Hi there! I’m Vicki, based in Maidstone and a drone newbie. I have a DJI Air 3S and really looking to be able to play with it as much as possible.
I do a lot of underwater photography so figured it was time to start going above the ground too.
Glad to be part of this group and connect with others!
Thanks for reading. 
Hi Vicki @Vicxy69 and welcome to GADC 
Thanks!
Good evening @Vicxy69 Vicki welcome along & I see you have a fantastic drone there enjoy …
Hi @Vicxy69 and welcome to Grey Arrows 
Looking for recommendations of places to fly? Check out our interactive map on Drone Scene and please feel free to add locations of your own too 
Wondering whether you can fly a particular model of drone under particular circumstances? Check out Good 2 Go where you’ll soon find the answer 
Have you seen our Members Map? You may find some pilots living near you. Feel free to add yourself to the members map too 
We’re a well established club with many knowledgeable members so it’s very likely that any issues you come across will have been discussed here before. Our discussion forum has very powerful search features which should help you find what you need but if you get stuck you can post a new question in the Questions & Answers category.
And finally, if you are new to drones and wondering what it’s all about, have a look at Resources for a beginner.
Welcome once again!
Hi @Vicxy69 welcome! 
Hi Welcome to the club, i am from maidstone too. There is plenty of great countryside around maidstone to fly your done over, and beach is only hour away.
Hi Vicky, like you I’m a scuba diver & became interested in drones to complement my underwater video footage shot on diving trips. Judging by your photo you must’ve dived in the Red Sea, Egypt, (though the authorities there don’t allow drones the last time I checked). Indonesia & the Philippines are more welcoming & amenable, with some stunning coastal scenery at locations such as Alor or Siladen Islands & the Lembeh Straits on Sulawesi, not to mention Raja Ampat in West Papua, where the marine life is remarkable.
The specifications of the DJI Air 3S sound excellent (I have the Air 3) but prefer the greater portability of the latest DJI Mini series to enable quick flights from beaches or island jetties while “off-gassing” between dives, though I have found larger drones such as my Air 2S more capable of dealing with strong winds when I’ve wanted to fly to isolated offshore islands several kilometres away to shoot footage.
So welcome to the GADC, be sure there’ll be many sources to help you with tips & advice.
Would love to know areas around here! I get so nervous I’m going to end up flying in the wrong place! 
Funnily enough Egypt is a place I haven’t dived yet. I worked as a scuba instructor for a number of years but returned to law in 2019 after a year travelling and diving as many places as I could. The picture is from a 2 week horse riding trip I did in October in Egypt. Holidays tend to be diving or riding. Definitely no drones in Egypt but I am taking it to the Maldives in February. 
It’s always good to know diving places that you can take drones! As I only got my drone recently, I’ve not been able to take it away with me yet but I’m definitely trying to plan trips to place I can take drones.
Not dived the Red Sea yet, eh? Dived all the way from Eilat to Sharm el Sheik with ex-Israeli military before the Sinai was later handed back to Egypt & the penny dropped that there was money to be made out of diving & tourism on the coast instead of housing military bases, after which the Red Sea Riviera took off big time.
After Covid in 2022 booked a liveaboard cruising through several atolls also hoping to do a few drone flights but Maldives CAA wanted dates, times & locations of flights. I knew locations of seaplane bases in the islands, but a liveaboard which might need to change locations depending on weather conditions, really? They obviously aren’t clued in to how most drone flyers operate. I might try again next April when I’m endeavouring to join a group on Dhangathi, Ari atoll for a course using a smartphone to video underwater, followed by a spot of diving with Tiger sharks further south in Fuvamulah.
Good internet sites to check out for worldwide drone regulations are www.uavcoach.com, plus a new one I’ve just discovered www.drone-made.com which looks promising.
I’ve done more than 5,000 dives in more than 20 countries but Egypt isn’t one of them, yet. 
Maldives isn’t too bad for planning as you only need to submit it at least 3 days before you intend to fly. The Liveaboard that I go on have been very helpful for my planning and, as I’m going for 16 days in Feb, I’ll have plenty of time to get what I need for general and for my music video (violin).
Hi Vicki looks like we have gone the same route with our first drone. Mine is connected and firmware updated but due to weather has not been flown. Hopefully that will change in the next two weeks. Until then I will keep watching the great advice available on YouTube to familiarise myself with the dji Air 3s. Good luck. 
Hey! Yeah, this weather is making it impossible to fly at the moment! 
like you, I’ve been looking at as much material as I can to get the most out of it.
5,000 dives, eh? Impressive! With your experience you don’t need me to tell you that winds out at sea can be capricious as I found out on my 2022 Maldives trip. I knew my DJI Mini 3 Pro wouldn’t have the necessary power to cope with strong winds so took my original Mavic Pro out there instead. Even so nearly lost it when attempting first flight from the bow of the vessel, misjudged the strength of the wind which carried the Mavic back towards me at such a speed it clipped me on the nose, drawing blood before I could regain control. Lesson learned, so waited till the next day when conditions had eased & flew from the boat’s stern in the lee of any oncoming breeze.
This time of year in the UK isn’t the best weather-wise to pull in enough flights to enhance your experience before your own Maldives venture, so to avoid disaster & the loss of a quite highly specified UAV like your Air 3S, fly as much as possible so that given fair winds & a knowledgeable steady hand that drone should be able to handle it. Take care & have a good trip.