Sea & Sea MM-II past 150'

[aquanut]

Has anybody ever exceeded the rated depth of 150' for a sea & sea MM-II?
There are some pics I would like to take but they are at 165'. I don't want to take a chance and ruin my camera, but I am guessing that they are probably somewhat conservative on their depth rating.
Thanks,

 

[Dee]

I never had mine below 145ft and all was well. I'd hate to be the one to tell you it's OK to do so but most depth ratings are on the conservative side. Depends on houw much of a gambler you are!

I definately wouldn't take the chance without flood insurance!

 

[gbundersea]

This is just my opinion, and what I've heard over the years from users and at least one Sea&Sea technician, so take it for what it's worth. I've never had my MM-II past 150'.

I recall the technician saying that he'd seen problems arising when people took the MM-II down to 200'. Mainly, the pressure plate would get bent from the camera back pressing inward. I don't remember him saying he'd seen catastrophic failures, etc. at those depths.

Again, in my opinion, I'd think you'd be OK at 165', provided, of course, your camera and all its O-rings (even the non-user-serviceable ones) are in good shape. In other words, be sure it's annualed, test it in shallower conditions first, and triple-check it prior to the deep dive.

As a side note, be careful diving to 165'...

Greg Bunch
gbunch@gbundersea.com
http://www.gbundersea.com