5th place in our ranking. A small, light beginner drone for swimming lakes, jetties and holidays. With a 15 metre depth rating, Full HD and little light it is clearly limited, though: a toy for the curious, not a tool for Alpine lakes.
- Very light and compact (1.1 kg)
- Cheapest way into Chasing
- Depth hold and ±45° tilt
- Control via app and Wi-Fi buoy
- Only 15 m depth and 15 m cable
- Only Full HD, 2 × 250 lumens
- Max. 60 min runtime, built-in battery
- Hard to find in shops in Germany, Austria and Switzerland
Rating in detail
The grades are based on the manufacturer's figures and our rating scheme. We have not yet tested it in the water ourselves and will add that later. The grade compares the Dory with every model in the ranking, including drones that cost two to five times as much.
Introduction
Alongside QYSEA (FIFISH), Chasing is the best-known maker of underwater drones for hobby pilots. The Dory is the smallest and cheapest model in the range, below the Gladius Mini S and the larger M2 series. Chasing markets it as a portable drone for the beach, the lake, holidays and family outings: unpack it, start the app, dive in.
The concept differs from the larger models. The Dory hangs on a cable just 15 metres long that leads to a small floating buoy. The buoy creates a Wi-Fi network that your smartphone or tablet connects to. So you stand on the shore or a jetty, the buoy drifts on the surface and the drone dives beneath it. A conventional remote control comes only with the more expensive “Flash” package.
If you are looking for a cheap underwater drone, you will sooner or later land on the Dory. The key question is whether what it can do is enough for you. For that, it is worth taking a close look at the data sheet.
Technical specifications
| Depth rating | up to 15 m |
| Cable | 15 m, to the Wi-Fi buoy |
| Camera | 1/2.9" CMOS sensor, f/1.6 aperture, 100° field of view, ISO 100–3200 |
| Video | Full HD (1920 × 1080) at 30 frames per second, MP4 |
| Photo | 2 megapixels (1920 × 1080), JPEG |
| Lighting | 2 × 250 lumens, 4,000–5,000 kelvin |
| Battery | 4,800 mAh, built-in, up to 60 min runtime, at least 300 charge cycles |
| Charging time | approx. 3 h |
| Speed | up to 1.5 knots |
| Sensors | Depth (±0.5 m), temperature (±2 °C) |
| Size and weight | 247 × 188 × 92 mm, 1.1 kg |
| Wi-Fi buoy | 130 × 130 × 88 mm, 160 g, 16 GB storage, Wi-Fi range up to 15 m |
| Control | “CHASING DORY” app; remote control in the “Flash” package |
| Price, manufacturer's shop | US$599 (backpack package), US$689 (“Flash” package with remote control) |
| Price, Germany and Austria | barely listed by large retailers; converted approx. €510 or €590 (Flash), plus shipping |
| Price, Switzerland | converted approx. CHF 480 or CHF 550 (Flash), plus shipping and any import duties |
The euro and franc amounts are rough conversions of the dollar prices in the manufacturer's shop. According to a price overview from Dronetrader, the Dory was also available at times in summer 2026 for US$469 to US$559.
Camera and lighting: Full HD instead of 4K
The Dory films in Full HD at 30 frames per second. That is enough for social media clips and for seeing what is going on under your boat. It cannot keep up with the 4K footage of the Gladius Mini S or the FIFISH V-EVO, though, which is why camera & image only get a 4.0. Photos are just 2 megapixels, which is Full HD resolution.
The lighting is weaker still. Two lamps of 250 lumens each are very little: the Gladius Mini S has almost five times as much, the V-EVO ten times. In clear, shallow water in sunshine that hardly matters. In murky lakes, under jetties or at dusk, however, you quickly see nothing but green on green. Colours vanish after a few metres underwater anyway; there is more on this in the practice article Colours underwater. On the plus side, the fast f/1.6 aperture helps the small sensor in low light.
Depth, cable and range
The Dory is rated to 15 metres, and the cable is also 15 metres long. Because the cable almost never hangs vertically, you only reach full depth directly beneath the buoy. If you want to be a few metres away from the shore, correspondingly less depth is left. Then there is the Wi-Fi link between the buoy and your smartphone: Chasing quotes up to 15 metres. Your radius of movement is therefore much smaller than with drones that have a 100 metre cable.
