Water entry with the Camera & strobes

Lets discuss the best practice for water entry with you Expensive grear.

Zodiac ( with surface current )
Drift from boat
Giant Stait
Beach entry with Surf

The best way is to go first in the water and then somone hands you that Camera.

I rarely find the conditions idealistic. So Lets be prepared for the extrems.

Did you ever face a similar situation ?

Giant stride:
I never jump in with my camera. If there's alot of current I turn around as I hit the water and reach for something to hold on to and have a boat boy ready to handle me the camera.
Zodiac:
Bit more tricky. As you do a backroll you could go in with your camera or simply pop up to surface and crab a hold of a rope or something a zodiac has and get tucked back to get your camera. Or if possible just swim back and get it yourself. Still wouldn't feel too conforatble jumping in with camera in my hands.
Beach entry with surf:
I never carry my camera in air. I try to walk very low and keep my camera in water. So if I trip my camera will be already in water and won't be smashed to anything that hard. I walk as short distance as I can and start swimming. Once your deep enough to swim/dive the surf isn't really a problem anymore.

I've never faced such a strong current I wasn't able to get a hold of the dive boat after a giant stride but on the other hand I've learned to be pretty swift to turn and swim back I'd feel pretty naked without my camera so there's that to give a boost for those few kicks.

If someone can't hand it to me, I use a rope system.

I attach the rope to the boat or platform and the other end to the camera rig. I lower it over to about 5m or so and unhook it on the way down. Coming up I reattach it, get out of the water and haul it up. Doesn't matter if there is current or not - if there is, I simply use the line.

I don't shore dive

I don't jump or roll with my camera.

I do Giant Strides and Backrolls with my Camera and Strobe held against my chest (one hand holds the camera which is clipped off to my right chest D-ring, the other holds the mask and reg). I haven't had a problem yet. It's easier and safer than waiting for someone to hand it to me, especially in rough conditions with the back of the boat going up and down.

i jump in most of the time with my video set up. i have also used a gear line, and have had it handed down to me. all work, just depends on the conditions. I found when jumping in the camera does take some g-forces, and my first camera ended up ripping out the mounting screw. now when i load my camera i add some foam pading to hold things in place, since doing this i've had no problems at all.

if using a line you should have some weight on the bottom of it to hold it down and out of the way.

It makes a big difference what sort of camera system you have. With my small point and shoot in an Olympus PT-016 housing I just enter with it in my hand -- doesn't matter whether it is giant stride, backroll, or surf entry. I do generally hand it up as I get back onto a boat.

Obviously, if you have a big system, particularly with a big tray and strobe arms, other methods need to be worked out. I've seen many a diver struggle to get back to the boat to get handed a camera. This happens both with a moored boat in currents and with a live boat drifting in the wind. The most reliable method I've observed is the line method described by Alcina.

Yasser:

Lets discuss the best practice for water entry with you Expensive grear.

Zodiac ( with surface current )
Drift from boat
Giant Stait
Beach entry with Surf

The best way is to go first in the water and then somone hands you that Camera.

I rarely find the conditions idealistic. So Lets be prepared for the extrems.

Did you ever face a similar situation ?

Click to expand...

1) Zodiac or Small Boat (no DM) - I either lower the camera into the water with a rope, and jump in near it.
2) Drift from boat... either the DM passes it to me, or I lower it in and jump after it.
3) Giant Stride or other... same as above, either pass it down from someone on the boat, or lower it in first, and jump after it.
4) Beach Entry. I usually only take a single strobe setup on shore dives, since my regular shore dive is shallow, so this lightens the load quite a bit from dual DS-125's. I carry the camera down to the water, and then submerge it as soon as its possible, so that it doesn't get pounded by waves.

I have an Ikelite housing with a higher profile dome port, so this is why I don't jump with it. If I was using my small video rig, with no port on the front, I would and do jump in with it all the time. Also, If I had a more expensive housing like a Sea & Sea or a Subal, I might jump with those, since the ports attach to those like an SLR lens does, as opposed to the ikelite ports which clip on.

1. At home I hang my camera rig on a weighted (2 pound) 15 foot line off my kayak.

2. On a shore dive I walk in with my rig and have my fins hanging from a large clip on my BCD so as to have one hand free. My camera rig is slightly positively buoyant by design so it floats while I put my fins on. The rig is attached to my BCD on a coiled cord.

3. On boat dives while on trips I bring along a 6 foot line with a brass clip on one end. I have an "eyelet" on the bottom of my tray to clip to. I ask a boat crew member to lower the camera rig to me at which point I unclip it and the crew member retreives the line.

I never do wide stride or backroll entries with my camera rig in hand.

On live aboards, I giant stride in and the crewman lowers it down on a rope. On my RIB, I attach the camera to a 4 foot lanyard and lay it on the tube. I roll in and my wife hangs the camera to me. I've put two eyelets on it, so I can keep it secured to the boat lanyard while I attach it to the coiled one on my BCD. Shore dives, I clip the coiled lanyard and hold the camera with one hand while I walk in, then I lay it on my chest while I float and put on my fins.

Well, I've seen many experienced UW photographer do giant-stride entry off drifting liveaboard in Thailand.

They'd hold the camera above their head, do an extra-wide Giant stride entry to prevent the housing to touch the water when they go in..

I'd tried that myself last weekend, with Ikelite Housing for Oly C-7070 + DS-125
A bit difficult - but managable...