U/w camera after each dive

Okay... we know what sorts of case we should put for our expensive camera such as in Pelican case. But the real question is, where do u put the dive camera after each dive or betwwen dives as the camera is wet and salty? Do u put it back in the camera case in that condition? Do u dry it? or ....?

Thx

If there is a nice rinse bucket setup and only two or three photogs on board, I leave my camera in the bucket between dives. Otherwise, I rinse with fresh water and wrap in a towel.

If there is no rinse tank on the boat, I just cover it with a towel and put it where no one should step on it. I never put it into a case unless it has been cleaned and is dry. I also work on it and load it in an air conditioned room, like my hotel room.

There is a different scenario for each type of diving:

Day Boat: I work all of the buttons & dials before retrieving it from the rinse tank and place it in a safe area, usually under my seat. Once back at the resort, I carry it to my room and dry it with a chamois.

Liveaboard: I work all of the buttons & dials before retrieving it from the rinse tank and take it to the camera table. I blow it off with with their low pressure airhose (if available). If I need to get in it, I dry more with a chamois, otherwise I let it sit.

Shore Diving: I take a towel that I have soaked in water and cover it in the backseat. While in Bonaire, I usually do 2 dives in a row before heading back to the resort where it gets a good soaking and all buttions / dials are worked in the tank.

In all of these scenarios, when my diving is done, I soak everything VERY good in a sink or bathtub. I disassemble it all and spread it out on a towel to dry before packing it back in a Pelican 1520 case.

HTH,
Dave

sunkarm:

Okay... we know what sorts of case we should put for our expensive camera such as in Pelican case. But the real question is, where do u put the dive camera after each dive or betwwen dives as the camera is wet and salty? Do u put it back in the camera case in that condition? Do u dry it? or ....?

Thx

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When I first started diving with my Nikonos I used to take a plastic tub and use it like a "liner" in my dive bag. I would fill it with water and keep it in my cabin (or hotel room, if it wasn't a liveaboard trip). After each dive I would disassemble the camera/strobe arm/strobe and let it soak for hours before cracking the seal and retrieving my film.

Nowadays I take one of those rubberized canvas water bags on dive trips. I fill it and set it next to the camera table onboard the boat. After each dive I take the strobe off the handle and sink all the parts in the water bag. If the battery still has plenty of charge and there's room on the media card I just leave it all soak until the next dive. Otherwise I leave it in the water bucket for an hour or so and then blow off the excess water and crack the housing so that I can get at my media card and review my shots.

Nice thing about the rubberized water buckets is that they collapse and are easy to carry with your dive gear. They allow you to change water regularly. Sometimes those "group" camera dip tanks (big plastic garbage cans) get pretty gnarly.

'Slogger

For anything smaller than a DSLR, one of those small softside coolers you can pick up at a Walmart or Kmart are perfect (and cheap).:blinking:

I am talking about the 12 pack size coolers with the 2 front pockets and usually a bungy thing on the top. The cooler can be used for transportation to the boat, storage between dives and as a quicky dunk tank. They can be crushed flat in your suitcase and they don't weight much. I use mine for my Light & Motion Tetra 5050 with two strobes for a long time. The pockets can be used for your wallet, cell phones as the like.

For bigger cameras like my DSLR, I have "upgraded" to a 10 gal. plastic tote. They are too big to take with you on trips, but I have a couple. One I keep in the Keys and one here in Michigan for local trips. If you a travel anywhere in the US you a can pick one up where ever you are going and then just leave for the dive op when you go. I put a towel in first to pad the camera that I also use to dry the camera if I have to open it up to change lenses or ports on the boat.

I just put it under the seat (on it's back), or on a towel... someplace where it won't be disturbed (some boats let me put my camera in the cutty). If the salt sits on it for an hour, it's not going to hurt anything that fast. I don't put it in the "public" rinse bucket. That's how yours ports get scratched, and your housing can be jarred by others, and break the seal a little (very bad).

If I'm going for a long SI - like more than an hour (rare) - then I'd rinse it with a hose, or a quick dunk in a rinse bucket.

After i'm done diving for the day, I rinse thoroughly (in clean water - in a tub, or with a hose), and push all of the buttons, and work all of the slide mechanisms to make sure the salt water gets flushed out from those.

RichKirby:

If there is a nice rinse bucket setup and only two or three photogs on board, I leave my camera in the bucket between dives. Otherwise, I rinse with fresh water and wrap in a towel.

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Ditto

kidsdream:

For anything smaller than a DSLR, one of those small softside coolers you can pick up at a Walmart or Kmart are perfect (and cheap).:blinking:

I am talking about the 12 pack size coolers with the 2 front pockets and usually a bungy thing on the top. The cooler can be used for transportation to the boat, storage between dives and as a quicky dunk tank. They can be crushed flat in your suitcase and they don't weight much. I use mine for my Light & Motion Tetra 5050 with two strobes for a long time. The pockets can be used for your wallet, cell phones as the like.

Click to expand...

This is what I do on trips and on my kayak at home. Not only does it accomplish what kidsdream stated, it also insulates the camera/housing from the heat. It has worked for me for several years. I did stencil the words "fragile" and "camera" on top of my black cooler with a silver ink Sharpie. There are two schools of thought on that:
1. Your telling everyone a camera is inside and it may get ripped off.
2. Your telling everyone a camera is inside so they don't pile dive gear on it thinking it is nothing more than food and/drink.

I chose option 2 after a dive guide almost piled dive gear on top of it.

I am really impressed.

I should take better care of my gear.

I have been very lucky so far....my housing has survived a very hard three years of not getting rinsed timely and bouncing around. I am soaking it now after yesterday's overheating and it seems to be okay....

Ikelite makes a great product, IMO.

I wish the ports weren't clip on, I have had some close calls with those getting bumped.

I stash my camera in a round rubbermaid tub in the car, with towels or a wet suit supporting it. I like using neoprene (extra wetsuit) to absorb shock on rough boat rides.