Scientists say that we have only explored 5% of the Earth’s oceans to date. Imagine how vast is the unseen out there! Thus, many underwater explorers are enthusiastic about discovering the wonders of the depths, and even take advantage of the richness down and turn them into industries for us humans.
An underwater drone is a great investment to explore the underwater world minus the risk of not knowing what to expect down there.
Some practical uses of an underwater drone include checking for fishing sites, shipwreck sites, and supplement conducting activities that involve research for education and development purposes.
On a larger scale, industries also use an underwater ROV, or Remotely Operated Vehicle, to look for oil and gas mining sites, which can be dangerous for human divers to go.
An underwater camera provides a lot of benefits to its user.
- It captures clear images and videos of the depths, which may include marine life and their behavior. The information you can gather may be essential for scientific research.
- Exploring wreckage in real-time can also help in assessing its safety for diver exploration.
- Underwater sites rich with oil and gas are usually located beyond the safe zone for human divers. Having a piece of equipment to survey the area and assist in installing the facility is definitely vital to carry the mining process.
A submarine drone may also have other features like a robotic arm that allows it to grab things for a closer look, or go with it as it goes up the water. Some provide an option to be controlled wirelessly or via a tether. Some can also gather different types of information using sensors like temperature, distance, depth, etc.
Now, a professional underwater camera is not just for large-scale purposes like oil and gas surveys. An underwater drone is usually equipped with more sophisticated cameras and communication connectivity to deliver data in real-time. These aspects are essential for you to get crucial information as they happen, which could be very helpful in other practical industries like fishing.
And of course, an underwater drone takes you to the world underneath. Take your photography hobby to the next level by taking subjects underwater. Some use this for professional underwater photography for couples or families. Marine life is also an exciting and wonderful subject to work on for your killer portfolio.
An underwater drone is expensive, so to help you find something sure to bring high-performance, as well as remain durable for a long time, here are three of the tested and most recommended ones by past users.
| Name | Key Feature | |
|---|---|---|
| GENEINNO 150M Tether Titan Professional Underwater Drone ROV AUV Robot with 4K UHD Action Camera– Editor’s Choice | Can navigate up to 150 meters | Check Price |
| ThorRobotics Underwater Drone ROV 4K View HD Camera Drones FPV Lite Version with Mechanical Arm Claw, KIT Type | With a robotic arm grabber | Check Price |
| CHASING Dory World’s Smallest and Affordable 5-Thruster Palm-Sized Underwater Drone | Compact and affordable | Check Price |
GENEINNO 150M Tether Titan Professional Underwater Drone ROV AUV Robot with 4K UHD Action Camera – Editor’s Choice
The environment underwater is harsher than what is above. Thus, your underwater drone must be capable of navigating the area and deliver the results you need.
This water drone may be small in size, but it is definitely not short of features. First, it is capable of navigating within 150 meters from its base – depth and span-wise. It has high compression strength, enabling you to navigate significant depth without your underwater drone breaking.
Next, this underwater drone is equipped with a 4K UHD camera, providing you with crisp, high-definition videos and photos. It works with a 1/2.5-inch CMOS sensor, and stores footages in either 32G or 64G storage.
Meanwhile, you can also watch it navigate underwater life, delivering you 1080p video quality. To provide you with the best viewing experience, this underwater drone uses a 160degree wide-angle lens to capture the environment. It is also powered by a DSP image processor, which ensures you get a clear live view minus the image noise and distortions.
The GENEINNO 150M Tether Titan Professional Underwater Drone is also fully equipped with the right hardware to maintain its smooth motion and stability underwater despite the current and pressure. It has 4 vertical thrusters alongside 2 horizontal ones. It also utilizes a smart hovering system within 2 to 3 centimeters from the subject, giving you defined and focused views.
You can control your underwater drone camera using your smartphone or tablet, which runs on either Android or iOS. You can also view recorded videos and images, as well as delete the ones you do not need. It is capable of running for 4 hours, even with extensions and accessories.
You can also purchase a grabber arm to equip your underwater drone. This allows you to take in your subjects for up-close study. For professional photographers, you can also equip it with a hydrophone and camera with filters.
With a variety of functions and features, professionals, enthusiasts, and hobbyists will surely find this underwater drone a valuable and useful investment.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Equipped with 4K UHD camera running at 30 fps with 1/2.5-inch CMOS sensor | The camera tends to be unstable at times |
| Comes with 6 thrusters | |
| With a 160-degree wide-angle lens | |
| Can be controlled using your tablet or smartphone | |
| 150 meters depth | |
| Compact | |
| Battery life at 4 hours |
Conclusion
The GENEINNO 150M Tether Titan Professional Underwater Drone caters to various types of users, making it one of the best underwater drones in the market. This waterproof camera drone is equipped with solid hardware and easy-to-use software for the best underwater navigation experience.
