How to Secure Camera Gear?

[ChillyWaters]

Some ideas, maybe not all practical for you, but offered as a thought anyway:

- hire the crappiest-looking bomb of a car you can get

- invite a non-diving friend along for the ride to enjoy a few hours by the sea and to watch over the car

- put your valuables into a separate bag, then before you dive get horizontal and face-up to wire, clip or tie the bag under the car, perhaps to the driveshaft or the differential. Your average opportunistic thief will not think to look there unless they saw you putting your stuff there in the first place. This option is a bummer if someone steals the car!

- leave your gear with a friendly shop or hotel nearby. Smile at the owner and you might get lucky

Why not just rent a car with a secure boot/trunk? Also, clean up the car well so there is no reason to break-in in the first place.

- ChillyWaters

 

[RonFrank]

I have a trip coming up in Bonaire, with lots of shore diving. Security is apparently not what it used to be, with frequent car break-ins. I usually take a Nikonos wide angle setup down on my first dives, macro setup (requiring another lens) on the second.

I could probably (???) leave my second roll of film in the glove box, but what about my second lens set? Is there any way to secure my stuff without having to go back to the hotel between dives?

I'd appreciate any thoughts.

Leaving film in a hot car is not really recommended. There is a reason professional grade film is kept at about 40F. If you are going to do so, I'd do what I used to do, and leave it in a small cooler (with ICE!).

IMO, leave the lens at the hotel if you are worried about it. Another option is to have good insurance, and just not worry all that much about it. Put it in a plastic bag (or lens pouch) in the trunk, or under the seat.

If you decide to leave things in the car, IMO make sure the car appears to have nothing of value in it. People break into cars generally because they see something of value inside.

In any event, have fun, and good luck!!

 

[Phoenix1]

The right answer is just leave it at the hotel. All the dive sites are a 10 minute drive or less away, why risk it. Take only what you need to dive one dive and return to the resort between dives.

I was just there and that is what we did.

Great suggestion. Thanks.

Rich

 

[Cacia]

So interesting, the dilemmas photographers face... I have thought about this one. There was a photo shoot-out on the west side (Oahu) which I took a pass on because of this problem.

One point: When you tie things under your car (or in my case, I used to put my purse in the trunk and place the keys in the wheel well when I windsurfed) remember that in places where there are lots of car thieves, one of the ways they work, is that they hide in the bushes and watch you to see what goes where. Then, when you are gone, they know exactly where to look. I had some things stolen in S. Thomas like this and I realized they had been watching me. They hear a car coming to a desolate beach, hide for a few minutes and watch you.

I have just made the big-girl brave move to change lenses on the boat. Let you know how it goes but I almost always need wide-angle for number one and macro on the second.

 

[Phoenix1]

So interesting, the dilemmas photographers face... I have thought about this one. There was a photo shoot-out on the west side (Oahu) which I took a pass on because of this problem.

One point: When you tie things under your car (or in my case, I used to put my purse in the trunk and place the keys in the wheel well when I windsurfed) remember that in places where there are lots of car thieves, one of the ways they work, is that they hide in the bushes and watch you to see what goes where. Then, when you are gone, they know exactly where to look. I had some things stolen in S. Thomas like this and I realized they had been watching me. They hear a car coming to a desolate beach, hide for a few minutes and watch you.

I have just made the big-girl brave move to change lenses on the boat. Let you know how it goes but I almost always need wide-angle for number one and macro on the second.

I usually want a wide on my first and a macro on my second too. But that's because on most of the boat diving I do, the guides do a deep dive first and shallow second. It may be wrong to assume there's nothing small on the first dive (my best seahorse last year was at 85 feet) and nothing big on the shallow ones (think turtles, sharks), but unless you've got two camera bodies, two flash sets and a willing buddy, you have to choose somehow.

From all the advice I've gotten, I will undoubtedly either shoot one lens all day or go back to the room between dives. I might risk an extra roll of film under the seat; more than that seems unwise and unnecessary.

 

[aquatica672]

having been to Bonaire I would suggest only one lens a day. And besides you will find most of your shooting in Bonaire will be micro. Almost off the marine life is very small and there is not much wide angle stuff to be had.

Also they will tell you to leave the car/truck windows down and DO NOT lock the car. Car break in's is a real problem in Bonaire and nothing is safe in or around a car. They will break out the windowns just for fun and rummage around inside the car.

I did try the pelican box thing and it did not work..... the box leaked at depth.

I would alos suggest you carry a couple of two ltr bottles of water with you and leave them in the sun,,,,you will find this is a good way to rinse you and your gear off after the dives.

Happy diving
bernie

 

[Phoenix1]

I think the one common thread I've learned in the responses is to not leave anything in the car, with the possible exception of a second roll of film.

Thanks for your advice.

 

[fdog]

In the past I've hired sons of dive shop owners to sit with our car stuffed with camera gear. $20 and a sandwich goes a long way.

All the best, James