REVIEW – Every snorkeler or scuba diver enjoys spending time in the water. All that kicking to move around can make an otherwise relaxing time tiring. Sublue offers the WhiteShark MixPro underwater scooter as a solution to all that, effortlessly propelling a snorkeler or diver at claimed speeds up to 2.68MPH on low or 4MPH on high. That will make that water time a lot less tiring and a lot more fun. Let’s check it out and see if it lives up to the claims or if the MixPro’s claims are all wet.
What is it?
The Sublue WhiteShark MixPro is a battery-powered underwater scooter capable of propelling the user up to 4MPH.
What’s included?
- MixPro scooter
- Buoyancy wing
- Battery
- Battery charger
- Safety cord
- Cell phone holder
- Cell phone holder adjustment screwdriver
- Cell phone safety cord
- Service brochure
- Warnings and Tips brochure
- User manual
- Certification card
Tech specs
Click to expand
Design and features
I’ve got to admit, the MixPro looks a little like a pod racer from Star Wars. There are two propellers and two control buttons/triggers, one each on each side.
Holding the left button for three seconds powers the unit up.
Pressing both buttons activates the motors. Releasing either button stops the motors. With the motors running, double-pressing the right button flips between low and high speed.
Looking under the MixPro, we find several features.
There is an orange switch on the right arm (left side in the photo since it is flipped over).
That switch locks out the right control button, preventing accidental motor activation. I’m surprised they didn’t put that on the other side as the other button is responsible for powering up the unit. There is no way to turn it off. After ten minutes of no use, it shuts down automatically. Why not lock out that button?
The battery compartment is also located under the MixPro.
Slide the battery into position (left) and snap it into the holder (right).
MixPro comes with an optional buoyancy wing. The wing is designed to go no lower than 5 meters below the surface versus the 40-meter depth of MixPro itself.
On the top of the back of the wing, you can see the screw mount hole for the provided cell phone holder. The holder is just that – a holder. You need to provide a waterproof housing for your cell phone. Of course, Sublue has one available for sale on their website. The wing’s bracket wraps around the front of MixPro. Rubber tabs secure it to the sides and the suction cup attaches to the top of MixPro.
The wing attaches to the action camera mount on the front of the MixPro. It has a second action camera mount so you can still attach an action camera with the wing installed. Unfortunately, it won’t be visible to the user so an optional extension mount (also available from Sublue) will be needed to effectively use an action camera.
Each propeller sits inside a protective cage.
The front cover can be twisted and removed and the propeller can be popped out for cleaning and lubricating.
Assembly, Installation, Setup
MixPro arrives fully assembled. You need to charge the battery with the included charger and install the battery. You also need to decide whether you want to use the buoyancy wing and install it if desired.
Performance
With the battery charged and installed, pressing the left button for three seconds brings MixPro to life. Status LEDs light up to indicate that the unit is on and the relative charge level. Five purple pulsing LEDS indicate a full charge and that MixPro is ready to go. Pulling both trigger buttons makes the LEDs good solid purple when the motors engage. Double-pressing the right button while the motors are running flips the LEDs to yellow (the manual says orange but to me, it looks like yellow) and flips the motors to high speed. Double pressing it again flips back to low speed. The number of LEDs illuminated goes down as the battery depletes. The LEDs show red when the battery is low, flashing all five red between flashing the speed color and the appropriate number of LEDs to represent the charge level.
We took it to a local pool to give it a try. First up, my wife and I each tried it with the buoyance wing attached. The wing makes the unit float, so if you let go, it just sits there on the surface.
The scooter had some pull and had no difficulty propelling my lovely wife or the significantly larger and more drag-inducing me. It was maneuverable and easy to use. I had no problem diving with it although this pool was only about five feet deep.
After several laps for each of us, I removed the wing and tried it again. I expected to feel something different, but surprisingly, I did not. I was just as maneuverable and easy to use. The main difference was that if I let it go, it quickly sank to the bottom.
