Search for an underwater scooter price and you get a number without a reason. One site says four hundred euros, another says nearly two thousand, and both are talking about the same brand. That gap is not a quality ladder, and it is not a markup. It is a configuration ladder, and once you understand how it is built you can work out what you should be paying for the diving you actually do.
The three things that move the price
Almost every euro of difference across the range comes down to three decisions.
Motor power and thrust. More power moves a bigger person, or the same person wearing more gear, at a usable speed. A diver in a wetsuit with a tank pushes far more water than a snorkeller in board shorts.
Battery capacity. This sets how long you are in the water, and it also decides whether the unit can travel with you by air.
Single or dual engine. This is the big one, and it is the reason a single product listing spans such a wide band. Running two units together roughly doubles your speed through the water. It also roughly doubles the price, because you are buying two units.
The Subnado ladder, entry to top
Prices as listed on waydoo.tech at the time of writing. Configurations change, so check the live product page before you order.
| Model | From | Motor | Thrust | Battery | Runtime |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main Unit | 390 EUR | engine only | engine only | engine only | engine only |
| Subnado Lite | 399 EUR | 500 W | 6.5 kg | 98 Wh | up to 56 min |
| Subnado Standard | 499 EUR | mid range | mid range | mid range | mid range |
| Subnado Plus | 799 EUR | 800 W | 9.3 kg | 144 Wh | up to 60 min |
| Subnado SUP Kit | 439 EUR | 500 W | 6.5 kg | 98 Wh | up to 56 min |
The Main Unit is the replacement or second-engine route for someone who already owns the mounts, not a first purchase. The Lite is the travel unit, and its battery is the reason why. The Plus is the diving unit: more thrust to move a geared-up diver, and a bigger battery. Both are IP68 rated to 60 m. The SUP Kit takes the same engine and drives a paddle board instead of a diver.
The battery rule that decides more purchases than the price
If you fly to your diving, read this before you compare anything else.
The Lite carries a 98 Wh battery, under the 100 Wh threshold airlines apply to carry-on lithium batteries. The Plus carries 144 Wh, which sits in the band that needs airline approval before you travel.
This is the reason a diver sometimes chooses the Lite over the Plus even though the Plus is the stronger unit. A scooter that cannot get on the plane is not a scooter, it is luggage you left at home. Check your airline's policy rather than ours, because the approval process differs between carriers. We go into this in more detail in our travel and snorkelling guide.
What else you should budget for
The engine is most of the cost, but not all of it. Mounts and accessories run from around 6 EUR for a finger safe guard up to 329 EUR for an accessory box, with the parts most people actually add sitting in between: arm and leg mounts, an air tank bracket for divers, wrist bands, a neutral buoyancy sleeve. The full list is in Subnado accessories.
A realistic first purchase is the unit plus one or two mounts that match how you dive. You do not need the full accessory list, and buying it up front is the most common way people overspend on their first scooter.
Who should not buy one at all
Worth saying plainly. If you swim short distances from a boat or a beach, stay near the surface, and never feel short of air time, a scooter solves a problem you do not have. They earn their place when you are covering real distance, working against current, or trying to extend a dive that your air or your legs would otherwise cut short.
And if what you actually want is to move a paddle board rather than yourself, the SUP Kit is the product to look at, not the handheld units above it.
What you get after you buy
Two things worth knowing before you commit at this price. Waydoo Europe publishes an "Up to 2-Year Warranty" with cover that varies by component. Registering a Subnado on the Waydoo app adds three months to that, and registration is not needed for anything else. Orders process in one to three business days and ship from the European warehouse, with European delivery estimated at three to ten business days.
Buying from within Europe also means the return window applies normally: 30 days, plus the statutory 14-day right of withdrawal for EU customers. If you would rather see one in person first, find your nearest dealer.
Related reading: which Subnado suits you, the scuba and freediving guide, and whether to build your own SUP motor.
