The SwellPro Splash drone is one of the first “prosumer” drones that is safe to take with you to the beach or lake. SwellPro has spent a lot of time developing a drone that you can land in the water or fly in the rain. It can carry a high definition camera or you can even attach a payload release system to the drone.
If you have ever flown your drone over water then you know that it can be a stressful flight. A wrong move, an angry seagull, or a big wind gust could send your prized possession spiraling out of control into the unforgiving waters below. SwellPro wanted to give you the piece of mind when flying over the water that you can’t get from your Phantom.
The SwellPro Splash is fully waterproof and includes a waterproof gimbal for you to attach your GoPro or the SwellPro Zero camera. SwellPro recommends the Zero camera as you can get a live video feed and you can control the camera remotely while flying.
SwellPro achieves their waterproofing by using stainless steel, waterproof coatings and a variety of seals and gaskets. They claim an impressive IP67 waterproof rating. You can even invert your drone and “fly” it underwater like a submarine.
With the waterproof camera enclosure, you can even film underwater with your SwellPro. The Splash is a full-featured drone. It has some nice built-in features like GPS, Follow me, Circle mode, App Navigation and Return to Home.
The Spash has a marketed flight time of 19 minutes. Flight time will vary depending on numerous factors. The range of the SwellPro is 1000 meters, which is good enough for many applications. The remote will even vibrate letting you know when your battery is getting low so you can land your drone safely.
The payload release is an interesting feature and we’ve heard of people using it to bring fishing lines far off shore and dropping it further than any cast could do. That sure is a fun way to fish. With a payload of 1 kg, it could also be used to carry a life-saving device to a stranded swimmer. In the US you likely need an exemption from the FAA before dropping things from a drone, so check to see what laws might affect what you can do with this drone.
The Swellpro drones comes with a lot of mixed reviews. There are plenty of people that have had their issues with the drone, but the majority of those tend to be from the 2013 release of the Swellpro Mariner model. The instructions seem to be vague. When people get the drone set up correctly they seem to love it.The newer Swellpro Splash drone tends to be much more reliable and has a lot of content customers.
If you are looking for a drone that can take good pictures and video and you don’t want to worry about water damage, then the SwellPro Splash might be the drone for you.
Swellpro isn’t resting on their laurels. They are busy creating other waterproof drones like the FireFly Pro. Like the Splash before it, the FireFly Pro is fully waterproof. The FireFly is built for speed and watersports – think racer meets SwellPro Splash. The good folks at SwellPro plan for it to have a full 4K camera. It, like the Splash, is going to be funded via Kickstarter.
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