Let's be honest … a lot of the underwater scooters we've seen lately could be thought of as glorified pool toys. Such is certainly not the case with SeaNXT's Elite, however, as it features a carbon fiber body, GPS navigation, and a top speed of 21 km/h (13 mph).
Thanks to continuing advances in lithium batteries and electric motors, a wide variety of underwater scooters are now available to consumers.
And while some of them are the sort of thing you might see Jacques Cousteau using to zip around in the Red Sea, the majority are small handheld (or body-worn) gizmos that take the user up to a sedate top speed of around 5 km/h (3 mph).
So really, they let you move at a quick swimming speed without having to swim. If that's not good enough for ya – and if you have about US$12,650 at your disposal – then the Elite might be more what you're looking for.
Manufactured in France by French company SeaNXT, it sports a streamlined carbon fiber body, dual 2-kilowatt electric motors that put out up to 700 Newtons (157 lb ft) of thrust, and the previously-mentioned 21-km/h top end.
At that speed, one ~1.5-hour charge of the 48V lithium-ion battery is claimed to be good for about 40 minutes of runtime. There are four speed modes to choose from, with the slowest (Eco) reportedly offering about 80 minutes of underwater scooting. Battery life is displayed on a central 5.5-inch LCD screen, as is data such as depth, speed … and geographical location.
The latter is possible via an onboard system that takes GPS readings when the Elite is at the surface, where it can access the necessary satellite signals. Once the scooter submerges and goes out of GPS range, the system continues to ascertain its location based on factors such as its speed and orientation.
It should be noted that as compared to cheaper underwater scooters, the Elite is big.
Almost approaching the size of a personal watercraft (i.e: a JetSki), it measures 98 cm long by 50 cm wide by 28 cm tall (38.6 by 19.7 by 11 inches). When out of the water, it tips the scales at a claimed 23 kg (51 lb). Importantly, the device is slightly positively buoyant, so it will float to the surface if let go. It has a maximum depth rating of 40 m (131 ft).
And yeah, it's costly. Expect to pay at least €10,825 ($12,653) for an Elite of your own, depending on what country you live in. That price does include an aluminum transport case, but you'll have to supply your own ocean.
Source: SeaNXT
