Are you looking for unique entertainment for the whole family, not just the kids. The Air Swimmers remote control flying shark balloon, and RC flying fish, will keep you busy for hours.
It takes a bit of setup, which is a royal pain (explained below) but once it’s good to go, you won’t be able to put the remote down, and you will constantly fight the urge to steer the shark directly towards other people’s heads. At least that was my experience anyway.
It’s safe to use as it’s just a tinfoil like material filled with harmless helium.
Remote Control Air Shark Balloon
One of the latest and coolest RC products I know of. The Air Swimmers Remote Control Shark. They also have other versions such as the remote control air clown fish, a bass fish, a whale, or even some from the “angry birds” product line.
I own one of these Remote Control Shark air swimmers personally, and it was a huge hit at my son’s birthday party. That video is below. It does require a bit of set up and therefore some occasional cursing, but once it’s up and running, it is very cool! Get someone to help you with the set up. Browse all Air Swimmers Here.
I hope they keep coming out with more of these remote control air balloon concepts. For now I can tell you about this frightening great white air shark balloon. For an RC (remote control) toy, it is massive!
It is almost 5 feet long (57 inches if you include the tail), and it is 3 feet high (36 inches including fins). Despite it’s overwhelming size, it is quite easily handled, even by a child. If you watch the Air Shark videos on this page, you will notice some of the people move it, or bat it away with a single hand.
It is very light weight as you would expect a balloon would be.
How the Remote Control Shark works
What makes the the Air Shark Air Swimmer float is helium. It is “driven” by using a wireless easy to use RC (remote control). The remote control is infra red technology that ranges approximately 40 feet. The remote control has two buttons. One button controls the left or right movement of the shark tail and shark head. This is how you control the direction. The other button moves a weight back and forth on the bottom of the Air Shark which will create a raising or lowering of the shark. This remote control shark is safe for children to operate (the manufacturer recommends age 8+). I would say, if a child can operate a remote control car, and operate a large helium balloon, then surely they can handle a remote control helium air shark balloon.
How to fill the Remote Control Shark
Both Air Swimmers (Air Shark and Air Fish) require helium. The helium is not included with this product when you buy it, but you can get any local florist or gift shop that sells helium balloons to fill it for you. I have never had to do that, so I don’t know if there is a fee for that. This is a minor issue though, as once it is filled up, it will stay inflated for quite a long time (approx. 2 weeks). You could also purchase a helium tank
How to Store the Remote Control Shark Air Swimmer
This is one of the coolest and very ingenious things I noticed about this product. There is a tie down mechanism that connects to the remote control. The remote control can be filled with excess putty for added weight. When you put the weighted remote control down on the floor, it acts as a miniature anchor to hold down the shark balloon. You can view images and videos below of what I am talking about.
Remote Control Shark Balloon Pros
A hit at most parties, especially for kids parties. Relatively inexpensive for the amount of entertainment that it provides. These shark balloons are safe to use as it simply bounces off of walls and other items, and generally won’t hurt anything. Many other remote control air swimmers available besides the shark depicted here. You can also get a clown fish, a bass fish, and also some Angry Birds products.
Remote Control Shark Balloon Cons
It does take a bit of manual setup that can be sort of annoying the first time you do it. I do recommend having a helper to put it together. The main reason for helping hands is to hold the inflated shark balloon while you place the components on to the shark. It is possible to do it alone, but you will curse much less with help. I know this first hand, because I tried to set it up myself, and several minutes of foul language later, I ended up getting assistance from my wife. The other down side is that it requires helium that is not included in the kit. I got a helium tank from Walmart for around 20 or 30 dollars. The air shark remote control requires 4 AAA batteries.
Air Shark Demonstration Video
This is a personal video of mine at my son’s birthday party. The kids absolutely loved it when I surprised them with it. Around the time that cake was being served, I went out to the car to get the Air shark from the backseat of my car. It was a cold winter day at the time, so it is noteworthy to mention that the adhesives that go on the side of the shark did have trouble staying on. So keep that in mind if you plan to use these in a colder climate. I added extra tape to keep it on.
I controlled the shark to make it float into the doorway ahead of me. The kids were very surprised to see it swimming through the air, and it was an instant hit. I let them all take turns with the remote control.
The controller is very simplistic with only two buttons. One controls left and right movement, and the other controls the up and down motion by moving a weight along a track that runs along the under belly of the shark. This makes it super simple for kids to get the hang up controlling very quickly.
See my RC air shark in my video below:
RC Air Shark Components
This image shows how the receiver track is placed on the track. This one shown is from the Clown Fish version, but it is the same on all air swimmers.
The Remote Control Shark and all the other air swimmers use a bit of putty in the end of the receiver. The extra unused putty can be stored inside the remote, and the remote is then used as an anchor.
Other Air Swimmers RC Balloon options
Angry Birds Air Swimmers
This is an Angry Birds version of Air Swimmers as I mentioned above. Exact same premise as the air shark, but this one is great for any Angry Birds lover. This one only needs 2 AA batteries for the remote control, and has a new “turbo” feature. You can also set up an auto swim mode so even amateur flyers can have fun without tons of practice. Not that much practice is required for any or these air balloons, as they float slowly, unlike a regular drone or rc helicopter that takes a lot more finesse to fly. Click the image for much more product details and more images. More Details…
Clown Fish Air Swimmers
This is the Clown fish version of the Air Swimmers product. Based on the Finding Nemo theme. Similar size as the shark, but this one is 57 inches in length x 36 inches tall. Use the remote control up to 40 feet away, however the infrared signal may not work quite as good when you get to the limits of that distance.
Just like the shark balloon, you will need 3 AAA batteries and a lot of patience to set it up. Once again, I recommend having a partner to help you with this, unless I just suck at it, which is possible. More Details…
Air Swimmers Bundles
Now what if you can’t decide which one to get? With the popularity of these Air Swimmers in the past few years, supply and demand has brought the price down considerably. These days, you can get them in bundles.
Air Swimmers Two Packs
Here is a two pack bundle that includes both the original Air Shark like the one I have, as well as the clown fish. Now your kids won’t have to fight over the remote control, and you can perform super slow motion Top Gun maneuvers. More Details…
Air Swimmers 3 Pack
If two is not enough, you can get a bundle of 3 Air Swimmers like this. Includes the original Air Shark, the Clown Fish, and also the blue Regal Tang. More Details…
Air Swimmers Party 4 Pack
One is fun, two is better, three is great, but four is a party! Great for birthday parties, or a family of four that just can’t seem to get along and share.
This 4 pack Air Swimmers bundle includes the original shark balloon, the clown fish, the Regal Tang, and also this goofy Bass fish version that they came out with recently. More Details…
