Hi gholland22,
This is not meant to give you open license but within a few weeks of flying I was out over Napa River and the Mare Island straights. The shots from there are simply incredible. I keep in mind to keep trusting the technology (since my sons have no issue doing just that). I never fly below 50 feet over the water to allow myself space to correct should that be needed. Some advantage over the water is less interference and a clean line of sight. I have not flown over 4500 feet away but to see these guys doing 10k-12k distances over the ocean around a cruise ship is more than my heart can stand at this point!