Lost another drone

[jwilson]

My first day in Siargao, the surfing capital on the Philippines. I was trying to video a boggie boarder, with my Mavic 3 Pro. I got too low, and a big wave hit my drone. Lost connection. I knew what that meant. A sick feeling in my stomach. And on the first day of my trip, just like Puerto Galara in April. I couldn't believe it. After 10 minutes, I had recovered enough to try flying my Mini 3 Pro. It was very windy, I would say 20 to 30 mph. So once I lifted off, I could tell it was fairly stable. So I flew for about 30 minutes. Stayed well above the water. So I contacted DJI, and I'm hoping they could send me a replacement at my hotel here. I will be here for 3 weeks. The mini is OK, but the Mavic is way better. Couldn't find it in a million years in this surf. Not that it would be repairable anyway. Before the wave hit it, I was getting some orange and red obstacle avoidance warnings. I tried to go up, but it was too late. Oh well, another $1,300 dollars down the drain, not counting shipping.

 

[Paul Iddon]

Lessons to be learned sadly my friend....

 

[GadgetGuy]

My first day in Siargao, the surfing capital on the Philippines. I was trying to video a boggie boarder, with my Mavic 3 Pro. I got too low, and a big wave hit my drone. Lost connection. I knew what that meant. A sick feeling in my stomach. And on the first day of my trip, just like Puerto Galara in April. I couldn't believe it. After 10 minutes, I had recovered enough to try flying my Mini 3 Pro. It was very windy, I would say 20 to 30 mph. So once I lifted off, I could tell it was fairly stable. So I flew for about 30 minutes. Stayed well above the water. So I contacted DJI, and I'm hoping they could send me a replacement at my hotel here. I will be here for 3 weeks. The mini is OK, but the Mavic is way better. Couldn't find it in a million years in this surf. Not that it would be repairable anyway. Before the wave hit it, I was getting some orange and red obstacle avoidance warnings. I tried to go up, but it was too late. Oh well, another $1,300 dollars down the drain, not counting shipping.

Bummer! Been there! Drowned my Mavic 2 Pro in the surf at night in the dark trying to video bioluminescence using only VLOS with the screen turned off so I wouldn’t be night blinded. Bad idea! That telemetry is essential. Visually gauging elevation over the water in the dark based upon the drone lights from 100 feet above and 400 feet away is deceptive!

Is $1300 the Care Refresh "Fly Away" deductible for the Mavic 3 Pro, or the cost of a replacement drone without Refresh and FlyAway?

One of the advantages of the Mavic 3 Pro is using one of telephoto lenses to stay farther above the surf, or a hybrid zoom of up to 2x digital on top of one of the 3x or 7x telephoto lenses.

 

[Pacefast]

My first day in Siargao, the surfing capital on the Philippines. I was trying to video a boggie boarder, with my Mavic 3 Pro. I got too low, and a big wave hit my drone. Lost connection. I knew what that meant. A sick feeling in my stomach. And on the first day of my trip, just like Puerto Galara in April. I couldn't believe it. After 10 minutes, I had recovered enough to try flying my Mini 3 Pro. It was very windy, I would say 20 to 30 mph. So once I lifted off, I could tell it was fairly stable. So I flew for about 30 minutes. Stayed well above the water. So I contacted DJI, and I'm hoping they could send me a replacement at my hotel here. I will be here for 3 weeks. The mini is OK, but the Mavic is way better. Couldn't find it in a million years in this surf. Not that it would be repairable anyway. Before the wave hit it, I was getting some orange and red obstacle avoidance warnings. I tried to go up, but it was too late. Oh well, another $1,300 dollars down the drain, not counting shipping.

There is a saying " The only thing worse than taking a risk is taking NO risk !
I have lost 4 Air 3s 2 my fault 2 a drone failure ( replaced free by DJI)
One was in Sardinia where I was going to do an orbit around a massive pinnacle of Rock !
I had the camera on zoom so was much further out than appeared and orbitted right into a cliff face on the outside ! I was operating from a tiny boat and had OA off
The drone was perched on a ledge 120 feet up a vertical cliff and held 70% of my Sardinia footage on SD card
We all seek the thriller shot so part of the game

 

[GFields]

Sorry for your lose, mate!

 

[sarahb]

I would think that since you had lost one before you would have learned
Sorry that you lost your drone but hopefully you learned the lesson this time around.

 

[wco81]

There is a saying " The only thing worse than taking a risk is taking NO risk !
I have lost 4 Air 3s 2 my fault 2 a drone failure ( replaced free by DJI)
One was in Sardinia where I was going to do an orbit around a massive pinnacle of Rock !
I had the camera on zoom so was much further out than appeared and orbitted right into a cliff face on the outside ! I was operating from a tiny boat and had OA off
The drone was perched on a ledge 120 feet up a vertical cliff and held 70% of my Sardinia footage on SD card
We all seek the thriller shot so part of the game

Yeah I was flying last summer on this cliff over the water and the top of the cliff had pastures and windmills.

It was one of my first flights with the Air 3S so I played around with the zoom a little. When I switched to the zoom it looked like I was right by the windmills.

I made a few panos with the zoom but otherwise, I've kind of stopped using it for landscape shots.

 

[CraigVMN]

That really bits. Sorry for your loss.

 

[DISC]

I do hate these tales and feel really sad for you guys losing such great kit but thank you for sharing and reminding me how easy it is to get into this situation….
Have a good Christmas everybody and be safe out there!!

 

[YorksPhotos]

Sorry this happened. It's a good reminder for me to be cautious. I feel I do take risks and fly over water much of the time. I think I have just been lucky, I am not that good. Hand catching over water always frightens me but when its all done the reward was worth the risk.
View attachment 1000005554.jpg

 

[Droning on and on...]

Sorry for your loss, buddy.

Whether or not this was wise or foolish, and needed to be a "learning experience" is a highly variable, individual measure. Depends on one's financial tolerance, what the drone was being used for, the value of the media being captured, etc.

For example, taking a risk like this while getting footage for an epic surfing documentary may just be "the cost of doing business", and is factored into overall budgeting. Plan to lose a drone now and then.

For someone with the financial wherewithal, I can also understand valuing the shot more than the hundreds or few thousands at risk, when they've got millions in the bank.

Very subjective.

 

[PINEBARON]

Here we live near the ocean in WA, a usually calm harbor, about a 1000' away, we are 50'asl hence have to look almost below the horizon while flying low over water, above or close to it, I try and maintain adequate relative height since the ground slopes towards the ocean.

While tracking my son-in-law surfing in Mission Beach area San Diego where we rented an airbnb, it was darn difficult to track him with my A3S in the surf, with other surfers in the water, I attempted to stay an average of 25' or more above the surf, yet below 75'-100' to avoid helicopter traffic alerts, which would make me scramble back towards the beach; other beaches saw negligible air traffic. Luckily no incidents or mishaps during our week long stay there which was a blast.