Imagine heading out on the water with AQUA capturing every turn, every paddle stroke, and every takeoff. Whether you're cruising on a SUP, paddling a kayak, or riding an e-foil, AQUA's Water Mode is designed to help you capture more of the action.
A great water session starts with the right preparation. Bright conditions, moving water, and fast-paced activities can all affect tracking and footage, so settings that work well on land may not be ideal on the water.
In this guide, we'll walk you through the essential pre-flight checks, help you choose a suitable flying environment, and share recommended settings for each Water Mode. You'll also learn how to fine-tune your setup for different conditions.
Three principles to keep in mind: prioritize safety, choose open water, and review the official in-app tutorial before your first flight.
1. Before You Head Out on the Water
Great footage starts with good preparation. Before each session, take a moment to complete these four checks.
- Check your firmware. Connect AQUA to the HOVER app and check for available firmware updates. Install any required updates before heading out. Keeping your device up to date helps ensure you have the latest improvements and fixes.
-
Watch the Water Mode tutorial. Open Community > Tutorial in the HOVER app and find the Water Mode videos. If you're new to water flights, watching the tutorial before your first session will help you become familiar with the controls and recommended practices.
- Check your battery level. Smart batteries may discharge during storage to help protect battery health. Even if a battery was fully charged before storage, its current charge level may be lower than expected. Check the battery level before every flight and make sure you have enough power for your planned session. If you're unsure about your battery's flight time, check out our AQUA Battery Life Guide for helpful tips on flight time and battery usage.
- Wear your Lighthouse. The Lighthouse helps AQUA maintain tracking and positioning during water activities. Make sure it's properly positioned, connected, and ready to use before takeoff.
Why the Lighthouse Matters on the Water
The Lighthouse is a wearable tracker designed to support AQUA during water flights. It provides two important functions:
- RTK positioning: AQUA and the Lighthouse use RTK technology to support precise positioning and tracking, helping maintain a more consistent connection during dynamic movements.
- Virtual Tether: If AQUA moves beyond the configured follow distance, the Virtual Tether function can help guide it back toward the Lighthouse.
For the recommended wearing position, attach the Lighthouse to your upper arm with the black area facing upward.
Before entering the water, check that the Lighthouse is connected and that both OmniTerrain and RTK are active.
These features can help improve tracking reliability, but they do not eliminate all flight risks. Always choose a suitable environment and maintain a safe distance from people and obstacles.
2. Choose the Right Flying Environment
Your flying environment is just as important as your settings. Choose an area with plenty of open space and minimal obstacles.
Recommended environments
- Open sea or lakes with a clear, unobstructed flight area.
- Designated beaches and water sports areas where flying is permitted and appropriate safety measures are in place.
- Designated foil lanes or kayaking practice areas with sufficient room to maneuver.
Environments to avoid
- Ports and shipping lanes: Vessel traffic can create serious collision risks.
- Fishing and aquaculture areas: Nets, lines, and other equipment may be difficult to see from above.
- Water with floating debris: Seaweed, ice, and other debris can pose hazards during takeoff, tracking, and landing.
- Areas beneath bridges or piers: Structures may obstruct positioning signals and leave limited room to maneuver.
Always check local regulations and conditions before flying. Keep a safe distance from other water users, and avoid flying where obstacles, traffic, or limited space could compromise safety.
3. Recommended Settings for Each Water Mode
The following settings are recommended starting points for common water activities. Actual performance may vary depending on your surroundings, speed, and water conditions, so adjust them as needed after becoming familiar with the mode.
SUP Mode — For Calm Lakes and Relaxed Paddling
SUP Mode is a good starting point for relaxed cruising on a stand-up paddleboard.
| Setting | Recommended starting point | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Follow Distance | Medium (5 m) | Offers a balanced distance for tracking and framing. |
| Altitude | Flat Shot (0°) | Provides a natural, level perspective while standing on the board. |
| Follow Direction | Takeoff Direction | Offers a consistent perspective when paddling in a straight line. |
| Orbit Shot | Off | Keeps the flight setup simpler in areas where shorelines or nearby obstacles may limit maneuvering space. |
| Assist Recognition | On | Helps AQUA continue tracking when you briefly move out of view. |
Tip: If other people are swimming near your board, increase the separation where appropriate or pause tracking until the area is clear.
