FLIR Ocean Scout Pro
A must-have innovation in the palm of your hand.
Published: Sunday, November 30, 2025 9:00 am
By: Jordan Balbresky
For this year’s buyers guide, I got a special opportunity. I was sent a test unit of the all new FLIR Ocean Scout Pro. The next generation of marine thermal monocular, the FLIR Ocean Scout Pro was designed for public safety professionals and to provide enhanced situational awareness for professional and recreational mariners. It is intuitive, easy to use, and available at a price point that makes it an accessible and beneficial addition to any mariner’s safety equipment kit. Not only is it a vital piece of life saving gear, capable of helping find crew members overboard or avoiding other vessels, it’s also a valuable fishing tool. Anglers can use it to identify buoys, detect surface disturbances caused by baitfish, spot weed lines, and even distinguish temperature changes caused by upwellings of cold or warm water.
So, what did I do, the second it arrived? I took pictures of my dogs. It is easy to see the benefits of the four-color palettes. The White Hot palette displays warmer objects in white and cooler objects in black. The opposite Black Hot palette offers a more lifelike image with hotter objects like buoys and human body heat shown in black. The Sepia palette applies a warm, golden hue for reduced eye and mental fatigue during long viewing periods. The Heat palette is used for quickly detecting body heat. Highlighting the warmest 10-percent of a scene in a mix of vibrant oranges and yellows, the heat palette is best suited for locating people and pets in the water.
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It is lightweight and easy to use with one hand, yet it feels rugged and durable. Though I wasn’t going to test out the durability, it is rated for a 2-meter drop and IP67 rated, and is backed by an industry-leading, five-year warranty. The battery will last for six hours of use on a single charge and includes USB Type-C connector and powerbank charging options. The sleek and clean exterior makes the Ocean Scout Pro pocket friendly.
Designed around an advanced 640 x 480 thermal detector, the Ocean Scout Pro's intuitive design provides an extended 500-meter detection range and a 32-degree field of view lens. The streamlined user interface ensures live-image visibility and continuous focus on observed targets, persons, or scenes without obstruction and the confusion of menus/settings. Equipped with two eyecups included for optimal fit and light-pollution prevention, it features a one-touch button control for zoom, mode, brightness, and standby. The accompanying wireless app for gallery, image, and video management allows for simple wireless file transfer. It is delivered in a compact and versatile pouch with a diagonal zipper with a seam on the front that makes it easy to take the Ocean Scout Pro in and out with one hand. The carrying case also has a standardized Molle lightweight and modular carrying system.
I tested it in pitch black conditions in the woods and full sunlight on the water, all with the same results. With the Heat palette selected, trees, birds, spiders, and squirrels were all equally visible. In the water, for science purposes, I braved the chill of my pool to show just how easy it is to distinguish a person. Mission accomplished!
The FLIR Ocean Scout Pro is available for $2,395 USD. Whether you plan on using it for an upcoming hunt to make your way to or from a blind in the dark, drop it in your emergency or ditch bag for your next boat outing or want to just use it to scan your backyard, the FLIR Ocean Scout Pro is a fun and useful tool that should be on everyone’s must-have list.
To learn more about the Ocean Scout Pro or FLIR’s full line of products, visit marine.flir.com/en-us/marine-cameras/handheld-thermal/flir-ocean-scout-pro.
tags: FLIR, FLIR Ocean Scout Pro, marine industry, product
