Mavic 2 Pro Plummeted into the Ocean

Repaid1 · Aug 24, 2020

wco81 said:
What is it suppose to do, keep the drone on the surface of the water and mostly dry so that you can retrieve it?

Simply go to the website and see it in action. It is a buoyancy device that deploys and keeps your drone from sinking on a water impact. Mainly a great idea for those with Care Refresh so they at least have a drone to turn in. But if not salt water or two long in it, they provide tips on how to flush your drone and possibly save it, it's all on their site.

OneQuickSix · Aug 26, 2020

Repaid1 said:
Okay that's probably a bit too much, how long have you been flying? You have got to learn to trust your aircraft and your skills more...your gonna have a stroke there dude Which Beeping? Low battery? Turn on your smart RTH and let it fly home and take a breather man

I probably am going to have one, but not because of the drone!

Been flying since May several times a week on average. I'm kind of a natural with these types of things, so my piloting confidence is pretty high. But I am also naturally paranoid and concerned/cautious about ALL my tech, so it just comes with the territory. But like you said, (paraphrasing) ... better to be a cautious than care-free.

JMTremblay · Aug 27, 2020

wco81 said:
What is it suppose to do, keep the drone on the surface of the water and mostly dry so that you can retrieve it?

Check out their website. They now have a video showing a drone crashing and how the unit works as well as how to clean and dry it.

JAW · Aug 27, 2020

It won't sink but the odds are it will go inverted.

Drone Tracker · Aug 29, 2020

One other thing to consider is using one of the remote control underwater drones that are now available and very capable. Here's one with a claw attached that will allow you to look around the site you went down and bring it back up.

Here's another manufacturer of a slightly different solution that does a similar function but the $500 version doesn't have a claw. You will have to do for a swim once you find it.

chasing-dory.html

Would love to see a video if you choose to find your flying drone with a submersible drone - an interesting irony. You don't need a scuba diver.
Hope this helps

wco81 · Aug 29, 2020

I'm assuming if a Mavic goes under water or gets wet enough, they wouldn't be salvageable?

Unless you can replace the motors and the camera modules.

Drone Tracker · Aug 29, 2020

I am routinely flying my Mavic Pro that spent 37 days under 10 feet of fresh water. This was caused by using the pontoon solution that is inherently unstable - did not have Drone Retriever. I thought that salt water however would be a "no go" because of corrosion until I read the excellent summary of how electronics even survive salt immersion (below). This is provided that you keep it in salt water until you are ready to rinse it immediately in fresh distilled water or 99% isopropyl alcohol to keep the salt from crystallizing on the electronics. Never use rice like is recommended everywhere - dried rice particulates cause overheating when flying again if they remain on the circuit boards.

Note the reference article is at the end of this site. Also note that using Drone Retriever secures your battery against swelling and popping out. The question is why are you not using this type of safeguard when flying over water.

DRONE-RETRIEVER: USA [Free USA Ground Shipping]

DRONE-RETRIEVER Unit pictured with CO2 Cart, 2 Trigger Bobbins and Mounting Hardware. A self-contained automatic accessory device that is attached to your drone when flying over a water hazard to facilitate a water recovery of a drone.

drone-retriever.com

GhostRyderAviation · Sep 2, 2020

Just a follow up with this particular case with DJI. They decided that the event WAS under warranty and won't even charge me one of my DJI Care replacements. So basically it's on the house. All said and done, I get a new Mavic 2 Pro, propellers & a battery. That only leaves me out one mediocre micro SD card and my favorite Polar Pro filter (ND 16). Thanks for all your replies and insight, feel free to ask me any questions about the process with DJI

zeusfl · Sep 2, 2020

Following.

Drone-Retriever · Sep 3, 2020

Repaid1 said:
I didn't see the actual trigger for deployment, would a well placed rain drop or two trigger it? That would suck

Was reading this thread and saw a post by member “Repaid1” who made a comment on Aug 16 that got us thinking.

His comment was “would a well placed rain drop or two trigger it?”

The answer is NO, but to clearly show that rain is not an issue we posted a “Rain Test” video on the site to show that there is NO Issues with rain. In short it was a 24 hour test with 2 rain events 7 hrs and 2 hrs with a total rainfall of 0.59 inches.
Additionally the unit activates when the trigger bobbin comes in full contact with water typically 2-4 seconds after impact with water.

GhostRyderAviation · Sep 6, 2020

Drone-Retriever said:
Was reading this thread and saw a post by member “Repaid1” who made a comment on Aug 16 that got us thinking.

His comment was “would a well placed rain drop or two trigger it?”

The answer is NO, but to clearly show that rain is not an issue we posted a “Rain Test” video on the site to show that there is NO Issues with rain. In short it was a 24 hour test with 2 rain events 7 hrs and 2 hrs with a total rainfall of 0.59 inches.
Additionally the unit activates when the trigger bobbin comes in full contact with water typically 2-4 seconds after impact with water.

Does this same unit provide "drone tracking" ability? Or just the high-visibility water triggered balloon?