Kayak Mode — For Rivers, Lakes, and Sea Paddling
Because you're seated lower in a kayak and your paddle moves continuously, a little extra distance and a higher camera angle can help capture the action.
| Setting | Recommended starting point | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Follow Distance | Medium (5 m) or Far (8 m) | Provides more room between AQUA and your moving paddle. |
| Altitude | High (20–30°) | Helps capture more of your upper body and the surrounding scenery. |
| Follow Direction | Takeoff Direction | Offers a consistent perspective when paddling in a straight line. |
| Orbit Shot | Off | Provides a simpler starting setup in environments where rocks, driftwood, or other obstacles may be present. |
| Assist Recognition | On | Helps AQUA maintain tracking when you briefly move out of view. |
Two extra tips for river paddling:
- Check for fishing nets, floating vegetation, and other hidden hazards before takeoff.
- If taking off from or landing on a moving kayak, keep in mind that the home point remains at the original takeoff location. As your kayak drifts with the current, you may reach the configured distance limit sooner than expected. Whenever possible, take off and land while the kayak is stationary.
Foil Mode — For E-Foil and Wing Foil Sessions
Foiling involves faster movement and more dynamic turns, so maintaining adequate distance and choosing an open flight area are especially important.
| Setting | Recommended starting point | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Follow Distance | Medium (5 m) | Provides some separation during faster movement. |
| Altitude | Flat Shot (0°) | Creates a level perspective that works well for capturing the ride. |
| Follow Direction | Back | Captures the action from behind and helps keep the rider in frame. |
| Orbit Shot | Off | Avoids adding orbiting movements to a fast-paced session. |
| Assist Recognition | On | Helps support visual tracking during dynamic movement. |
Keep safety in mind: E-foils and wing foils can reach speeds of 30 km/h or more. Choose open water with plenty of clearance from swimmers, vessels, and other obstacles.
Tracking may take time to respond to sudden changes in direction, especially at higher speeds. Never rely on AQUA to detect or avoid obstacles for you. Leave enough space to maneuver safely throughout the session.
How Does Assist Recognition Help?
Assist Recognition is recommended for SUP, Kayak, and Foil modes.
When AQUA temporarily loses sight of you—for example, when spray or a wave briefly blocks the view—it can help the device continue tracking using recognizable features associated with your activity, such as your board or kayak.
When you come back into view, AQUA can resume tracking you directly.
This can be useful during water sports, where splashes, waves, and quick movements may temporarily interrupt visual tracking. However, Assist Recognition does not guarantee uninterrupted tracking in every condition, so always choose a safe flight area.
4. Fine-Tune Your Settings
Once you're comfortable with the recommended settings, you can adjust them to suit your activity, speed, and preferred framing.
We recommend trying the default settings over a few sessions in suitable conditions before making significant changes.
Follow Distance
| Setting | Distance | When to consider it |
|---|---|---|
| Close | 3 m | For slower activities in open areas when you prefer tighter framing. |
| Medium (Default) | 5 m | A balanced starting point for most situations. |
| Far | 8 m | For faster foil sessions or wider shots when the environment allows. |
Start with Medium and adjust gradually once you're comfortable with AQUA's tracking behavior. A shorter distance does not necessarily mean a safer flight, particularly around people or obstacles.
Altitude
| Setting | Angle | When to consider it |
|---|---|---|
| Low | -15° | Points the camera downward toward the water. Use caution, as a lower angle may leave less clearance above the surface. |
| Flat | 0° | Provides a natural, level perspective for most water activities. |
| High | 20–30° | Captures a broader view of you, your activity, and the surrounding scenery. |
Choose an angle that suits your activity while maintaining sufficient clearance above the water. Always consider waves, spray, and changes in your movement.
