Around the same time we were digging up a 2025 update for the radical CudaJet pack, a different spin on underwater jetting was just surfacing into the public conscious. Like the CudaJet, Kikfin's wearable puts a multi-jet array on your back to power you to faster speeds under the surface of the sea.
But the Kikfin Shark adds in a pair of pectoral-inspired fins and an available dorsal fin to bio-mimic sharks and other fast, nimble sea creatures for superior movement and agility through the water. It also adds in a swappable battery system for more time under down under. It's as close to morphing you into an actual man-shark as the current state of science allows.
An Israeli startup, Kikfin has designed the Shark Jet Pack as an adaptation of its slimmer dual-jet Fly pack, which features a pair of side-finned electric water jets attached to a shoulder harness. Weighing in at 9 lb (4 kg) including battery, this pack is designed to dive down to depths of 131 feet (40 m), delivering a stream of up to 33 lb-ft of thrust – a touch more than the 12-V-powered Garmin Force Current trolling motor uses to move an entire fishing kayak.
Kikfin says the Fly is good for a top speed up to 5.8 mph (9.3 km/h), which sounds slow when viewed against common land vehicle speeds but not when you remember it's just your body soaring face-first through open water. To pull it back to a more meaningful, granular measurement relevant to underwater swimming, that means you can cover just over 8 feet (2.5 meters) in a single second, without having to move a muscle.
Of course, you don't have to fire the thrusters all-out the entire time, and you'll probably want to temper your need for speed with battery optimization. The Fly offers five different speed modes selectable via a wireless, single-button neoprene glove controller. The battery is designed to last between 45 and 85 minutes, depending upon usage.
Speaking of the battery, it's integrated directly into the pectoral fins. The specially developed lithium pack optimizes runtime via the immersive water cooling from the fin's surface area and streamlined shape. The entire fin also removes so that a dead battery can be swapped immediately for a fresh one, even without getting out of the water.
Beyond battery optimization, the fins are also designed for biomimetic performance enhancement. Kikfin claims they make maneuvering underwater faster and more natural, allowing users to swim more deftly with ease. We imagine bumbling, jet-powered humans will still fall well short of the grace of actual sea-dwellers, particularly a stealthy apex predator like a shark, but sharing an extra couple appendages with the world's foremost swimming experts certainly couldn't hurt.
Speaking of sharks, that Shark Jet Pack we were originally here to talk about adds an extra fin-battery jet thruster, upright between the left and right sides. That gives the wearer a look akin to the shark's infamously fearsome dorsal fin, along with plenty of extra thrust and speed. Kikfin says the dorsal fin further improves mobility, helping quickly switch directions by simply turning their head. It's also designed to streamline hydrodynamics for more straightforward speed.
With its three water jets firing full tilt, the Shark fires out up to 46 lb-ft (21kg-ft) of thrust for speeds up to 8 mph (13 km/h, 3.6 m/s). The extra fin battery raises total runtime as high as 90 minutes, depending on what mode you're using.
Both the Kikfin Fly and Shark jet packs are still under development. We reached out twice to the company via email to get an estimated launch timeframe and pricing information but never received a response. Kikfin was previously accepting $500 reservations but has since put its entire website behind a password wall so we'll have to wait until that wall gets demolished into a proper product launch to get those critical details.
In the meantime, you can get a feel for what Kikfinning is all about in the video clip below.
Source: Kikfin
