This Underwater Jetpack Runs With No External Power Source

This Underwater Jetpack Runs With No External Power Source

 

A jetpack, by the dictionary definition CudaJet itself cites, is a jet-propulsion device worn on a person's back to enable flight through the air. CudaJet took that same concept underwater, building what it calls the world's first underwater jetpack: a hands-free, back-mounted propulsion device that lets a free diver move through the water at speed using only body movement to steer, with no tether to a boat, an oxygen tank, or any other external power source.

 

CudaJet was founded by Archie O'Brien, who developed the jetpack over a multi-year design and engineering process. Each unit is made to order in England, built with the help of more than 60 British suppliers, with the company stating it handles the full manufacturing process in-house from raw materials through to the finished product rather than only assembling parts made elsewhere.

A Patented System With No External Power Source

 

At the center of the jetpack is what CudaJet describes as a patented propulsion system, with nearly every component engineered specifically for this device rather than adapted from existing parts. The company states the result is a power-to-weight ratio of 3:1, which it says surpasses well-known handheld underwater propulsion devices already on the market. The jetpack runs entirely on its own battery, requiring no tether to a boat, an oxygen tank, or any other external power or air source.

 

CudaJet designed the harness itself to be worn and removed in seconds, using a "quick attach" system built to fit a wide range of body sizes. The harness frame uses a carbon fibre skeleton the company describes as ultralight yet stiff while remaining flexible, paired with custom neoprene it states is sustainably sourced. A low, hydrodynamic profile is built into the design specifically to reduce drag underwater, which CudaJet says is what allows moves like barrel rolls to be performed with ease.

Speed, Control, and Getting Back to the Surface Safely

 

CudaJet states the jetpack can reach speeds of up to 3 meters per second underwater, a pace the company describes as faster than any swimmer, achieved with no external power source beyond the device itself. Control runs through a tethered handheld controller, a design choice CudaJet states avoids relying on wireless communication that could fail underwater. The controller features a full-color display showing real-time speed, battery level, and depth, along with a trigger CudaJet says offers 1,000 micro steps for fine control over thrust.

 

Safety is built directly into how the system responds to depth and power. Every jetpack ships from the factory with a depth limiter set to 3 meters, and CudaJet states that reaching this limit cuts power automatically, with the harness's built-in buoyancy bringing the wearer back to the surface. The same buoyancy applies if a diver simply releases the throttle trigger at any point. CudaJet's safety page is direct about the device's limits: the jetpack provides thrust only and cannot control direction, which is instead steered entirely through the wearer's own body movement, and the company states plainly that all sports carry inherent risk that users are responsible for understanding before participating.

 

The device also operates within a real physical constraint worth stating plainly: it cannot be used with a compressed air source like a scuba tank, meaning every dive is limited to a single held breath before the wearer needs to resurface. That makes the jetpack fundamentally an assisted free-diving tool rather than a scuba alternative, a distinction that matters for understanding what the device can and can't extend, no matter how fast it can move a diver through open water.

Built to Launch From Land, Not Just From a Boat

 

CudaJet designed the jetpack to be worn and carried well before a diver ever reaches open water. The company states it can be worn while hiking, scrambling, or climbing to reach launch points a boat couldn't access, and that it's built to be worn on foot through waves rather than requiring a dock or a swim platform to get started. For storage and transport, the complete system fits into a single protective hard case, made by Peli, which CudaJet states is waterproof even if dropped overboard or released from a helicopter as a care package.

 

Beyond the standard jetpack, CudaJet also offers a Founder's Edition, a limited production run of 20 individually numbered units marking the product's launch, each finished in a black and gold livery and including in-water training directly from Archie O'Brien.

CudaJet's Appearance at the Monaco Yacht Show

 

CudaJet is currently sponsoring the Captains & Crew Lounge at the Monaco Yacht Show, a real, dated commitment for this year's event. It's worth being clear about what kind of appearance this is: a sponsorship and networking presence at a major industry gathering aimed at superyacht owners and crew, not the launch of a new jetpack model or a new technical capability. The jetpack being shown at the event is the same established product CudaJet has been refining, not a version introduced specifically for the show.

 

Events like this function as a way for CudaJet to reach the yacht industry audience the jetpack is built for directly, putting the physical product in front of captains and crew who might recommend or arrange one for an owner, rather than reaching that audience only through the company's own website or social media.