Waydoo Subnado Underwater Scooter, Thumb Controlling Sea Scooter for SUP Paddle Board, Suitable for Pool, Diving, and Snorkeling, Compact and Portable Water Scooter for Adults and Kids : Sports & Outdoors
$449.00
About this item Compact & Portable: The Subnado underwater scooter measures 14.84*2.75*2.75in and weighs only 3lbs, ideal for carry-on luggage with its airline-approved 98Wh battery, ensuring fun on your travels. Check airline rules before flying Proprietary Battery System: Subnado features 100W fast charging, fully charging in 1.2 hours. It offers 3-speed gear, cruise mode for up to 56 minutes, and 100W reverse charging for electronic devices. Delivers 14.33 lbs thrust with an efficient propulsion system Subnado Package Includes: Comes with Subnado Main Unit, various mounts, thumb controller, safety guard, arm mounts, handgrip, and accessories for enhanced underwater activities Variety Accessories Application: Finger-ring controllers and mount brackets allow versatile attachment to arms, legs, or gas cylinders. Supports up to 3 additional accessories like camera or underwater lights for stable video shooting Safe & User-Friendly Devices: Subnado sea scooter, enclosed in robust aluminum-alloy housing, operates up to 197ft deep. Features a detachable finger safeguard for safety, suitable for kids and diverse water activities Guarantee Terms: Covered by a 6-month to 1-year warranty. The main unit is covered for 1 year, and accessories for 6 months. Repairs or replacements at no cost if covered by warranty terms
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BrandonBrandon –
Solid, thoughtful design and includes some fun accessories – also, more grease never hurts!
My initial impressions of the Subnado was that it’s solidly built and is made of great-quality material. Taking it out of the box, it had a good heft to it and definitely gave a “tech unboxing” vibe over an “outdoor accessory/toy” feeling. Which is a good thing (to me).Bare-bones assembly was pretty straight-forward, as I didn’t have any interest in messing with the (many) accessories this comes with just yet. Just snap on the handle and link up the controller connector (wire running out of the handles) to the contacts on the Subnado. There’s some greasing that needs to be done, but I’ll get into that later.I was pleasantly surprised at the softness and ergonomics of the handle. It felt good to hold and the grip was comfortable. The trigger placement is great too – the trigger itself is just a tad small, but that may be because this is advertised for use by children as well. I briefly switched it on just to make sure it was in working order, and all looked good, so I set it up to charge.Near the back of the Subnado body is a safety label – it has a few good reminders, which I always welcome on consumer-grade tech… especially expensive and potentially risky (self-injury) tech like this Subnado. Warnings/pictorials include a reminder to ensure to turn off the device before servicing (charging) it, the meaning behind a couple of the non-typical battery indicator patterns, and general safety stuff (e.g. not letting long hair get near the propellers). I originally thought this label was meant to come off before use, but it seems it is meant to stay on. A small thing, but worth noting.As mentioned earlier, there’s a good amount of accessories included with this, though to be honest, I haven’t felt a strong desire to get into them yet. Some nice ones worth noting include the wrist-mount with hand grip (if you wanted to one-arm it and do a ‘superman’ across the pool), optional tether, and mounting adapter for attaching this to a pool float.So on grease, I felt it necessary to briefly go over its importance: do NOT skip this step or skimp on the application. There’s plenty provided to get a good coat on the necessary areas. Coming from an industry that necessitates some level of gasket or O-ring greasing to help with maintaining a proper seal, I cannot stress the importance of it here. To an extent, the grease helps to cover any tiny openings or voids that could allow water in within the gasket or O-rings, but its main reason is to ensure those things do not get sheared out of position during tightening or mounting. Think of how a rubber band would rub between your hands, bare, vs. being coated in a semi-slippery grease. In one, it’ll twist in on itself multiple times, and on the other, it’ll almost want to stay completely neutral.In short: use the grease; get good seals. There’s only two areas (the port cover for the USB-C port and the controller connector interface), so it doesn’t take long to do. With this device costing what it does, the last thing you want is water ingress damaging or ruining it. No manufacturer will cover user-inflicted damage, whether due to an accident or simply neglect. On that note, it would have been helpful for Waydoo to provide more grease. The tube provided is a bit small, and would have been ideal if it was larger (think of a Neosporin tube). Because best practice would be to replace the grease on frequent-access areas (like the charge port cover) every time it is removed, at minimum. Still, the tube is at least good for long-term storage, and preferable to those tearable ‘grease packets’ that I’ve seen some other brands provide.Now, on usage: I started off using the Subnado in a relatively small swimming pool, and this thing has more than enough power to zip me across quickly. Probably not a great representation of what it can do “full send,” but it’s the experience I’ve had with it by this point (~a week in). It’s a lot of fun, has a good kick, and so far, pretty good battery life. I’ve put it through two rounds of use (probably 15-20min each, but closer to maybe 8-10min of actual, continuous runtime) and it’s down to 7 of 8 cells on the battery indicator. If it’s like any other type of device with a battery indicator, I take this to just mean that it is working on depleting the current cell.So to recap – the build quality is there, a healthy number of accessories are included, and the functionality is great (so far). Time will tell on the long-term durability. The price is a tad steep at the $500 MSRP, but if you can get it on sale for $400 or so, it will sting a little less.
