If you’ve ever tried to swim underwater, you know it’s not exactly the easiest thing in the world to do… especially when you’re loaded down with heavy scuba gear.
That’s why underwater scooters are fast becoming a popular accessory for divers and underwater explorers of all stripes. Using a “scuba scooter” lets you travel further underwater, and allows you to do so while expending less energy.
And that means you conserve the air reserves in your tank, so you can spend more time underwater. Even if you’re not a dedicated deep sea diver, an underwater sea scooter is a handy little tool for the diving novice or interested beginner. Or, like the self-balancing scooter, it can just be a lot of fun.
So here’s a roundup of the top underwater scooters:
Yamaha RDS250
This is a nifty little sea scooter. The Yamaha RDS250 is capable of propelling you along at 2.5 mph, with a maximum depth of 100 feet. Overall, the device weighs about 18 pounds, and its batteries give it an operational life of two hours of continuous use.
An interesting feature of the Yamaha RDS250 is that it includes a camera mount, so you can attach your GoPro camera to the scooter and film your undersea adventures. It also comes with a detachable buoyancy control chamber for saltwater diving.
Yamaha RDS300
Another Yamaha offering, the RDS300 provides you with a somewhat swifter means of propulsion, with a top speed of 3 mph. Its maximum operational depth is also 100 feet, but its running time is only about an hour and thirty minutes.
A big plus to the RDS300 is its heavy-duty rubber hull, which is able to withstand a great deal of wear and tear. It also comes with two-level rotational speed control, which offers you a little more versatility during your underwater exploration.
Like the RDS250, the RDS300 underwater scooter also has camera mounts for your GoPro.
Sublue WhiteShark Mix
This one looks a bit different from the other water scooters on this list.
The Sublue WhiteShark Mix is a powerful, versatile, and lightweight sea scooter—and as an added bonus, it comes in three color schemes. It can attain a blistering speed of 3.35 mph with a fully charged battery, and can attain an impressive depth of 131 feet.
Perhaps best of all, the Sublue WhiteShark is light in the hand, weighing only about 6.3 pounds. Like many other underwater scooters, it comes with camera attachments so you can record your undersea exploits.
Yamaha Seal
The Yamaha Seal is a good, inexpensive choice for an underwater scooter, particularly if you’re more interested in recreational activities than rigorous underwater exploration.
The Yamaha Seal’s top speed is 2 mph, and its maximum depth is 15 feet. So this is clearly not intended for the serious deep sea diver. But it is perfect for beginners and those who are looking to add a little fun to their beach trips. It’s also great for snorkeling adventures.
JetPilot Sea Doo Dolphin
Like the Yamaha Seal, the JetPilot Sea Doo Dolphin is a great sea scooter for beginners and recreational users.
It has an operational life of 1.5 hours on fully charged batteries, and it achieves a maximum depth of 15.5 feet. With a top speed of 2 mph, it may not be the fastest underwater scooter on the list, but it certainly gets the job done.
Another plus to the JetPilot Sea Doo Dolphin, if you’re a recreational user, is that it is suitable for the use of children over the age of eight. This makes it perfect for family use during beach or snorkel outings.
Apollo AV-2 Evolution
The Apollo AV-2 Evolution is designed for the serious underwater explorer. It’s not a cheap piece of equipment by any means—it’s meant to last, and it has some of the more impressive specs for the scooters on this list.
The Apollo AV-2 Evolution can reach depths of 230 feet, and it can attain speeds of 2.8 mph. Its running time is nearly two hours, and a 3-speed prop feature provides the kind of control and versatility prized by experienced divers.
Given its price point, the Apollo AV-2 Evolution is certainly not for the novice. This piece of equipment is intended for professional, experienced users.
Aquaprop L Scooter Subgravity
The Aquaprop L Scooter Subgravity is another sea scooter that is geared primarily to the serious diver.
It has a sleek, torpedo shape, but even so it has a fairly slow top speed: only about 2 mph. Nevertheless, the Subgravity scooter can attain a remarkable depth of 262 feet, which more than compensates for its reduced speed rating.
This scooter has a pretty slow recharge time, about 6 hours—but again, this is more than made up for by its lengthy operational time of over 3 hours. That’s why the Aquaprop L Scooter Subgravity is perfect for experienced divers intending to do some serious deepwater exploration.
Hoverstar AquaJet Dive H2
The Hoverstar AquaJet Dive H2 has a sleek design that makes it look like a manta ray—by far, it’s the coolest-looking of any of the underwater scooters on this list.
It can also pull you along at a breakneck 5.6 mph. It does sacrifice depth rating to attain these speeds since it can only reach about 66 feet below the waves.
It has a running time of a little over an hour and a half, which, when coupled with its unmatched speed, means the AquaJet Dive H2 can allow you to do some serious exploring. It’s also a pricey little device, so bear that in mind.
DET 24V 300W
With its yellow-and-black color scheme, the DET 24V 300W looks like a giant underwater bumblebee.
It can attain a maximum depth of 98 feet, and a fully charged battery will give you an operational time of one hour. Some of its bonus features include leather-covered handles to prevent slippage, and it has easy-to-use switches on both sides to control power and acceleration.
Yamaha 500Li
The Yamaha 500Li underwater scooter is another great choice for serious divers and underwater explorers.
It’s certainly one of the faster scooters, with a speed rating of 4.35 mph, and it can attain a depth of 130 feet. It comes with 3-level rotational speed control, and—like most of Yamaha’s underwater scooters—it features camera mounts for your GoPro.
But one of the Yamaha 500Li’s best features is its battery level indicators, which means you don’t have to guess how much battery life you still have left in your scooter.
So now that you’ve got the lowdown on the top underwater scooters, it’s time to decide which one best suits your needs. That, of course, depends on whether you’re a serious, professional diver, or whether you’re just interested in something for recreational purposes.
