Advice for Low Level Flights over Water - Skimming Water Surface

[Trollistika]

I do a lot of "skimming" of on a small lake near my place, but fly much higher when I'm anywhere with boat traffic or larger bodies with waves (ie ocean). With my luck I wouldn't rule out a fish or gator jumping up and snapping my Mavic down.

You should see my luck! I bet you if I tried that... A water spout would get mines.

 

[Dakrisht]

I regularly fly over the ocean here in Southern California.

I never go below 15 feet and this is pushing it. I’m sure I could probably go to 10 feet but no need to risk losing the bird.

Important to check the swells and you can simply observe their period and height by flying 50 feet up and hovering in place. You don’t want to be 10 feet up and get hit by a swell.

If I’m near the shore where breaks happen, I’m not going lower than 25 feet due to your lovely rogue break or big break clipping the bird into the water.

Wind is important but not so much, wind is stronger at higher altitudes and the surface of the ocean is a good indicator of wind strength. Glass seas are also just pristine and perfect for shooting stills or video. A bit windy (day 10-15 knot winds) will chop up the water but again, still safe to fly at reasonable distance when not near breaking waves.

No issues with all sensors enabled in P mode either.

Much easier to fly closer to the water on lakes and rivers as you don’t have the night of the ocean but ocean flying is simply amazingly fun and the content you can capture is world class. Just be smart, check winds and swell conditions, don’t get too close to to the surface and have fun.

 

[JoostGT3]

I fly a lot over water, but most of the time at quite high altitude.
I have been trying to fly low over waves and the beach, but found it quite exciting, since it is difficult to estimate height correctly.
Once, I have been filming my buddy windsurfing on an empty pond, so I could go all out in sports mode, flying low and fast without worrying about other people on the water. It was quite intense, but I love the results!

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[baddog]

Nice shots. Did you have any GPS signal issues when you dropped down in the ravine? I was in a similar situation and I couldn't get more than 15 feet up. ....but I was trying to take off from the base. I see you came in from the top.

Sorry for late reply, I have been away for work. I had very little or no signal loss.

 

[baddog]

BD: That was a MOST excellent clip, amigo! TOP-NOTCH editing and the audio track was perfect. Well done!

Sorry I have been away for work and just seeing these comments now. Thank you for the kudos on the clip. This is a cool place to visit even if you do not have a drone to fly around...LOL

 

[baddog]

Very nice video. I want to shoot a video from the perspective of a boat going over the falls. Have you tried that yet?

Sorry for late reply, been out of town for a while. Most of my water fall shots are in tight locations but I have done several over the top shots pretty close to the surface i.e. 10 ft to 25 ft

You can see all my water/waterfall footage here:

Drone Cinematography and Videography - Drones Scapes: We Fly... We Produce... We Deliver...

Drone Scapes professional drone cinematogrphy and videography showcase from a unique visual perspective. Enjoy the views...

www.drone-scapes.com

 

[BobDoLe]

DON'T DO IT
you guys skimming the ocean... need to consider sea spray
DJI quality control isn't good enough to get that conformal coating everywhere it needs to be and your mavics are SUCKING it in and blowing it all over sensitive components on the boards.
with that said... YOLO

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(excuse the horrible transitions)

 

[mike35mm]

when I filming surf video, my M2P is 2 meter above and what's weird it wasn't trying to land but went up with Sport mode. happened with anyone ?

 

[baddog]

Nice shots. Did you have any GPS signal issues when you dropped down in the ravine? I was in a similar situation and I couldn't get more than 15 feet up. ....but I was trying to take off from the base. I see you came in from the top.

No I never had any issues. I did have an annoyed park ranger...LOL

 

[FrankIII]

I fly a lot over water, usually in P mode manually controlling sticks. Downword sensor get confused over water so I do not rely on them when over water. I have a thing for waterfalls. I always make sure I am loaded with Getter' Backs, cheap, easy to mount and not obtrusive. Might get wet, but you get your drone back, if you go for a swim.

View attachment 72160

Footage over water:

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YUP. Highly recommend Getter Backs fishing rod recovery units.
50' of line that ejects upon water detection with a small float.
Luckly I haven't needed it yet but always attach my one if anywhere over water.
I reinforce the Velcro with a tie wrap. Any reason you use two of them?

 

[baddog]

YUP. Highly recommend Getter Backs fishing rod recovery units.
50' of line that ejects upon water detection with a small float.
Luckly I haven't needed it yet but always attach my one if anywhere over water.
I reinforce the Velcro with a tie wrap. Any reason you use two of them?

Mainly for weight balance and over time I don't know if these things will fail at all. So better safe then sorry.

 

[FrankIII]

Mainly for weight balance and over time I don't know if these things will fail at all. So better safe then sorry.

Got Ya. I never noticed any ill effects with only one Getter back attached.

 

[RSD1982]

When you turn the drone but continue flying forwards it loses altitude as the props are now pointing sideways and not straight up. Keep it in mind and don’t drown your mavic!

 

[Phantomrain.org]

We have done a lot of testing skimming the water , as you can see, just having to much fun.

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Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain.

 

[YVRGUY]

Hi All,

I’m curious what are everyone’s experiences with low level flying over both oceans and flat, still bodies of water (lessons learned) that would help make these types of flights more manageable?

Naturally, this is a high-risk, but I’d like everyone’s input on how to best manage this risk.

My advice, practice low flight flying over land first until you’re really comfortable with your reactions. The other is stay recording all the time you’re over water … be prepared.