker and a lot more stable and therefore the controls tend to be a little more complicated as you are able to manipulate all the movements of the drone. This takes some practice but can be very rewarding once mastered.
Camera Quality
There is very little point in having a drone at all if the camera quality isn’t going to be very good. You not only want the resolution to be high but you are also looking for a camera to have a wide field of view so that you can have even greater images.
Some drones don’t come with a camera at all and expect you to add your own GoPro with an underwater housing but this is less convenient. With the camera you are looking for, a rate of at least 1080p as this is going to give you very good images.
Sometimes there is a difference between the streaming quality and video quality, which is important to note. The Power Vision model, for example, can record in 4K UHD but will stream the image back to you in 1080p.
Depth Rating
The depth rating is another important feature depending on what you plan to be doing with the product. The Power Vision, for example, has a relatively short maximum depth at 98 feet but that is still a significant way down.
98 feet will cover almost all potential uses as you also have to consider the water getting murkier and also the lack of light at that depth. The Geneinno can dive to 394 feet but this is actually longer than its 328 tether.
It’s important to bear this in mind whenever using your drone as these depth ratings are specifically calculated and if you go beyond them, it’s likely that you will lose it. The perfect depth rating for you depends on your own personal use.
Salt Or Freshwater
Most drones are going to be able to be used in saltwater but it’s important to check. All the products that we have listed here are going to be great in any type of water so you know that it’s going to be a safe choice.
A product should have it clearly listed if it’s not going to be able to cope in the harsher saltwater environment. The actual drone will have different challenges with buoyancy in different types of water but that’s not something you have to worry about.
Level of Autonomy
This is one area where there can be a big difference between how airborne drones are operated compared to those underwater. This is because the signal is going to be weaker and you also don’t have an open line of sight with the device.
The importance of this increases with wireless drones as there is more chance of the signal being lost and also you wouldn’t be able to let it dive for very far if it didn’t know what it was going. Autonomy can be a great step to get great footage.
On wired models, this is going to be less important as you are always going to be in control of your device. You some people this is going to be more fun and allow you to have more of an immersive experience with the device.
Sensor Systems
There are a few sensors that these drones can have which add to their usability. The camera is an obvious part but if you’re going down quite deep you’ll ideally want lights that are going to be able to still give you good images.
One feature that can often be found of these types of drones is a fishfinder. This will be able to give you a clue about where to get the best images and also where the best fishing spots will be. This can be very useful and allow you to get great images quickly.
Another important sensor to have is the depth limit. It can sometimes be easy to lose track of how far you’ve dived and it can be hard to calculate without a sensor. This reason can be crucial in keeping the device safe from too much pressure.
FAQs
Q: Why Choose An Underwater Drone?
Drones of all types have boomed in popularity as technology has advanced to such a stage where batteries are able to cope with the demand and cameras can be small enough to fly or swim and still produce great images.
Both overwater and underwater drones give you the same type of sense of adventure as you are seeing things from a perspective that you usually can’t. This is able to give you a huge amount of enjoyment as you are able to explore for hours.
Underwater drones are great as they allow you to search the waters for a number of different reasons. It could be just fun, fishing research for any other reason. An underwater drone is a great thing to have and will bring you endless fun.
Q: What Is The Difference Between A Regular Drone And Underwater Drone?
There are the obvious differences between the two in the way that they move but there are also some pretty big differences in the way that they operate, which some people might assume would be the same.
While they can receive signals in the same way, there are greater challenges underwater which is why a lot of these drones will be controlled by a large tether. Controlling a regular drone with a tether would be very impractical indeed.
Underwater drones generally have a longer run time as they are able to use the buoyancy of the water to move and they also tend to have a higher level of autonomy. Both types can be great to use but are controlled in very different ways.
Q: Can Underwater Drones Be Used For Underwater Photography?
One of the prime reasons that anyone would want a drone is because it can be used to take some stunning images. Some drones don’t come with cameras though for a variety of different reasons and therefore no pictures can be taken. Using a diving camera is a great way to take underwater images.
Also some will come with the capability of just shooting video but when a drone has a camera, it will most likely be great for both video and photography. It is important to check this to make sure that you are getting exactly what you want.
All the products that we have looked at here have a high-quality underwater camera and have the capability of doing both. That will add to your sense of adventure as you will be able to show everyone what you have found and be left with some priceless images.
Globo Surf Overview
Drones have gained in popularity for a number of different reasons. It gives you that child-like sense of wonder and excitement but with an adult toy that is able to do some amazing things and be able to record the whole time.
Before getting one of the best underwater drones though it’s important to know exactly what you want and what you want to get out of it. If you rush into a decision then you could end up with a product which doesn’t meet your expectations and you could be left very disappointed.
Having a wired or wireless drone is most likely going to be your biggest question as this will affect many other factors such as the real-time streaming, the controls, the autonomy it has and the type of pictures you will be able to take.
Once you have worked out what is going to be the best type of model for you, you can then head out to the water and have a great time exploring what is down below. These are wonderful devices to have but you always want to make sure you are getting exactly what you want before buying one.