ThorRobotics Underwater Drone ROV 4K View HD Camera Drones FPV Lite Version with Mechanical Arm Claw, KIT Type
If you are looking for an underwater drone that leans on providing consumer functionalities but still delivers high-quality videos, photos and live navigation footage, this is the one for you.
An underwater fishing camera, for this matter, is useful in lifting the guesswork from fishermen as to where’s the best spot to fish for maximum yield. It can also assist in locating particular species, which may hide within murky waters or behind reefs. It can work alongside your bait, giving you more exposure to the environment you are navigating in.
This fishing camera can also work with you in other activities like underwater survey and/or mapping, exploration, marine study, and research search and rescue aid, entertainment, hobby or professional photography, etc.
Since it has a robotic arm grabber, you can also use your underwater drone to grab small subjects underwater or help with your underwater cleanup drive by getting trash.
The ThorRobotics Underwater Drone ROV 4K View HD Camera Drones FPV Lite Version with Mechanical Arm Claw utilizes a 4K UHD camera, capable of delivering a 1080p live view. It offers a control range of up to 100 meters, with depth up to 30 meters. This underwater video camera moves in 4-axis (forward-backward, left-right, up-down/dive) using 4 thrusters and brushless propellers. The maximum speed is about 2.8 kph.
For greater focus, it features a search headlight that illuminates your subject.
You can control your underwater drone either by using your smartphone, tablet, or a separate remote control. You can also either control it wired or wirelessly via Wi-Fi, wherein you can connect to it using up to 5 devices at a time using the FPV.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| With a robotic arm grabber | Fewer thrusters may render it unstable in deeper water |
| Can be controlled wirelessly with up to 5 devices connected to it | |
| Uses a 4k UHD camera | |
| Works with iOS and Android systems | |
| Can be controlled using a smartphone, tablet, or separate remote control |
Conclusion
The ThorRobotics Underwater Drone ROV 4K View HD Camera Drones FPV Lite Version with Mechanical Arm Claw, KIT Type is your multi-purpose underwater drone capable of working with you underwater up to 30 meters in depth. It makes a perfect partner for fishermen, as well researchers, photographers, hobbyists, etc.
CHASING Dory World’s Smallest and Affordable 5-Thruster Palm-Sized Underwater Drone
If you happen to grow the love of exploring the underwater world, but not yet ready for professional features nor the hefty price tag that comes with one, this is the perfect beginner underwater drone for you.
Just like how a digital waterproof camera works, this compact underwater drone provides you with basically the same features as its more sophisticated counterparts, only with some slight sacrifices on quality, particularly in the video and photo department.
Underwater digital cameras provide exceptional quality photos and videos, but it is limited by using storage only. The advantage of an underwater drone is that you can do live views as you navigate the depths. This way, you get crucial information immediately, especially when you are planning on your shots by checking the best angles and applying the right speed for motion.
If you are to use underwater cams as fishing drones, doing the live view can also assist you in locating the area for the best catch, or spot a big one while you launch the bait.
The CHASING Dory World’s Smallest and Affordable 5-Thruster Palm-Sized Underwater Drone, as its name suggests, maybe small physically, but it works as it promises. As a beginner underwater drone, it can help you practice your navigation skills or start exploring shallower depths in the meantime. It has a depth, tether-to-buoy, and Wi-Fi-to-Buoy rating of up to 49 inches.
This underwater drone records 1920p x 1080p videos at 30 fps, which is a quite decent quality even if it is not 4k. You just have to set some expectations, particularly when navigating murky waters as it may not provide the best quality footages by then.
Waterproof video cameras like this the Chasing Dory allows you to explore the beauty of marine life minus the risks.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Compact | Lower quality video specs |
| Affordable | Shorter operational range and tether length |
| Records decent 1980 x 1080p videos | |
| Piloting through your smartphone or tablet | |
| With waterproof buoy for easy locating | |
| 15-meter tether | |
| A good beginner underwater drone |
Conclusion
The CHASING Dory World’s Smallest and Affordable 5-Thruster Palm-Sized Underwater Drone is a great beginner drone that provides you with the basic functions of its bigger counterparts. This way, you can practice your moves, angles, and movements and apply what you’ve learned as you eventually move to a more sophisticated underwater drone.
Final Verdict
The best waterproof camera drone underwater on this list, with its extensive functionality, high-performance, user-friendly controls, and superb view and recording, is the GENEINNO 150M Tether Titan Professional Underwater Drone ROV AUV Robot with 4K UHD Action Camera.
The GENEINNO 150M Tether Titan Professional Underwater Drone ROV AUV Robot with 4K UHD Action Camera provides you with powerhouse features that are worth this best underwater camera’s price tag. Aside from video quality and feature-packed software, this underwater drone also has solid hardware to boot.