Waydoo Subnado Underwater Scooter with Thumb Control

The Waydoo Subnado is a handheld underwater scooter, the kind of device you grip or strap to your arm and let pull you through the water. Waydoo lists it for adults and kids across SUP paddle board, pool, diving and snorkeling, which places it squarely in the leisure category rather than the technical one.

Who this suits

This suits the snorkeler, pool swimmer or recreational diver who wants more range for less effort, and who would rather bring a scooter than think about whether it fits in the luggage.

Skip it if you need to fight current. Thrust is 14.33 lbs, which is a comfortable pull for one adult in calm water. On a drift dive with real flow, that number loses, and a technical propulsion vehicle is the right tool.

Skip it too if you want long powered bottom time. Cruise mode duration is up to 56 minutes, and the higher of the 3 speed gears spend that faster.

Size, weight and getting it on the plane

The Subnado is 14.84 x 2.75 x 2.75 inches and weighs 3 lbs, or roughly 1.4 kg. That is small enough to lie in a carry-on next to your mask, and Waydoo lists it as portable and carry-on friendly. Size is most of the argument for this scooter: a big one stays at home, and a small one gets used.

The battery is 98Wh and Waydoo lists it as airline approved. Lithium battery rules differ by carrier and change without much notice, so confirm with the airline you are flying rather than assuming.

Battery, charging and run time

The 98Wh pack takes 100W fast charging and reaches full in 1.2 hours. That turns charging into something you do over lunch or a surface interval instead of overnight, which on a two-dive day is the difference between one session with the scooter and two.

Cruise mode duration is up to 56 minutes. Cruise holds a set speed without you holding a trigger, which matters on a long transit because your hand stops working. The 3 speed gears sit under that ceiling and draw more as you climb them, so treat 56 minutes as the best case rather than the plan.

Reverse charging output is 100W, so the scooter doubles as a power bank for a phone or a camera on a boat or a beach with no socket.

Thrust, depth and build

Thrust is 14.33 lbs. In the water that pulls a single adult along at an easy, sustained pace: fast enough to cover a reef in one breath-hold or to make the swim back from a mooring stop feeling like work, not fast enough to tow a buddy or beat a current.

Maximum depth is 197 ft, about 60 m, which is deeper than recreational diving goes. The depth rating is not the limit you will meet first; your gas and your training are.

The housing is aluminum-alloy rather than molded plastic, and there is a detachable finger safeguard over the propeller. That guard is what makes it reasonable to hand the thing to a child in a pool.

What comes in the box, and which version this page covers

This listing is the Gray/Red Subnado with the wired thumb controller, the controller named in the product title. Waydoo lists a finger-ring controller as the other controller type for the model, so check what you are ordering if you have a preference.

The package includes the main unit, thumb controller, safety guard, arm mounts, handgrip, mount brackets and accessories. Mount options cover arm, leg and gas cylinder, and the unit supports 3 additional accessories such as a camera or underwater lights, which is what turns it into a moving camera platform instead of just a tow.

Waydoo lists 1 year of warranty on the main unit and 6 months on accessories.

The bottom line

The Subnado is a travel scooter first. 3 lbs, 14.84 inches and an airline-approved 98Wh battery mean it actually comes on the trip, and 56 minutes of cruise off a 1.2 hour charge covers a snorkel session or a couple of easy dives. What it is not is a technical propulsion vehicle: 14.33 lbs of thrust is leisure-grade. Buy it to stretch a good day in the water, not to replace your fins.

Specifications