With the exception of the company's Amphibious Responder, which is specifically designed for emergency services search and rescue work in the event of flooding or other natural disaster, the entire line is meant for "normal" use.

While that's true, a ride on the Hydra-Terra may appear anything but normal as it plunges into the water! This vehicle is a full-size tour bus that's roadworthy for passengers on land but able to safely navigate on rivers and lakes too. It's been used in 16 countries, including Ireland, Malaysia, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates, and is akin to an equally capable full-size motor home called the Terra Wind.

While the tour bus may stop traffic and the USD$1.2 million RV turns a few heads, there's no vehicle in the CAMI– Cool Amphibious Manufacturers International – line quite like the Hydra Spyder. On the road, it's a stylish sports car that can manage speeds up to 201 kilometers per hour, with up to four people feeling the wind blow through their hair since it's an open convertible. Yet the car is both light and powerful enough to behave like a speedboat on water.

The lower hull of the vehicle is constructed using a 5052 alloy aluminum that's up to the challenge, while the upper part of the body is made from lightweight fiberglass. It keeps the Hydra Spyder weighing in at just under 1,500 kilograms, which is an obvious advantage for a sports car you expect to be unsinkable. Yet you'd also expect it be fast for the $275,000 price tag, and it won't disappoint at 50 knots or more.

CAMI says the light weight works out on land too, even if sitting in beach traffic is a bit less exotic. The car is powered by a Corvette LS2 6.0 liter V-8 engine that's rated at 400 horsepower, 6000 rpm, and a 400 torque at 4000rpm. The model also includes a 5-speed manual, high-performance transmission and front wheel drive. Aluminium alloy wheels for 17-inch tires are standard on the Hydra Spyder.

In most aspects, when the vehicle's on land it looks much like any other sports car convertible in a bright red or flashy yellow, although there are other color options. The front end is a little square, with the lamps a little higher and the grille worked into the hood because neither can be submerged when the lower half of the Hydra Spyder is below the water line. It's at the tail where the difference is obvious; while the rest of the car has aerodynamic lines and contour, it's the back end that looks like a boat.

Once the wheels are retracted – they remain visible above the surface – it's what the Hydra Spyder is, and it's ready to make a high-speed splash, pull a water skier or even idle for a few minutes while its passengers enjoy the scenery with the same ease that tourists on the Hydra-Terra bus enjoy.

CAMI makes a few other amphibious vehicles, including a small golf-cart-sized ride for outdoors enthusiasts. It's marketed for hunting and fishing, and for golfing although it's not entirely clear why the Hydra Gator would be more practical to use on the links than a normal cart is.

For the real excitement, though, it's the Hydra Spyder that's the star of CAMI's amphibious show.