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I have to admit to having never done this. I have multiple housings and have never done the initial dive without the camera installed. Everything is insured. I double and triple check everything before I get wet. I keep a close eye on it during a very slow descent. I keep checking it through the dive and ascent. Never had a problem - knock wood & YMMV.Is it really necessary to take the case to 30, 40, 50, or 60+ feet before use? Could not an initial pool tryout work as well?
I always have a little look-see when I first get in to make sure the bubbles are coming from where they should be and that no water is getting in. I check periodically on the way down, too. Rarely do I use the dunk tank or similar before the dive.Do you PT users adhere to the stated pre-dive 5minute dunk test each time you use your camera underwater?
What are your personal pre-dive camera routines?
Wildcard:I watched someone else keep there camera in a cooler full of water last weekend, why?
I don't think so. In fact, these o-rings don't actually need grease at all. Do a search and you'll find some great info and discussions on this point.a. Should I have re-greased the entire O ring assembly for the second dive?
A properly moistened o-ring looks a bit slick. Has no globules anywhere. Is smooth and has no debris. It shouldn't feel...umm, tacky, I guess is the word...not sticky really.b. How much grease should actually be on the ring and on contact seal? The manual says 5mm I have no clue what that means in real life. Help me here, cause if lack of grease is the issue, then I can rest easier. What does a properly greased O ring and case seal look like?
Can you see any defects at all? One thing you might like to do is take a very teeny drop of liquid silicone and get it into the buttons. I think Dee & leesa have done this with great success. Knock wood I haven't had these problems.c. Does it sound like the case is defective?
Time doesn't matter to the cases.d. Or is it possible, I was simply down for too long for that particular case?
No need to regrease - just inspect carefully each time you open and close it. Make sure to check the seal as you close and after closure to make sure it didn't get caught.e. If a camera is used on repetitive dives, on the same day, does the ring need to greased after each dive? Or, if the camera is not opened, then is it safe to dive again without re-greasing?
You'll get there! Remember, for every great image you see here, there are squillions of deleted ones and ones that just didn't quite make it!I won't even ask about how to take underwater pictures of fish or people. Sigh.