Weight the camera?

[Seaduced]

I have a DC600 w/strobe, the camera is close to neutral, but the strobe makes it very positive. I've heard you should weight the camera to negative buoyancy, so it won't float away.

The idea is you could retrace your dive and recover the camera off of the bottom, if you drop it. Of course, if you are diving a sinkhole, deep wall or a fast drift dive, getting it off of the bottom may be impossible. If it floats, you might have a chance, if the boat crew is willing to run down wind/current for a look.

Thoughts?

Darell

 

[M_Bipartitus]

Sounds about right. If I were you i'd add some form of removable weight to get the camera and strobe a little negative. If you happen to be in water that is too deep and you don't want the camera to sink, remove a little.

You could leave the camera positive, and assume that you will get the camera at the surface after the dive, but it would be harder to find many times and a bit harder to use underwater, IMHO.

 

[Kukuisa]

I would suggest you tie the cameraset with a lanyard to your body or the bcd. Then the question if it sinks or floats is less relevant: you still have it with you.

K.

 

[muddiver]

Because the camra housing and the strobe are not compressable, weight them to neutral buoyancy and they shold stay that way through out any dive.

I second the lanyard approach. I do that with most of my diving tools.

 

[CheddarChick]

I will tell you, my rig is negative underwater and I wish it was more bouyant...I get tired wrist syndrome....

 

[Seaduced]

I would suggest you tie the cameraset with a lanyard to your body or the bcd. Then the question if it sinks or floats is less relevant: you still have it with you. K.

I do have a wrist strap, that I ALMOST always put on as soon as the crew hands down the camera. It's those senior moments I worry about. Someone has lost a camera on three dive trips in the last four months. They were all floaters and only one was recovered.

The last one, his club made a big presentation of a retractor the next day on the boat. Trying to console him, I said, At least you get a new camera! He said, he got it in February. Ouch!

I will tell you, my rig is negative underwater and I wish it was more bouyant...I get tired wrist syndrome....

On the flipside, when I let go of my camera to use my right hand, the strobe arm almost always gets hung up in my reg hose. But, I am getting good at clearing it without much thought.

 

[highlandfarmwv]

Get the weight. I totally lost my DC 1000 in Aruba when it floated away

 

[RonFrank]

I would not base your weight on camera loss.

I was diving the Duane, and a guy jumped in with his rig, and then went to help a woman who was having issues. He let go of the camera, and it was gone. It was negatively weighted, and there was a wicked current which is why the woman was having trouble in the first place. His mistake was not attaching the camera to a dring.

I know of divers that have let go of the camera on the bottom, and it floated away... Their mistake was... not attaching the camera to a dring.

Do you see a pattern here!

Buy a lanyard, and attach your camera to your BC, or wrist, or belt, or whatever. You may not think that you need a free hand, I guess neither did those that lost their rigs!