That sinking risk can be mitigated by using the included wrist strap. It wraps around the handle and your wrist and makes sure you don’t lose your scooter. There is also a quick-release clip in case you are in trouble and need to let it drop.
I ran a couple of laps, one at low speed and another at high speed. In a very unscientific test, I timed it to try to get a speed estimate. Both laps calculated to a little over 2MPH – well below the stated speeds, but the test wasn’t fair. The pool is only 75 feet long so the scooter is just getting up to full speed and I’m already at the other wall. Based on my less-than-scientific feel, high speed certainly feels faster than low speed even though the lap time didn’t show it. To get a more accurate speed, I need to have a long run and time in the middle where the scooter isn’t accelerating from a dead stop. Based on my timings of a little over 2MPH including acceleration and stopping, I’ll say their estimates of 2.68MPH and 4MPH are probably reasonable.
The MixPro had no difficulty pulling either of us under the water. I found that to be impressive given that I am extremely buoyant. I’m sure that when diving, I would run out of depth long before the MixPro would.
Here is a compilation video of our tests.
One thing I noticed was that I could really feel the MixPro in my hands and forearms. This thing pulls hard and you have to hold on to it, especially in high-speed mode. That’s not a bad thing but something to be aware of. The MixPro scooter certainly has some power and that’s what makes it great.
When I read the specs, I wasn’t impressed at all with the battery life. I mean, seriously, only 20 minutes in high-speed mode? That’s pretty useless, right? Well, let’s assume that the specs are overstated and you can perhaps get 3MPH out of it. Well, 3MPH for 20 minutes is one mile! One mile while snorkeling is a heck of a long way! Plus, In my view, I will likely use low-speed mode most of the time so I will have time to take in the sights. Plus, I frequently stop to look at the sights so that will extend the battery. That’s why Sublue presents a 60-minute battery life based on intermittent use and I would agree with it. In our testing, I got more than 35 minutes out of the battery, using it more-or-less continuously and most of that time in high-speed mode. I think their battery claims are spot-on.
One problem I had was switching between speed modes. While cruising, I double-pressed the right trigger. Sometimes it would change speeds, and sometimes it wouldn’t. I wasn’t able to determine if I was doing anything wrong and each time, I was eventually able to change speed but it took several attempts.
The other thing I don’t like is that there is no way to turn the unit off. It powers down after ten minutes of no use. I’d rather see a three-second hold of the left button, just like the power-on sequence. Still, if you flip the lock switch, you can’t accidentally activate the motors, which is a minor issue.
Speaking of power, the lithium battery has a rated power capacity of 122.1Wh. This could present an issue when flying as my understanding is that the TSA has a problem with batteries rated more than 100Wh.
What I like about the Sublue WhiteShark MixPro underwater scooter
- Relatively light and easy to carry or pack for travel
- Easy to use and maneuver
- Surprisingly good battery life
What needs to be improved?
- I’d prefer to be able to turn the unit off without pulling the battery
- I think the trigger lock should be on the left side so you can’t accidentally power up the unit
- Because it takes two hands to use, you obviously can’t be using an action camera other than one mounted on the front of the scooter or your head – an articulated stick mount could help
- The large battery may cause TSA issues when flying
Final thoughts
I wasn’t sure what to expect from the Sublue WhiteShark MixPro underwater scooter. I’m a big guy and a lot to haul, especially through the water. I was pleasantly surprised. The MixPro scooter had plenty of power to pull me through the water at a good clip. It is highly maneuverable and can be used by just about anyone from kids to larger adults. When I snorkel, I take a lot of photos and videos so I’m not sure how I will work through that. I will also use the included safety strap, even with the buoyancy wing attached as I don’t want my MixPro floating away if I’m tied up looking at something neat under the waves. The fact that I’m thinking like this is because I see a place for this in a suitcase for our next cruise that involves snorkeling. I liked it that much.
Price: $699
Where to buy: Sublue and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by Sublue. Sublue did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
