What UDRA does
UDRA stands for Underwater Drone Recovery Austria. Instead of a diver, UDRA sends out an underwater drone, exactly the kind of device we otherwise write reviews about here. Only not for filming fish, but for finding lost items and bringing them up.
For private individuals it is usually about small things of great value: the phone that slipped off the jetty, car or boat keys, glasses, jewellery and wedding rings. For businesses (harbours, boat hire firms, swimming pools, insurers) UDRA offers inspections of hulls, anchors, chains and jetties, 4K documentation for expert reports and damage claims, and checks of the bottom before the bathing season or before construction work.
One particular focus is stolen property: thieves surprisingly often dump their loot in the water. UDRA searches for owners and insurers, in coordination with the police.
How a search works
- Send a request – via WhatsApp or the form, ideally with the location, photos and a short description.
- Dive on site – the team comes to the water with the drone and works through the bottom systematically. Nobody has to get in the water.
- Handover – anything found is handed over right on the shore, together with a video of the find. For inspections you get video and photos.
Don’t stir up the mud, as that clouds the water for hours. Mark the spot, save the position on your phone (GPS pin), note reference points on the shore and take photos. The smaller the search area, the better the chances.
The technology
The drone in use is a QYSEA FIFISH V-EVO, exactly the drone that came out as the best-value winner in our review. It dives to 100 metres, films in 4K at 60 frames per second and has 5,000 lumens of light for murky water. The live picture goes straight to the tablet on the shore. For very small valuables, UDRA works with partners who have an underwater metal detector where needed.
Exciting for hobby pilots: here you can see what a drone from the hobby segment can do in professional use, and where its limits lie. Success is never guaranteed; visibility, current and ground conditions all play a part.
Job at the Reichsbrücke
During a voluntary litter clean-up under the Reichsbrücke in Vienna, UDRA pulled bicycles, e-scooters, safes and even a microwave out of the Danube from a depth of around five metres. Cans, bottles and bulky waste were disposed of properly.
What does it cost?
Commercial jobs are available on request, with a fair quote up front, depending on the type of job, location and travel. UDRA does private searches on a voluntary basis; the team is happy to receive reimbursement for fuel and a voluntary finder’s reward. UDRA operates all over Austria, with jobs abroad on request.
Our verdict
UDRA shows how much an underwater drone can do when it is used with experience and patience. If you have lost something in the water in Austria that your own hobby drone can’t bring up, this is a straightforward point of contact, and for private individuals the search is even voluntary.
Transparency: UDRA and Unterwasserpilot are run by the same operator.
You can find reactions and comments on this article in the Unterwasserpilot forum (in German, English posts welcome).
Lost something important underwater that a hobby drone can no longer recover? UDRA offers professional recovery missions in Austria.
