This tiny story came past my desk and I just had to find out more. Have you heard of the “SeaBob”? If you are a water enthusiast I expect you have but me? I am ashamed to say I am mainly a landlubber living in the Cayman Islands. However, I had to find out what this SeaBob gadget was all about.

Gadget Testing in the Cayman Islands!

Submitted by Katie Linendoll on May 14, 2013.

It has been an amazing trip the Cayman Islands.  We came equipped with luggages full of technology to test underwater.  From scuba diving to shipwrecks to testing out the SeaBob (see pic)… kinda-sorta dont want to leave!  Stay tuned!

For more go to:

http://katielinendoll.com/talknerdytome/post/gadget-testing-in-the-cayman-islands

And what is this “mysterious” gadget? The following was the best story I could find.

SeaBob, the rechargeable hand-held underwater propulsion device.

By Loz Blain. Gizmag

The SeaBob dives to a depth of up to 40 metres

Ever wondered what it feels like to power through the water like a dolphin? The SeaBob is like a cross between a jet-ski and a bodyboard -hold on tight and leap through the waves, or turn downward and head for the ocean floor with speed, grace and agility. This simple device creates a whole new category of recreational vehicle, and it looks like a blast!

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Put on your goggles, hold onto the handles, tuck yourself in behind the hydrodynamic plastic body of the SeaBob, and gently thumb the accelerator sensor. The electric impeller jet motor pulls you forward gently at first, but ramp it up to full power and it belts you through the breakers at a speed of 15km/h. Hold on tight!

Take a deep breath and dip below the surface, powering downwards towards the ocean floor. Steer yourself by moving your bodyweight and using your legs like the tail of a fast fish, and experience the exhilaration of flying along the sand, dodging rocks, coral and startled fish as you go.

Let go of the handles and the SeaBob powers down and stops almost immediately so you don’t have to swim far to get it back. There’s really not that much more to it, it’s a simple and intuitive device that lets the user experience underwater speed in a very physical and engaging way.

The SeaBob, designed in Stuttgart, Germany and available now, is powered by a patented electric motor, drawing on rechargeable Li-Ion accumulators and driving an impeller jet propulsion system. The standard model puts out 2.4 kW (3.3 HP) and the Jet and Cayago models use the larger 3.6kW (5 HP) engine, capable of 20kmh. A full charge takes 6-12 hours when plugged into a wall socket, and is good for around an hour belting around underwater. Extra battery packs are available, but they’re fairly pricey, as is the rest of the range.

A nifty LCD cockpit display shows you the engine power, remaining operating time, charge state, water temperature and a depth gauge. The machine comes with a factory setting that shuts the engine off below a depth of 2.5 metres – a handy safety feature that can be adjusted by the adventurous to a maximum depth of 40 metres. Clearly if you’re going to be zooming around at that sort of depth you need to think about scuba gear.

20kmh through the water is roughly 5.5 metres per second, so if you can hold your breath for one minute underwater, at top speed on the Jet and Cayago models, you’ll pop up for a breath around 330 metres down the beach. Do take care you don’t pop up in the path of a jet-ski, because you won’t be coming off the winner in that little contest.

Check out the demo video at http://www.seabob-jet.org/, if you can put up with the awful corporate techno of the SeaBob song in the background…

Apart from the recreational market (and we can see this being a real hit on hire at leisure resorts all around the world) the device clearly has James Bond written all over it too – will we see blue ocean-camoflage SeaBobs in use by Navy Seals and special ops agents in the near future?

Not cheap*, but an absolutely unique experience and a heck of a lot of fun!

For more on this story go to:

http://www.gizmag.com/go/7148/

* Seabob Cayago F7 Carbon Edition           Underwater Scooter 7 Hp – Limited Edition

12.960 €

Seabob Cayago F7     Underwater Scooter 7 Hp – THE FASTEST MODEL

12.680 €

Seabob F5      Underwater Scooter 3 Hp – NEW 2013

7.845 €

*All Seabob Models prices are net ex works. VAT and/or additional duties may apply at the country of importation.

For more information and the USA distributor go to (where you can also watch a video go to: http://www.seabobamerica.com/

Note: Apart form Katie Linedoll’s photo they all from the SeaBob official website

About Katie Linedoll: “If you’ve seen Linendoll discussing technology and sports during her many appearances on ESPN, CNN, The Today Show and more, then you know that this self-proclaimed nerd sees to it that her life is packed with adventure, whether she’s challenging IBM supercomputer/know-it-all Watson to a game of Jeopardy, flying over the Pacific Ocean wearing a jetpack, driving a life-sized Mario Kart, detoxing (and surviving!) in digital rehab, winning the Guinness World Record for performing the most “high fives” in 60 seconds, or shared a stage with Lady Gaga—all in the name of tech.

“Originally from Erie, Penn., Linendoll has been tech-minded since childhood and earned her networking certificates before graduating high school. She received her bachelor’s degree in information technology from Rochester Institute of Technology, and went on to launch her professional career with ESPN. At age 22, she won an Emmy Award for her work on SportsCenter. She moved on, and a few years later, she received another Emmy nomination as the tech host of A&E’s We Mean Business.

“Today, Linendoll’s career has come full circle as she returns to ESPN as a sports-tech contributor for the network, as well as ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine ….”

From http://katielinendoll.com/about