Fly underwater at 180mph: Inside world's first underwater jetpack craze

Khaleej Times

2 days ago

The sensation, according to its creator, is like 'flying underwater' at 180mph. Strapped to a swimmer's back, the CudaJet represents the world's first commercially available underwater jetpack, and it's quickly becoming the must-have gadget for Dubai's superyacht elite.
Archie O'Brien, the 28-year-old CEO and designer behind CudaJets, spent over 30,000 hours perfecting the revolutionary device while studying product design at Loughborough University. Now, with fewer than 100 units sold globally and a three-month waiting list, the £22,500 (Dh110,000) jetpack is making serious waves in the luxury marine market. 'I actually think this is probably the best product you can buy in the world,' O'Brien told KT LUXE in an exclusive interview. 'I don't think there is anything better, especially not for this price point.'
The battery-powered device, weighing 13.5kg and generating 40kg of thrust, works by sucking water through the front and expelling it from the rear, allowing swimmers to travel at speeds of up to three metres per second underwater.
The tech behind the gadget
O'Brien's engineering approach mirrors Formula One development, focusing on performance, intuitive control, and rapid learning curves. The jetpack operates to depths of 40 metres, though users must hold their breath as the device isn't compatible with oxygen systems. 'The whole terminology came about after I built the second prototype, and that was really fast. Suddenly, I realised, as I was trying to explain it to people, the only way I could really describe it was like flying,' O'Brien explains.
The flying comparison isn't merely marketing speak. Users adopt a Superman-style horizontal position, manoeuvering through three-dimensional space with aircraft-like precision. 'You see how a fighter plane moves. You know, they bank onto their side, and they can pull up, long turn, or they'll do a front event like this. So, you've got these sort of same manoeuvres that you can do,' he said. What sets the CudaJet apart from traditional water sports is its instantaneous feedback system. 'When you're learning a new task, the rate at which you can learn a task is dependent on the feedback loop,' O'Brien says. 'You move your body like it happens. And so this is where you can learn to use it really, really quickly.'
This design philosophy addresses a crucial market need. 'I've been sitting here thinking, okay, I'm a superyacht owner. I've got guests on board. I'm someone with limited time. Maybe I've got one week in the whole year where I want to go out and do something fun. What don't I want to do? I don't want to spend a day in a classroom before I can do that.'
The perfect testing ground
Dubai's Deep Dive facility has become O'Brien's preferred testing location, and it's easy to understand why. The world's deepest indoor diving pool, stretching 60 metres down, provides the perfect environment for demonstrating the CudaJet's capabilities. 'The construction of the project is amazing as well. The guys that run it are really, really friendly and knowledgeable. Some of the most experienced people in the world are in that place,' O'Brien says of the Dubai facility, where the technical director has discovered more shipwrecks than anyone else globally.
The 90-minute battery life provides ample time for extended underwater exploration, while the five-minute learning curve means guests can master basic operations almost immediately. 'Yes, you can learn it in under five minutes, and we've had many people do it on the very first go,' O'Brien confirms.
Superyacht toys
The superyacht market has long been an early adopter of cutting-edge water toys. Traditional high-end offerings include submarine-style underwater vehicles costing millions of dirhams, inflatable water slides reaching three storeys high, and helicopter landing pads for aerial access. Jet skis, while common, typically cost between Dh70,000 - Dh250,000 for top-tier models, while luxury submarine experiences can command millions of dirhams
The CudaJet slots perfectly into this ecosystem, offering unprecedented individual underwater mobility at a comparatively accessible price point. 'Why is it so perfect for boats? One, it's simple and easy to use. Two, it's great fun. The other thing is really small compared to the other water sports products, which are high end,' O'Brien explains.
For Dubai's luxury market specifically, the appeal extends beyond mere novelty. 'They like to do fun, exciting things. They're innovative people. They take action and want to do something that's with a bit of adrenaline,' he observes about Middle Eastern buyers.
The jetpack represents an entirely new category of water sports. 'The jet pack has not got anything to do with scuba diving. We're not using air. This is an entirely new realm which is opening up in the water, and this is where these younger guys are generally coming in,' O'Brien says, though he's quick to add that users span all age groups, including his grandmother.
The Middle East market has proven particularly receptive. 'We've sold many units into the Middle East, and I consider them to be people that would carry on, sort of looking out for our products, and it will start growing over there,' he says.
O'Brien's pricing strategy reflects the innovation investment required. 'There's 30,000 hours of work that's gone into it. I will say, I've been working minimum wage for or less, much less than minimum wage... the other thing is money for the development. Yeah, that doesn't come for free.'
However, O'Brien sees Dubai's innovative spirit as key to the brand's regional growth. 'The way they go about innovation and living is something to be looked at.' For Dubai's luxury consumers, always seeking the next exclusive experience, the CudaJet offers something genuinely unprecedented: the ability to fly underwater with the learning curve of a video game and the performance of a Formula One car. In a market where differentiation is everything, that's worth its weight in gold.