How do you get into the water from a liveaboard with your camera?

[MermaidLaura]

I've dived in the Red Sea twice now but only with a compact camera.

Most entries are the "giant stride" method off the back of the liveaboard. It worked fine with the compacts but I've recently upgraded to a DSLR with arms.

What is the best way of getting you - and your hefty DSLR camera with strobes etc - safely into the water without causing any damage (or leaks?)? Any advice would be appreciated!

Thank you

 

[JamesK]

Jump in without camera. Turn around and have someone hand your camera down to you once you are in the water. If you are worried about it being dropped, have it clipped to a "hang line" when it is lowered in and then unclip it from that once you have a good hold on it. Get it out of the water in reverse order.

 

[danvolker]

I've dived in the Red Sea twice now but only with a compact camera.

Most entries are the "giant stride" method off the back of the liveaboard. It worked fine with the compacts but I've recently upgraded to a DSLR with arms.

What is the best way of getting you - and your hefty DSLR camera with strobes etc - safely into the water without causing any damage (or leaks?)? Any advice would be appreciated!

Thank you

I have been using a canon 5 D mark II for almost 2 years now...on charter boats or liveaboards, the only feasible choice for me is to jump in with the camera...most of the sites I enjoy are big drift current sites, and you can't flop on the surface waiting for your camera, without missing the mark for the bottom. If I am not using my scooter ( which the Aquatica housing mounts to), I just step out like in a Giant stride, but do a twist in mid air, and back flop in--so my body shields the camera from the smack of the water, and no real water impact occurs. It's more challenging to do this with the camera on the 70 pound scooter, so the twist happens with much less of a big stride So far this has worked flawlessly.

I suppose if I was on some still water, no current anchor dive, I could get in and have someone hand me the camera, but I would usually not do a dive site like this, as they typically are missing out on the big volumes of life you find on large structures with big currents.

 

[JamesK]

I have been using a canon 5 D mark II for almost 2 years now...on charter boats or liveaboards, the only feasible choice for me is to jump in with the camera...most of the sites I enjoy are big drift current sites, and you can't flop on the surface waiting for your camera, without missing the mark for the bottom. If I am not using my scooter ( which the Aquatica housing mounts to), I just step out like in a Giant stride, but do a twist in mid air, and back flop in--so my body shields the camera from the smack of the water, and no real water impact occurs. It's more challenging to do this with the camera on the 70 pound scooter, so the twist happens with much less of a big stride So far this has worked flawlessly.

I suppose if I was on some still water, no current anchor dive, I could get in and have someone hand me the camera, but I would usually not do a dive site like this, as they typically are missing out on the big volumes of like you find on large structures with big currents.

Good call. I don't do any drift diving so having someone hand it to me works. I did not think of heavy drifting because I don't do it.

 

[MermaidLaura]

Great! Thanks!

I like to be independent...

Last year we had to do negative entries off the liveaboard so the giant stride / pivot option is a good one! Thanks so much! I'll try it without the scooter though

Will let my buddy get back onto the boat before me and hand the camera back to him after the dive.

This is great info and really appreciated.

 

[Wookie]

Liveaboard crews are extremely good about handling cameras. We allow and encourage the giant stride-turn and pivot method with everything except a honking big dome port, or anything marked Ikelite. The Ikelite port attachments just won't handle that kind of abuse, in fact, we won't do anything with your Ikelite except take it from you and place it on the deck, out of the way, of course. Rinsing it or placing it in the rinse barrel is completely your decision and action. If you have a milled aluminum housing (Subal, Aquatica, Nauticam, Sea & Sea etc.) you will be perfectly fine. I don't know what you are using for strobe arms, but if they are long ones, The most sucessful way I've seen them handles is to fold them above the housing with the strobes next to the housing as compact as possible. Tie the knuckles of the strobe arms together with a double bolt snap or something similar. It makes a great handle to hand your camera up to the tender driver/deck crew.

 

[Darnold9999]

Have someone hand it down is by far the best. Next is to clip it to a line and hang it in the water before you get in.

Backroll off a RIB or the like I put the camera in the water behind my back with one hand and roll in. Camera is already in the water so no shock. If the drop is too high to do this then on my chest.

For a high current entry that needs a giant stride and you can't have someone hand it to you I hold the camera above my head, by the time the camera hits the water you are going slow enough that there is no shock. Not for everyone, as you have to be able to lift the camera with one hand and hold it over your head and keep it there when you land - otherwise it may hit your head.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Why not just turn around and fall backward off the boat ... hitting the water tank-first, with your camera safely tucked into your chest? Let the tank absorb the shock of surface tension ... it's way sturdier than a camera housing.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[drbill]

With my old housing I used to do a giant stride holding the housing high above my head so I broke the water first. My current housing's video lights are not quite as rugged (but great lights) as my old ones so I just jump in and have one of the crew hand it to me.

 

[RickyF]

I do the "nestea plunge" from a platform or I sit on the side and slip in with thye camera in one hand instead of a back roll.