RipDrone Join the waitlist
Concept illustration of the RipDrone aircraft carrying flotation canisters over the ocean near a beach

AI concept illustration · RipDrone is in development

A lifeguard that never blinks

When a rip current grabs someone you love, RipDrone can help immediately.

RipDrone is a beach-based rescue drone paired with a set of waterproof SOS wristbands. One press of the button and the drone flies straight to the swimmer and drops a self-inflating flotation device — buying critical minutes until lifeguards or emergency services arrive.

Join the waitlist Reserve the Founder’s Edition

RipDrone works alongside lifeguards and emergency services — never instead of them.

Follow the build

Join the waitlist.

This is the best way to keep tabs on RipDrone. We’ll email you as the drone develops and let you know the moment the Founder’s Edition is ready. No deposit, no obligation.

We use your details only to send RipDrone updates — never sold or shared. Prefer to write in? support@ripdrone.com.

Why a drone

Signs warn. Lifeguards respond. RipDrone arrives.

A rip current can pull a swimmer past the point of self-rescue in under a minute. Warning signs can’t reach the water. A lifeguard has to swim out through the same current. RipDrone flies over it.

A lifeguard
RipDrone
Getting to the swimmer
A lifeguardSwims out through the same rip — often several minutes, and exhausting.
RipDroneFlies a straight line over the water. Overhead in about a minute.
Staying ready
A lifeguardOne person covering a crowded beach, who tires and has to look away.
RipDroneSits charged on its base and launches on the first button press. It doesn’t tire or blink.
Seeing the water
A lifeguardEye level, from the sand, with blind spots and glare.
RipDroneAn aerial view of the whole swim zone, tracking the swimmer as the current moves them.

Lifeguards train for years and pull thousands of people from the water every season. RipDrone doesn’t replace them — it covers the minutes before they can reach you.

How it works

Two parts. One button.

A waterproof SOS wristband with a large red button, worn in open water
The SOS wristband — illustrative.
01

Press

A swimmer in trouble presses the SOS button on their wristband.

02

Launch

The drone lifts off from its charging base and flies straight to the wristband’s location, adjusting as the current carries the swimmer.

03

Drop

It releases a self-inflating flotation tube to the swimmer — something to hold on to until a lifeguard reaches them. Each flight carries backup tubes in case the first is missed.

The lineup

Three ways to put RipDrone on a beach.

Available now · pre-order

RipDrone Family

For your own beach trips. One drone, a charging base, and a set of SOS wristbands for your group. Sold as the Founder’s Edition.

$400 refundable deposit
Optional renewal after year one
$39/mo or $399/yr

Wristband and app alerts, plus over-the-air updates. The drone still works without it.

Reserve the Founder’s Edition
Coming soon

RipDrone Business

For resorts, hotels, and beach clubs. Branded SOS wristbands for guests and a system sized for your shoreline.

Est. $19,500
Renewal after year one
$299/mo or $2,988/yr

Operator alerts, live map pin, pre-flight checklist, and AI-assist features as they ship.

Get notified
Coming soon

RipDrone Municipal

For public beaches. A solar charging base, AI swimmer-tracking (in development), and no wristbands required.

Est. $34,500
Renewal after year one
$599/mo or $5,988/yr

Multi-site operations, and tracking roadmap features as they go live.

Get notified

Founder’s Edition

Reserve the Founder’s Edition.

  • One RipDrone Family drone and charging base
  • A set of waterproof SOS wristbands for your group
  • Self-inflating flotation tubes, including backups per flight
  • Setup guidance and early build updates

$400 deposit · balance due before your unit ships

Limited to the first 50 deposits. Estimated delivery before the next beach season.

Year one of wristband and app alerts is included. After that they’re optional at $39/mo or $399/yr — the drone still flies and drops without a subscription.

Read this before you reserve. RipDrone is a product still in development. Reserving the Founder’s Edition is a pre-order — you’re helping fund the build, not buying a finished product. Your $400 deposit is fully refundable at any time until your unit ships. RipDrone delivers backup flotation only; it is not a U.S. Coast Guard–approved life jacket (PFD), and it works alongside lifeguards and emergency services, never instead of them.
Reserve — $400 refundable deposit

Not ready? Join the waitlist instead — no deposit, just updates.

Questions

Straight answers.

Does RipDrone call 911?
No. When a wristband is activated, RipDrone sends an SMS alert to the phone numbers you set — a partner on the sand, a friend, the lifeguard tower. You should still call 911 yourself. RipDrone buys time in the water; it does not replace making the call.
Is RipDrone a life jacket?
No. It delivers a flotation device for a swimmer to hold on to, but it is not a U.S. Coast Guard–approved personal flotation device (PFD). Anyone who needs a life jacket should wear one, and everyone should follow posted beach rules and swim near a lifeguard.
What if the drone misses the swimmer?
Each flight carries more than one self-inflating flotation tube. Using its aerial view, RipDrone can reposition and release another if the first drop is off. It is designed with backups because the water moves.
Is there a subscription?
Year one is included with every system. After that, RipDrone Family renewal is optional at $39/mo or $399/yr and covers wristband and app alerts plus over-the-air updates — the drone still launches and drops a flotation device without it. Business renews at $299/mo or $2,988/yr (operator alerts, live map pin, pre-flight checklist, AI-assist features as they ship) and Municipal at $599/mo or $5,988/yr (multi-site operations and tracking roadmap features as they go live).
When will the Founder’s Edition ship?
The estimate is before the next beach season. Deposits are limited to the first 50 and are fully refundable until your unit ships. If we can’t deliver, you get every dollar back.