Thoughts for drone video on a Liveaboard

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js1221

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Scuba Instructor
Divemaster
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Location
Texas
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I'm headed to the Sea of Cortez next month and thought I would take my drone along on this trip. I've seen some really fantastic trip reports where drone video has been used for shots of the boat and the surrounding islands. I'm really new to using the drone so I'm wondering what shots you might look at taking to enhance a post trip video.
 
Anything will be good. Zoom in and out from the boat with the boat in frame. If you are near an island get the island and boat together. Get shots of tender boats, jet skis and swimmers near the boat.
 
If your drone has the function of "return to home when battery low.." turn this off! Remember boats don't stand still and take off and landing positions can change radically. Most of all be prepared for the possibility of losing it! For shots in the Sea of Cortez you will have some really cool sea lion colonies to fly over if it is allowed. We have also seen super pods of dolphins. There is always the possibility of seeing whales but LOBs usually will send out tenders to see them for maneuverability and speed so probably not drone material. You never know when a manta will show up on the side of the boat etc. so keep batteries charged and ready. Practice some quick flies at home, so you don't blow it. A group pic with drone is always fun too! Best advice is don't be that annoying drone guy that flies all the time and ruins beautiful sunsets by buzzing and crash landing by other guests. Be considerate! Have fun, the Sea of Cortez is really amazing!
 
My first flight mine landed in the ocean.

be prepared to smoke a grand
 
Make sure you find out (and comply with) any local laws, rules or procedures for drone usage in the area.
 
I'm headed to the Sea of Cortez next month and thought I would take my drone along on this trip. I've seen some really fantastic trip reports where drone video has been used for shots of the boat and the surrounding islands. I'm really new to using the drone so I'm wondering what shots you might look at taking to enhance a post trip video.

Just to echo what other people have said about losing it.

If you're not comfortable flying at home then trying to learn abroad is asking for frustration and expense. If you still want to take it try to get as many hours as you can flying it here 1st. The more experience you can get the less likely it is to go down.

@Hoag also has a great point about the local law.
 
What kind of drone? If you're running an ardupilot FC then you could presumably have "home" locked to the GPS co-ordinates provided by your base station (laptop) on the boat. I'd be very careful and have descent rate set VERY low so you could take over and correct the flight path if it's descending in the wrong place.

If it's an "FPV" style drone then almost everything will be manual so landing/return will be on you to do it right.

If it's DJI, the standard controllers don't have a GPS RX. All they do is remember where they launched from. As others have pointed out, not a great option on a boat because the boat moves. However if it's DJI, you'll be breaking the law because:

Max drone weight for flying without a permit (including battery) is 0.55 lbs in Mexico. They require a permit to fly a drone larger than that, and they only issue permits to citizens. You may very well get away with it, but I personally am very risk averse and wouldn't do it. 0.55lbs is VERY small. DJI's mavic 2 is almost exactly 2 lbs.
 

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