If you're looking to spice up your beach holiday, investing in one of the best sea scooters could be just the thing.
Sea scooters have existed since the '60s, but the underwater transport device is becoming more and more popular as technology advances. And while they're mostly used for activities like diving, snorkelling and open water swimming, they're not limited to just professional use.
Less experienced divers — adults and children included — can use this swimming aid in pools and the sea for a bit of fun. Plus, they make an excellent safety blanket for young people and new swimmers.
Ready to dive in and get your very own sea scooter? We've done all of the research for you. Read on for our round-up of the eight best sea scooters on the market.
What is a sea scooter?
Sea scooters, also known as underwater scooters, scuba scooters, or dive scooters, are vehicles used by scuba divers to help them move faster under water. However, they are becoming increasingly geared towards recreational swimmers too, and can be used on a beach holiday.
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They use battery-powered propellers to push you forward. The result? Much less kicking is required when swimming from A to B. Most of these machines require the user to simply lie along the scooter and use the handle bars to steer. It's that straightforward.
Best sea scooters at a glance:
- Best overall sea scooter: Jobe Underwater Scooter
- Best sea scooter for professionals: Yamaha 500Li
- Best sea scooter for depth: OLED Underwater Scooter
- Best sea scooter for speed: Yamaha Seascooter SeaWing Seascooter
- Best sea scooter on a budget: Yamah RDS 200 Diving Scooter
- Best sea scooter for travelling: Lefeet S1 PRO Underwater Scooter
- Best sea scooter for kids: Truwelby Hagul EZ Underwater Scooter
- Best sea scooter with camera mount: HYPER GOGO Underwater Scooter
- Best sea scooter for battery life: Yamaha Seascooter RDS250
Best overall sea scooter: Jobe Underwater Scooter
- Jobe Underwater Scooter, £899.99 from Decathlon - buy here
Jobe's underwater scooter is a well-rounded machine. Operating at up to 3.1mph, it's pretty speedy, and it can run for up to 40 minutes before needing fresh batteries.
As for depth, this scooter allows you to go an impressive 30m beneath the water's surface. We think it's the best all-rounder, as it's suitable for both beginners and pros.
Best sea scooter for professionals: Yamaha 500Li
- Yamaha 500Li Sea Scooter, £1,649.99 from Amazon - buy here
If you're a seasoned diver and have the budget to splurge on a high-tech sea scooter, go for Yamaha's 500Li underwater sea scooter.
If you're a diver, your main priority is going to be depth. This one has a sturdy design and is made to go as deep as 130ft/40m.
And with a speed of up to 4.35mph, three different gears and a run time of up to 90 minutes, it ticks every other box too.
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Best sea scooter for speed: Yamaha SeaWing Seascooter
- Yamaha SeaWing Seascooter, £739.49 from Dive Inn - buy here
Let's get this straight: no sea scooter has the capacity to go extremely fast, but some are faster than others.
The average speed range for an underwater scooter is between 2.5mph and 4mph, and this one from Yamaha goes up to 4mph. With a two level rotation speed control, it's one of the most powerful sea scooters you'll find under £1000.
Best budget sea scooter: Yamaha RDS 200 Diving Scooter
- Yamaha RDS 200 Diving Scooter, £449 from Amazon - buy here
Yamaha's RDS 200 is one of the cheapest sea scooters on the market, but it still packs a punch.
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Admittedly, with a speed of up to 2mph, it's not the most powerful scooter out there. But, it still has a run time of up to 60 minutes (which is more than even some of the most expensive scooters).
And, it allows you to go as deep as 20m, which is far enough considering that professionals only go as deep as 30m anyway.
Best sea scooter for travelling: Lefeet S1 PRO Underwater Scooter
- Lefeet S1 PRO Underwater Scooter, £699 from Move Sea - buy here
If you're hoping to use your sea scooter abroad, you'll need something small enough to fit into a suitcase.
This one is the most compact of the bunch and you can rest-assured that the battery is airline compliant, so there'll be no frustrating stops at security.
It may be smaller in size, but it's still very powerful. It has a three speed setting, allows you to go as deep as 40 metres, and has a 70 minute run time. What more can you want?
Best sea scooter for kids: Truwelby Hagul EZ Underwater Scooter
- Truwelby Hagul EZ Underwater Scooter for Kids, £399 from Amazon - buy here
This sea scooter is the perfect holiday companion for an adventurous child. It has an average speed of 2.4mph and a discontinuous battery life of 50 minutes, so it'll keep them entertained for almost an hour at a time.
Thanks to the vertical grip design and light 3.5kg weight, little hands won't slip or get tired.
Best sea scooter with camera mount: HYPER GOGO Underwater Scooter
- HYPER GOGO Underwater Scooter, £399.99 from Amazon - buy here
If you care more about taking memorable selfies with your underwater camera than you do speed, battery life or depth, HYPER GOGO's scooter is your best bet.
It has a specially designed universal interface that can cleverly be installed with a camera — just make sure it's a waterproof camera!
Best sea scooter for battery life: Yamaha Seascooter RDS250
- Yamaha Seascooter RDS250, £508.99 from Dive Inn - buy here
If you're planning on doing lots of uninterrupted swimming with your machine, you'll get on best with Yamaha's Seascooter RDS250. Most sea scooters offer between 40 and 90 minutes of battery life, but this one runs up to 2 hours with normal use.
The bigger battery doesn't weigh the device down either, since it still has a 2.5mph maximum speed.
How fast do sea scooters go?
Sea scooters aren't designed to be super fast. The average sea scooter can move at about 2.5mph, and you'll struggle to find one that goes faster than 4mph.
What is the fastest sea scooter?
The fastest sea scooter in the world is SEABOB's F5 SR, which has the ability to reach speeds of over 13.7mph over water and 12.6mph under water. The only catch is, you have to contact SEABOB directly to order one.
How much are sea scooters?
The price of a sea scooter varies from brand to brand and scooter to scooter. They can cost anywhere from £300 to £11,000.
How much you'll need to spend depends on what features you're looking for in a scooter. If you're a professional and require a scooter that is fast, has a long-lasting battery and allows you to dive deep, you'll need to spend more money.
Are sea scooters safe?
If you've been curious about sea scooters for a while, you might've spotted some horror stories in the news involving the underwater transport devices. A few of these accidents have been fatal, so sea scooters aren't completely risk free.
However, they are safe when the individual operating them takes every precaution necessary. For example, you must be aware of your surroundings at all times and watch out for boats, watercraft vehicles, other swimmers and vegetation in the water. Wearing some type of eye protection will help you to see better.
According to Scooters 101, beginners should use a sea scooter with a snorkel to avoid diving to deep and risking pulmonary barotrauma — a life threatening complication caused by diving down too rapidly or coming to the surface too quickly while holding your breath.
It is also recommended that you take courses in underwater scooter safety and diving to fully understand how to keep yourself safe.
If you're concerned about a new swimmer or a child using a scooter, just make sure they're accompanied by an adult who is a strong swimmer at all times.
If you're worried about letting go of the scooter or losing control of the scooter, don't panic. Familiarise yourself with the instructions manual before use. You should find that the scooter only moves forward when the throttle is engaged, so when you let go, it'll stop and float.