I have a question I have never flew over water and I know a bunch of you guys do, what I'm asking is what is my minimum height to fly safely without my
ma2 taking a swim? TIA
Really depends on water you are flying over IMHO. For the ocean - I'd stay a good 10 - 20 feet above wave height. You never know when a rogue wave may come and you don't want to be caught unaware.
For rivers, creeks, and lakes - I'd stick to maybe 5-10 feet at lowest point. Weather conditions would greatly apply, as if there is any kind of wind (not created by water movement) - then go higher. Also water does create wind, so I'd drop to say 10 feet above the water and hover for a minute - keeping constant watch on the drone - not the video screen. If it feels pretty stable, then I'd stick to that height and not go lower.
I do a lot of over water - rivers / creeks / waterfalls and 10 feet is pretty low. Esp around falls - wind becomes a big issue.
Another caveat - GPS reception. Sometimes I get it fine and other times nope - fly in ATTI mode. GPS does provide good stabilization and so the drone does not move as much by itself and the forces around it - rushing water, wind, etc. ATTI Mode is a whole different ballgame. The drone IS affected by everything and can / will do things suddenly and unexpected. Ask me how I know? 10 feet is not a great cushion when flying in ATTI. If doing video - go higher and add a touch of zoom and you'll get same scenery with less chance of ditching the drone.
Last, but not least. Practice a lot - starting a bit higher - say 25 feet and working your way down. The more comfortable you are flying, the better you will react when something pops up - and it will. I have a
drone buddy who is a "cowboy" and loves flying low and doing crazy things. He's very good, but at same time - he has dropped 4-5 drones doing so. He does have insurance, not DJI, and so he has replaced most of those he lost. Some he found, some not.