Attaching a DSLR to a diver!

[pakman]

I guess I am in the minority, but I do use a snap coil similar to the item pictured in your link, but I use the one with the metal snap bolt.

I don't find it gets in the way. I attach it to the ULCS mounting brackets for the handles on my Subal housing

Be careful of those snap coils. One of my friends picked one up and it came apart (where the coil meets the snap) during a liveaboard trip. Fortunately he had the camera in his hand at that time. It might have been just he got a defective one, but... I used one on my old P&S+strobe setup and would frequently clip it to my left chest or crotch strap when I needed 2 hands (launching a DSMB, deco'ing on a line, etc)

 

[Diver Dennis]

I have a coil line like yours Ron but I only use it on deep walls usually. If you back roll off a boat in heavy current, just come up finning into it. I always have it handed to me. I hold the camera between my legs when I shoot my SMB.

 

[Larry C]

I use a retractor (cetacea) on my right shoulder clip. Gets in the way on an arm sweep, but I can always find my safe second/dump on the left. When I let go, it won't hang far enough to drag and I know where it is. Still working on a better method. Off the boat, I always tether the rig and have it lowered, clip it to the retractor and unclip it from the tether.

 

[Tortuga Roja]

I use the snap coil you linked to. When snapped they are secure. Unsnapped, the coil is probably a weak spot. I use it snapped on shore dives while walking from my truck to the dive site (and hold the handle most of the time as well, then putting on fins and mask in the water and surface swimming. When kayak diving, I snap it to a 15' line (with a shock absorber) and pick it up on the way down and clip it off during my safety stop. On boats, it's handed off to me and I hook it to a D ring snapped until I decend. On the way down I unsnap it and turn everything on and adjust the strobes. On the way up, I resnap it so my hands are free to unhook it and hand it up to the boat.

This is an Ikelite housing with 2 ds125s and I have used this setup for close to 2 years and feel very comfortable.

 

[Jamdiver]

Nothing to add really, but I love how you phrased the topic :rofl2: .

 

[kidsdream]

You are exactly right on this one. Just last month during a twilight dive on the SG and then a night dive on the Duane, I was with 3 other UW photags (3 DSLR's + a 5050)and the current was ripping on 0-50' on entry to the Spiegel Grove.

The seas were not bad, but even with a stern tie you had to jump in and directly go to the moring line. Really 3 choices:

1. Giant stride and then get go back for a camera hand-off while holding on to the stearn tie line and then try to clip the camera off while have the line in your armpit and then go down - ugh. This was my method on the SG and it sucked.

2. Clip off prior to entry and then o0 a "leaining" stride in the water and then quickly grab the line.

3. Sit on the swim platform and clip off and then slide in while grabbing the stern tie.

Of course we could have left our cameras onboard, but if you were taking your camera in, just a hand hold was not an option. After 50' the current was more mild and we drifted stern to bow on the SB. Then up the line where at 50' the current was rocking again and time to hang wave in the current like a flag.

The current was so strong, on the line our regs were free flowing and our strobe arms were pushed out to the side.

.

 

[djanni]

You are exactly right on this one. Just last month during a twilight dive on the SG and then a night dive on the Duane, I was with 3 other UW photags (3 DSLR's + a 5050)and the current was ripping on 0-50' on entry to the Spiegel Grove.

The seas were not bad, but even with a stern tie you had to jump in and directly go to the moring line. Really 3 choices:

1. Giant stride and then get go back for a camera hand-off while holding on to the stearn tie line and then try to clip the camera off while have the line in your armpit and then go down - ugh. This was my method on the SG and it sucked.

2. Clip off prior to entry and then o0 a "leaining" stride in the water and then quickly grab the line.

3. Sit on the swim platform and clip off and then slide in while grabbing the stern tie.

Of course we could have left our cameras onboard, but if you were taking your camera in, just a hand hold was not an option. After 50' the current was more mild and we drifted stern to bow on the SB. Then up the line where at 50' the current was rocking again and time to hang wave in the current like a flag.

The current was so strong, on the line our regs were free flowing and our strobe arms were pushed out to the side.

.

I have to ask.... is it ususally that way diving the Spiegel Grove? I've hear that a lot of times. I'm not sure I would be that interested it diving it if so.

 

[isurus]

When not over a shallow bottom I use a snap coil as illustrated and have a wrist strap over my camera holding arm's wrist. I also have a bolt snap on one strobe arm so when I want to go hands free I can close the snap and add a second attachment point. When I'm over sand such as for the scenario you mention I'd probably just hand hold at all times

 

[ssra30]

I did a few dives with dSLR where we were supposed to do a negative entry due to somewhat strong current and we tried to get into the chanel opening about 20m below. However there was no line. Everybody else just jumped in with their BCD deflated and went straight down. A few of us with cameras actually had our BCD inflated, held the camera above our heads in one hand as we did giant stride. When we hit the water and bring the camera into the water without too much impact then we deflated ASAP and went down. It went surprising well and nobody was separated from the group but it is not something that I would want to do often.

 

[RonFrank]

I have to ask.... is it ususally that way diving the Spiegel Grove? I've hear that a lot of times. I'm not sure I would be that interested it diving it if so.

I'm NO expert. I have ONE dive on this wreck (which was a blast BTW), and then can only repeat the experience of others. So you read my experience. Others have reported everything from zero current top or bottom to 6' seas and very difficult conditions (it is the ocean after all ).

On the day I dove the sea was a pond (always nice) but the current at the surface was strong.

It does seem as if the current is generally stronger at the surface.

Maybe someone like Brent from BlueWaterDivers (he has dove this wreck more time than I've been diving in total) can chime in.