HoverAir Aqua review – There really is nothing like it this waterproof drone, but does that mean you should buy it?

The HoverAir Aqua is a revolutionary product – there are currently no other consumer drones able to land on water, let alone right themselves and get back in the air. It is fully waterproof, and self-piloting

This is a drone not built to take on all the other camera drones out there, but to provide extra functionality, especially for people like paddleboarding, kayaking, surfing, boating, jet skis, and e-foils.

If you're looking to share these activities on social media – and especially if you want to shoot them alone using the drone's subject tracking – this is your only option.

A secondary market might be operators looking to fly over water who just don't like the risk of the drone sinking should an unlikely failure happen.

So, for both of those scenarios, the key question is the same? It's innovative, sure, but is this drone actually going to do what you expect of it? It's not just that the manufacturer's claims have a lot to live up to – but the practicalities and usability when you're on the water are even more demanding. Here's what I found when I tried it…

HoverAir Aqua: Price

• Launch price $1,299 / £1,129 / AU$1,999 for 1-battery "Standard" bundle
• I tested the $1,399 / £1,299 "Fly More Bundle" with 2 extra batteries

The HoverAir Aqua is a revolutionary product – at the time of launch there are literally no other consumer drones able to land on water, let alone right themselves and get back to work. It is fully waterproof, and self-piloting

This is a drone not built to take on all the other camera drones out there, but to provide extra functionality, especially for people like paddleboarding, kayaking, surfing, boating, jet skis, and e-foils.

If you're looking to share these activities on social media – and especially if you want to shoot them alone using the drone's subject tracking – this is your only option.

A secondary market might be operators looking to fly over water who just don't like the risk of the drone sinking should an unlikely failure happen.

So, for both of those scenarios, the key question is the same? It's innovative, sure, but is this drone actually going to do what you expect of it? Just the manufacturer's claims are a lot to live up to – but the practicalities of usability when you're on the water are even more demanding. Here's what I found when I tried it…

HoverAir Aqua: Specifications

HoverAir Aqua: Build & handling

The back of the drone is the battery, with the main power button – large enough that you're unlikely to miss it (though there are no simple power indicators on the battery).

Instead, clipping and unclipping it is a slightly frustrating process (or at least it was on my sample), I can only assume because the seal has to be tight to keep water away from the metal contacts.

At the front, above the camera, is a screen and beneath it four tiny buttons

The other key means of control is the "Lighthouse," which is worn on the arm using a strap. This provides a remote control you're unlikely to drop, as well as signalling your location to the drone, in a single unit.

The beacon is also orange, with a rubber ring acting to cover most of the buttons. The button functions are not especially clearly marked, I found, but tactile. There are ridges at the 12 o'clock, 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions and another four buttons (marked by recessed icons) beneath the halfway points – a total of eight control points on a relatively small ring.

In addition, there is a take-off and landing button and, tucked on the side, a power button. At the base is a rubber-sealed USB-C port for charging.

The Lighthouse has two means of communication – a very loud speaker which barks status updates, and a light which shows different colors / flashes.

Also in the box, as well as the drone itself, there is a waterproof bag for each battery; these use plastic seals and wrap-around folding to keep the water out. I tested the Fly More Kit with three batteries, and it also included a charging hub – also in matching orange. It can charge 2 (not three) batteries at once.

Oddly, though, there is no case, even with the Fly More bundle that I'm testing. There isn't even one with the most premium set. That despite the fact that the outer polystyrene rim of the aircraft is more vulnerable than the rigid plastic of other drones.

The Aqua has arguably more need for a specifically designed case than any other drone – and yet there isn't one.

HoverAir Aqua: Performance

To my mind this drone is for confident drone users – it feels like it is all about the hand-launch, for example.

Selecting a mode is done with the buttons beneath the 1.6-inch screen and, sure, the AMOLED is bright enough for a sunny day, but the buttons beneath it are a bit strange. The icons confused me a bit (they are, as near as emoji will let me: – 🔴 ⏎ –). What the drone's OS thinks of as a 'back' button looks like the 'return' on my computer – so it acts in the opposite way to the one I expect!

Instead, the second button from the left, the red dot, usually means perform this function, as opposed to 'record' – which will happen automatically when the drone is doing its thing.

Which leads me to the automated following, which the drone relies upon from its main camera and the Lighthouse and, to its credit, it seemed capable of even on land with more obstacles that it might expect on the water.

Water landing was a scary idea to me at first, but by the end of my review I was happily throwing the drone so it'd land upside down, confident that I'd be able to get it to flip itself right again.

Much more unsettling from my perspective was the apparent connection difficulties between Lighthouse and drone, even testing in good weather. Often there would be a loud voice shouting "connection lost" before almost instantly assuring me it was restored – this feels like something that firmware could resolve as I suspect the connection loss was not that long.

The upshot, though, is concern, which isn't really what you want.

I tested the drone in winds at the edge of its acceptable speeds and it did survive, despite the relatively large surface area of the frame, but the battery time dropped well below the promised 23 minutes.

HoverAir Aqua: Overall Verdict

Ultimately this is a drone you buy because it is the only one you can buy to do the job. Image quality is fine, but not the best – the 4K quality is pretty average and the 1-axis image stabilizer on the camera means that everything else needs to be done by digital image correction.

That's fine – it's the same principle as the HoverAir X1 and the DJI Neo – but of course the price here is significantly higher. It's important to remember that what you're paying for is the unique ability to use the drone, without help, over water.

My confidence in those abilities is high. After testing in a few locations I found myself happy to just throw the drone into the water and knew that it would take off on my command. I wish that a few of the irritations could be solved – not least the connection frustrations. I imagine that firmware updates will come along for this. A longer battery life would be wonderful, of course, but staying under 250g is probably more useful and it's hard to believe both are possible with current battery tech.

In summary, then, this seems a great choice as a second drone for people who know why they need it. It will do the job. If you're not venturing over the waves, though, there are better, cheaper choices.

Alternatives

Rather than recommending an alternative drone, because there is no other drone (yet) capable of landing on water, I'd suggest you consider an alternative workflow. Get someone to stay on land and film you using a drone from our guide to the best camera drones.

If you have this kind of money to spend, an excellent choice that would offer a bonus perspective would be the DJI Air 3S, which not only boasts a 3-axis gimbal, but a telephoto camera as well (plus a good radio control range).