VIEW OF GREATNESS – Have you ever snorkeled? We have. We did it in Grand Turk. You put on your mask and are given what looks like a pen holder with handles and a trigger. Hold it in front of your body and pull the trigger. The paddle spins and pulls you into the water. It’s fun and easy to do. There was news for us. The first is that you have a large, confusing object in front of you, which obscures your view a little. The next thing is that it binds both your hands to carry the action camera out, unless you want to rely on the mask mount. In that example, you will have a printer for each image. Finally, if you’re not careful with how you like the paddle, you’ll find a blast of high-speed ocean water headed in your face. Wouldn’t it be cool (or Kool) if you could just walk through the water like Aquaman so your hands are free to hold a tripod, or an action camera? High Great, a manufacturer of drones used to create large lighting displays, is expanding into water sports and wants to offer you the same. Today, we’re going to take a look at their newest underwater propulsion system, the SeaKool D2.
What is it?
The High Great SeaKool D2 is a battery-operated waist belt that features compression devices that can produce up to 29 pounds. This is designed to propel the wearer through the water at a speed of 4.5 kilometers per hour.
What’s in the box?
- Storage box
- A thruster belt with thrusters and an attached rudder
- Battery bag
- Battery
- Power supply adapter
- Charger power cord
- Basic guide
- User manual
- Warranty card (to be included with purchased units)
- Universal power adapter with storage bag (not sure if this will be included or just included for this test)
Hardware specifications
- Main materials: nylon, glass fiber, aluminum alloy
- Weight of the entire system: 16 pounds
- Weight of belt with thrusters: 10.8 pounds
- Speed: Levels 1/2/3 based on 176-pound user – 1m/s – 2.2MPH / 1.5m/s – 3.4MPH / 2m/s – 4.5MPH
- Rated power: 500W
- Maximum speed: 29 pounds
- Thruster Speed: 3000RPM
- Working depth: 0 – 66 feet, 200kPa water pressure
- Battery weight: 5.2 pounds
- Battery: 13.6Ah, 25.2V Li-Polymer
- Battery life: Level 1/2/3 – 120/60/33 minutes
- Operating temperature: 32°F – 95°F
- Charging: 110/240V, 100W dedicated charger, 3.5 hours
Design and appearance
High Great SeaKool D2 Hands-Free Underwater Thruster is heavy and difficult to carry. There are many wires that are part of the system which makes it difficult to install correctly. I will try to explain what you see.
In the picture above, you can see the whole system. The big white stuff is the two throws. This goes up on your legs. The box is a three-button control that turns on/off and sets the speed. Everything is attached to something heavy like a canvas. It feels very well made and solid. All belt connectors are quick release plastic connectors. They clip together easily, stay put, and release and squeeze easily.
Look at the standard belt. You can see the belt loops on each side of the belt. The battery connector is facing under the center belt. You can also see the leg bolts on each of the thruster mounts. Two adjustable velcro straps secure the thruster to each leg.
Here’s a closer look at the leg lift.
In the center of the belt is a cable tie.
Behind the belt of the High Great SeaKool D2 Hands-Free Underwater Thruster, we find heavy duty nylon loops. These are designed to hold the screws of the battery case. You can buy an extra battery and bag to extend the usage time.
The bag is placed on the belt and can be seen on the left side of the picture.
The battery looks like a big can.
Weighing in at just over five pounds, the High Great SeaKool D2 Hands-Free Underwater Thruster is bulky. The quality of keeping the bag is very strong. The battery connector is located on top of the battery.
Insert the keyed connector into the socket above the battery and twist the lock nut to form a watertight seal.
The battery goes into the bag. The battery connector sticks out. The screen is protected by another piece of plastic.
These two thrusters have a large exhaust port.
It slows down a bit to accelerate and focus.
Everything is controlled by a belt supervisor.
Buttons from left to right turn on/off, scroll down, and speed up. Below that are four LEDs. The left LED in the power and speed indicator. When you turn on the machine, the multi-color LED display lights up based on the remaining power. The manual states that one LED means 20% power or less but gives no guidance on gates for two or three LEDs. When the unit hits 20% power, it slows down to ensure it runs for ten minutes so you can get back to the surface.
When the High Great SeaKool D2 Hands-Free Underwater Thruster is turned on, pressing the “+” button increases the speed, and the “-” button decreases the speed. One LED also changes color.