5 people found this helpful
JT –
Took a chance and not disappointed
The only reviews at the time I got this were those who were part of a promo. I paid my own money as I was going on a snorkeling trip. I looked at comparatives, but loved the size, travel-ability, and features of this. I was not disappointed. It comes with a ton of accessories, which is not easy to find on the site. Both the arm mount, and ‘handlebar’ are included, as well as spare parts, safety holder, GoPro mount, etc… I would recommend a good PD style charger…I got one with a USBC cable that tells me the draw…it will hit 100w if you have the ability. And that will charge it FAST…like 1-1.5 hours as it states. BUT! The ’56 minute’ run time seems to be conservative. It works by a quick ramp of the motor (3 speed options) which runs about 10 seconds…then if you are still holding the trigger, it slows down to ‘coast’. I have found if you are doing a frequent coast, it can last a LOT longer. I am doing a test right now and it has been going over 3.5 hours and still has 60-80% battery. Point being your run time will be determined by use. The nice part of this welcome surprise is with a good charger that only takes a little over an hour, you could use this many times a day on vacation, especially knowing anyone would need breaks anyway. Last point is another reviewer said it was about the size of a wine bottle…this is accurate with one tweak…a wine bottle that is a little smaller at the base and a little larger at the mouth…more consistent. It is very capable of being in a carry on.EDIT:No change. Worked awesome in Cozumel. Note it got through TSA, but they WILL look at it. They were all fascinated, but prep for the added time of going through the airport.
20 people found this helpful
Eric Milner –
Overpriced
8.4 minutes of high gear runtime is not enough to do anything. 12 total minutes of running, they’re slower than advertised. It would be worth it if they were $200
One person found this helpful
JohnKJohnK –
Perfect scooter for what I need
These scooter are extremely compact, lightweight, sleek and designed well. I love how easy it is to travel with them. For their size they still have plenty of power, especially on the fastest mode I was pleasantly surprised at the speed. A previous scooter I had was handheld and much bulkier, the fact that I can strap these to my leg and still operate my underwater camera is huge for me. The battery time was extremely good as well, it says 45 min runtime. We went out for a dive for over an hour, using the scooter on and off and we ended the day with plenty of battery life. Very happy with my purchase and cant want to get out more with these.
One person found this helpful
Montinee Pongsiri –
Incredibly fun, but you’ll need to purchase two scooters for any serious usage.
If you intend to use this scooter for snorkeling in the ocean, plan on purchasing two, along with the twin engine handle bracket. I initially purchased one of these scooters, and while it was fun to use in the pool, it was not nearly powerful enough to drag me, a grown man, through the ocean at any speed greater than I could swim myself. Now that I have two, with the dual twin engine handle, I’m able to move with good speed, even against the waves. I’m also able to point the scooter downward and have it pull me under the water and along the bottom.This ability to move effortlessly at speed while submerged is a game-changer for snorkeling. I can get much closer to the coral and fish, and because I’m not actively swimming, I can hold my breath and stay submerged for 30-60 seconds or longer, enough time to feel like I’m part of the environment. This is very different from taking a breath and trying to swim down, an intense aerobic activity that forces your body to use its stored oxygen much faster.Overall, I am pleased with this purchase. Is it worth $1k for two scooters and the necessary hardware? I’m not sure, but it is a blast to use, and definitely enhances snorkeling, allowing you to go faster and see more.A few points of caution when using the scooter to snorkel. First, it is only safe to use this produce when visibility is excellent, and you can see at least 10-20 feet clearly. You do not want to be zooming through the murk and suddenly come into contact with a rock, a boat hull, or someone’s legs. Second, it would be very easy, when allowing the scooter to pull you along the bottom, to wind up 40-plus feet deep, without realizing it. If you go deeper than intended, and especially if you use the scooter to shoot back up to the surface, you could give yourself a mild case of the bends. You have to careful to monitor your depth when using this scooter, as it its very easy to lose track. Finally, you need to closely monitor the battery usage by periodically tipping the scooters up and looking at the lights on the front ends. If you run out of battery while far away from shore, you will have to drag the scooter along while swimming with one hand, a dicey proposition for most people, especially in waves or currents.
36 people found this helpful
Kiwi –
Actually not that bad.