Tips from the HOVERAir Community
Here are a few practical tips shared by pilots in the official HOVERAir community:
- For high-speed foiling: Foil Mode is a useful starting point for capturing the full ride. Consider Orbit Shot for slower moments when you have enough open space.
- For portrait or landscape footage: Landscape framing can be easier to maintain during fast movement. Choose the orientation that best suits your intended shot and conditions.
- For manual landing: When conditions allow, landing in front of you can make AQUA easier to retrieve. Always ensure the landing area is clear and follow the recommended landing procedure.
- For water takeoff in Orbit Mode: Allow AQUA to climb above 1 m before initiating the orbit, following the recommended operating procedure.
5. Want Smoother Footage? Try Enhance Stabilization
AQUA uses SmoothCapture 3.0, which combines a 1-axis gimbal, electronic image stabilization, and horizon leveling to help produce smooth footage.
In many conditions, the standard stabilization setting may be sufficient. However, choppy water, strong winds, and fast movements can make footage more challenging to stabilize.
If your footage shows noticeable shaking or a tilted horizon, try switching Image Stabilization to Enhance, the strongest of the three available levels.
| Stabilization Level | What it does | When to consider it |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Disables stabilization | Generally not recommended for water sessions. |
| On | Applies standard stabilization | Suitable for calmer water and relaxed cruising. |
| Enhance | Provides the strongest stabilization level | Worth trying when filming in choppy water, strong winds, or during faster movement. |
How to Enable Enhance
- Open the HOVER app and connect to AQUA.
- Navigate to Video and Photo settings.
- Tap Image Stabilization.
- Select Enhance from the pop-up menu.
The in-app guidance recommends enabling this setting in strong winds for improved stability. If your footage looks unstable or the horizon appears tilted, Enhance is a good option to try. In calmer conditions, the standard On setting may be sufficient.
6. What to Do If Something Goes Wrong
Water flights require extra care, so it's important to know how to respond if AQUA behaves unexpectedly.
| Situation | Recommended response |
|---|---|
| Low battery warning | Stop the session and initiate a safe landing as soon as conditions allow. Do not continue flying once the battery warning indicates that a landing is needed. |
| AQUA behaves unexpectedly or stops responding | Avoid attempting risky recovery maneuvers. Follow the applicable emergency or recovery procedure, and prioritize your own safety. If AQUA comes to rest on the water, retrieve it only when it is safe to do so. |
Never put yourself at risk trying to recover a device. If conditions are unsafe, wait until it is safe to proceed.
7. After Your Session: Rinse, Dry, and Store
After a saltwater session, proper cleaning and storage help keep AQUA in good condition.
- Rinse with fresh water. After every saltwater flight, rinse AQUA with fresh water according to the official care instructions. Pay particular attention to areas around the gimbal and motors where salt residue may accumulate.
- Dry AQUA thoroughly. Make sure the device is completely dry before charging or storing it. Moisture and salt residue can affect the gimbal and motors over time.
- Store it in a cool, dry place. Keep AQUA away from direct sunlight and excessive heat when not in use.
Need more guidance on cleaning AQUA after a saltwater session? Check out our Complete Guide to Cleaning HOVERAir AQUA After Saltwater Exposure for more detailed instructions and tips to help care for your device after every session.
8. Ready for Your Next Water Session?
A little preparation goes a long way toward a smoother water-flying experience.
Before your next session, remember to:
- Check your firmware and battery level.
- Watch the official Water Mode tutorial.
- Confirm that the Lighthouse is connected and positioned correctly.
- Choose open water with sufficient clearance.
- Start with the recommended settings for your activity.
- Clean and dry AQUA properly after your session.
If you're new to Water Mode, begin with a short test flight in calm, open conditions. Once you're comfortable with the tracking behavior and controls, you can gradually explore different settings and capture more of the action.
Enjoy your time on the water, and happy flying!
Comments
0 comments
Please sign in to leave a comment.