- LED: red, speed 1, 2.2MPH
- LED: green, speed 2, 3.4MPH
- LED: blue, speed 3, 4.5MPH
To understand how fast these speeds are, consider this. The average swimmer swims about 2MPH. Elite swimmers swim about 4.7MPH for the distance. Elite sprint swimmers can hit 5.35MPH. This means that the High Great SeaKool D2 Hands-Free Underwater Thruster can propel a person at a constant swimming speed or have a high speed swimmer at long distances.
Sit down
There are four installation steps.
- Charge the battery
- Place the battery pack on the belt
- Properly size the belt and leg straps for the user
- Place the charged battery in the battery bag and connect the battery cable
Procedure
After getting everything ready and growing my lovely wife, we were ready to head to one of our local pools. Below, they model the High Great SeaKool D2 Hands-Free Underwater Thruster.
You can see the belt around her waist and resting around her waist and strapping each leg. You can see the battery in the pouch behind his right hip.
Here’s a look at the manager and the manager. The instructions say to turn off the cables, presumably to keep the devices from moving around your body.
He put on his snorkel, jumped into the pool, and started scooting!
Here, you can see the thruster output when he was up and took a little breath while eating.
He started going on cruises on the lake
The more he used the High Great SeaKool D2 Hands-Free Underwater Thruster, the more comfortable he became with it. He chose the fastest route almost all the time.
He liked to sail with his hands in front or by his side.
With his hands in front, he could use them to control his direction and turn his body to turn.
He was able to jump without power and then come back up of his own volition.
Here is a look at the thruster in action.
Based on the claimed battery life and the fact that they were running fast for over 30 minutes, I expected the High Great SeaKool D2 Hands-Free Underwater Thruster to die. But surprisingly, after half an hour of testing, the battery indicator was still on three LEDs. Based on this, the stated battery life of 33 minutes at speed 3 seems conservative. It weighs less than the 176-pound user it was designed for, but battery life seems to be pretty good. The manual says it shows one LED at 20% battery or below, so with three LEDs, the display is not linear. I guess I can assume that three LEDs means 60%+ and two LEDs means 20%+ or so of battery life left, but that’s just a guess. With 20% of one LED and 80% split between the two, you’ll be thinking about battery life as long as the battery is charged. Regardless, we exceeded our expected 33 minutes with plenty of battery left.
The feedback is that speed 1 feels slow. But, if you’re going for a swim and you just want to look around as you go, it would be great for that. Routes 2 & 3 are better for getting from one place to another. He told me all these things from ear to ear. They also commented on how easy it was to use and how easy it was to turn and jump. Can’t wait to get to the beach and try it out in the open.
This is designed for middle-class architecture users. Unfortunately for me, I don’t fall into that category. Being bigger (okay, a lot) than that, I can’t fit the belt, even if I extend it to full length. The leg straps are another matter because they don’t fit my thighs. My wife can count that as a win because we won’t be fighting over who gets to use this next time we go swimming. She’ll be spinning like a goddess while I’m pumping my fins, trying to keep up.
When we got home, I filled our utility sink and threw the SeaKool D2 in. High Great recommends submerging the unit for at least 20 minutes in fresh water after use, preferably in salt water. I drained the water and let it dry before removing the battery and storing everything in the storage box.
Which I like
- It works well and offers a quick selection of speeds for various tasks
- Usually comfortable to wear
- They look well made and durable
- This is a very interesting thing
What I would change
- I would like to see a better picture of the remaining battery life on the controller
- It’s heavy and bulky – not a problem in the water but a problem for transportation to where you can use it, especially if you’re flying.
- It would be best to place the thrusters in front of the thighs as opposed to the sides to reduce air absorption.
Final thoughts
High Great SeaKool D2 Hands-Free Underwater Thruster is not yet sold. It is currently in its funding phase until the end of July 2023 on Indiegogo. As of this writing, 12 supporters have pledged more than $12,000 or more than 600% of their original goal of $2,000. Shipments are expected to begin this month, July 2023. They are also offering the SeaKool P1, a one-of-a-kind device designed to be mounted on billboards as part of the campaign.
Should you enjoy this? It depends. If you don’t snorkel or scuba dive, probably not. If you do one of those things regularly, then I’d have to say, “Yes”. Spending a few hours doing one of those things without any effort can lead to more people attending. For those who may have already done this type of event, let’s talk about entertainment and you have another audience.
Price: Benefits start at $1299 (varies slightly depending on the price of the latest upgrade) for the original bird kit ($1690 retail), and $1559 for the pro kit with a second battery ($1997 retail)
Where to buy: Grandma – delivery expected in July 2023
Source: An example of this drug was given by The Most High.