UPDATESo after a rep from Waydoo reached out to me, they replaced the main unit. (The original was dead and gone). I took the new one down to 60ft and it struggled a bit to pull me on its normal setting, but you can switch it to High Gear and it works quite well for significantly less time. That being said too of these mounted in tandem or on your tank would very likely be sufficient for recreational Scuba purposes. Most DPVs for tech diving start at $3k, so for a third of the cost you could probably use these for recreational Scuba. Remember that when you Dive with a DPV of any kind, you must not exceed a distance you aren’t capable of swimming. But these are fun and do make Diving a little easier.OLD REVIEWI bought this on a chance, only saw the reviews from people with free products. I am a Dive Master as a side job and go diving at least once a week, and I figured I’d take a risk and get this in case I have a diver that struggles to keep up or has a disability. I never expected it to be as good as my sub gravity DPV I use for caving, I thought of it more as an assistive device. But even kicking myself, it felt was struggling to pull my slender 145lb self. On the only dive I used it, I had charged it till the sound played per the instructions, cleaned and lubed the O ring and sealed it per the instructions, and dove to 80ft it seemed fine at first, but after three minutes it’s thrust dropped significantly. I completely the dive 30 minutes later trying to use it intermittently, but it was not having it. On the shore I inspected it and it didn’t seem to have any issues, but at the Hotel I discovered water had penetrated the charger plug. I tried letting it Dry out and charging it but it doesn’t want to. I’m going to give it a few more days in the rice bucket, but I don’t have much hope. The listing says it is rated to 197ft so I don’t know why it would have any issues in the first 10ft, or even down to 80ft. The only other Issue I had is the weight, it’s not very light and you have to account for that. It’s not super heavy and won’t drag you under, but it will mess with your trim. I will update if I save it or cut my losses.
41 people found this helpful
SpecialKSpecialK –
Subnado’s in Jamaica- Senior Snorkeling is reborn!
If you are considering spending the 400 bucks or so to get one and are weighing the pros and the cons, let me help you. If you are over 60 and still like doing this stuff, BUY IT! (if you buy direct from Waydoo its only 350 & free FAST shipping & no tax!)Thank me later!I bought these for us in April(I am NOT a free stuff-receiver/reviewer) for a June trip to Jamaica and I wondered “will they pull my 185lbs around and down in the saltwater ocean with the increased buoyancy?” I mean, the 105lb girl is cute but not representative of a man my size, right?The answer was YES, one machine will take you anywhere you want to go and in 3rd gear & that includes going straight down in the ocean if that’s your thing.These 2 Subnado’s, one for me and one for my sweetheart made all the difference in the real world choppy conditions off Negril. They were life-changing for me.For her in-shape self, it was fun but I am older w/compromised breathing……I was never out of breath, they made that much of a difference for me. What used to be a test of endurance, became fun again!It’s stupid fun!Wearing two machines( per arm) will turn you into Aquaman! You will get a stupid grin on your face! I promise you, if you are over 50 it won’t go away! My sweetheart also wore both at once and she came up laughing her heart out!Charging them;I bought a $30 charger that will pump out 100W from one USB C port and it gets toasty, now I know why the “double-chargers” really only one have 1 @ full-rate. I used the heck out of it charging both machines multiple times some days…it still works.- EleanosUSB C Charger, 100W 4 Port USB C Charging Station,Charges from empty in less than an hour. ½ refills in 20 minutes. Cool way of charging too so you can see it building…..you’ll see. 1st gear- will tote you around the pool was underpowered for the Ocean so pop into 2nd gear by dbl-tapping the trigger….in 2nd gear a single machine will let you run rings around the rest of the group on the ocean. Triple-tapping the trigger will put it in 3rd gear. In 3rd gear you are a master of direction, pivot and spin on a dime, turn and let it jet you straight down too or outrun Michael Phelps, your call!I also learned that by letting a member or 2 of the crew of the Snorkel boat try it, they let you go off on your own and didn’t have to stay “on the rope” when over a reef like the others in the group did(Pro-tip; Never touch or take from any reef, be cool when you do cool stuff)!Machine summary;Great quality build, everyone is impressed by the execution;I own machines, all kinds…..you guys know what I mean….and these are very well-built with a lot more guts than I thought they would have! The specs are evident and the only “risk” is the non-replaceable batteries. I see it this way, if the Battery solution is executed with the same QC the rest of the machine seems to be, this should last for years. If it isn’t and they “shortcutted”, we’ll all find out together.Bad point;The Safety strap is 90% correct but one of the quick-connect round tabs(male side) broke off and was lost while trying to reconnect while using it. Maybe a change in materials? The rest of the safety strap is Excellent, it’s strong, easy to use with the “keeper tab” of material and it’s easy to see.Pro tip; Watch the line between anchor-point and strap, it can reach the prop and get sucked in.Special KThere’s MORE; Check out the 4×4!
184 people found this helpful
ccproductions –
under water scooter
This is amazing, and I love the underwater scooter. For the value, it is worth it. It allows me to free dive and conserve energy and oxygen when in the water. I have used it in open waters and even in pools. It is super easy to use when you read the directions, and it looks pretty durable. I love it
2 people found this helpful
Marina Gelido –
A lot of fun
SO MUCH FUN! Be aware of cruisers mode. Please read instructions before use! Remember it’s not a toy, I keep telling this to my son. I had it for little more than a month now and my son loves it. I also have fun using it. I wonder if I can travel with it in the luggage.
4430salton –
Subnado review
It was great, Haven’t used it yet but it came in undamaged and in working order!