For many outings that is still enough. On the Attersee, for example, the underwater forest near Weyregg (German) lies just a few metres down, a typical target the Dory can handle. The sheer wall at the Schwarze Brücke, which drops more than 50 metres, is not for it.
Battery and runtime
The 4,800 mAh battery is built in and, according to Chasing, lasts up to 60 minutes. As with all manufacturer figures, expect it to run out sooner with lots of manoeuvring and cold water. Afterwards the drone needs around three hours on the charger. There is no swappable battery, so a second dive on the same afternoon usually does not happen, unless you bring a power bank with suitable output. You will find tips for keeping your battery going for a long time in the guide Battery care.
Control and handling
The drone is controlled via the “CHASING DORY” app. It can tilt up to 45 degrees up or down, and the depth-hold function lets it stay at the depth you want, which is handy when you want to film steadily. One special feature is dual control: two people can operate one Dory, one steering the drone and the other the camera. Photos and videos can be shared straight from the app. At no more than 1.5 knots, however, the Dory is slow and quickly reaches its limits in currents or waves. There is more on this in the practice article Flying in currents.
Pros and cons
- Very light and small, so it fits in any backpack
- Cheapest way into the world of Chasing underwater drones
- Simple operation via smartphone app
- Depth hold and ±45° tilt
- Two people can steer and film at the same time
- Only 15 m depth, only 15 m cable
- Full HD at 30 frames, photos only 2 megapixels
- Very little light (2 × 250 lumens)
- 60 minutes of runtime at most, battery not swappable
- Slow, hardly suited to currents
- Hard to get from retailers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland
Use cases for underwater pilots
- Holidays and the beach: At 1.1 kilograms the Dory fits in your travel luggage. In calm, clear bays it shows you seagrass, stones and fish right on your smartphone.
- Swimming lake with the family: Children steer, adults film. Thanks to dual control, both can happen at once.
- Boat and jetty: A quick look at the hull, anchor or buoy chain in shallow water. For a mooring a few metres deep, the Dory is enough.
- Trying it out: If you want to find out whether you enjoy the hobby before spending more than €1,000.
The Dory is not suitable for deep Alpine lakes, wrecks in dive lakes or flowing water. In dive lakes such as the Kreidesee Hemmoor (German) many objects do lie at shallow depth, but ask the dive centre first whether you are allowed to use a drone at all.
Is there a successor?
We have not found a direct successor to the Dory from Chasing as of October 2026. The Dory is still in the manufacturer's shop. If you want more, you end up at the next model up, the Gladius Mini S: 4K, 100 metres depth, 2 × 1,200 lumens and up to 4 hours of runtime, from approx. €1,260. For anglers, Chasing also has the F1 fish-finder drone in its range. Which other models there are under €1,000 is covered in the guide Underwater drones under 1,000 euros.
In video
The Dory in CHASING's official explainer video:
Verdict
The Chasing Dory is a budget underwater drone for shallow, calm water, and that is exactly where it makes sense. For holidays, swimming lakes and a quick look under the boat it is light, simple and comparatively cheap. The grade of 4.1 shows how big the gap to the mid-range is, though: little depth, little light, short runtime.
If you want to take the hobby seriously, save up a little longer and go for the Chasing Gladius Mini S. It costs around twice as much but can do many times more, and you will not have to upgrade again after one summer. You will find the overview of all models in our ranking.
Frequently asked questions
How deep does the Chasing Dory dive?
The Dory is rated to 15 metres. The cable to the Wi-Fi buoy is also 15 metres long, so you only reach full depth directly beneath the buoy.
How much does the Chasing Dory cost?
In the manufacturer's shop the backpack package costs US$599 and the Flash package with remote control US$689. Converted, that is roughly €510 and €590, or about CHF 480 and CHF 550 in Switzerland. Large retailers in Germany and Austria barely list it.
How long does the Dory's battery last?
According to Chasing, the built-in 4,800 mAh battery lasts up to 60 minutes. Charging takes around three hours, and there is no swappable battery.
How good is the Dory's camera?
It films in Full HD at 30 frames per second, and photos are 2 megapixels. The lighting is weak at 2 x 250 lumens, but the f/1.6 aperture is fast.
Who is the Chasing Dory for?
For swimming lakes, jetties and holidays in clear, shallow water. It is too weak for Alpine lakes and currents. With a grade of 4.1 it ranks 5th in our ranking.
You can find reactions and comments on this article in the Unterwasserpilot forum (in German, English posts welcome).
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