What to do with cell phone and wallet?

[alewar]

Hi,

I'm going to do some shore snorkeling alone in Greece (Anthony Quinn's Bay in Rhodes) next week, and I don't know what to do with my wallet and cell phone. What do you normally do? Put them into one of those dry boxes? Which one do you recommend? There are also dry bags, but they don't protect against pressure. I wouldn't want to leave the smartphone in my hotel room, since I want to take some pictures, use google maps, etc.

Any advice?

Thx.

 

[Kronek]

My plan is to hide them in my car and take a valet key with me on my dive. But if you arnt taking a car, otterbox is pretty slick from my understanding. I will likely pick up a small one myself.

 

[kevmiami]

I had the pleasure of spending a week in bonaire, shore diving from a pickup truck in rugged terrain and everyone warned us not to leave anything in the truck. My BC has a large pocket, so I used an Otter Box which is rated to 100 ft. Inside I used a new zip lock back for wallet and a SealLine vinyl iPhone water proof bag, with a bag of silica in the vinyl bag. The combination worked great, never a drop of water anywhere, but two caveats: You must treat the seal on the otter box like a camera, sand, hair, etc. - you are toast. Same with any vinyl bag, they are totally water proof until you accidentally place a small pin hole in the bag by handling it roughly. Cheers, Kevin

 

[FuzzyNutz]

A small pelican case would be ideal, but I usually just put that stuff in a few ziplock bags and into my backpack/font pouch of divebag. It's not out in the open, so a little splashing shouldn't hurt... and I'm not expecting it to go overboard. If I'm leaving from a place where I don't NEED my phone, it doesn't come with me.

 

[g1138]

Plan your life away from the phone. Google map your route and jot it down on a paper pad.
Take pictures when you're not out on a dive excursion from your hotel.

I would find it much less ideal to flood my phone and be phoneless for the rest of the trip than to be able to document my walk to the dive op. And I don't even have a smart phone, still just calls and texts for me.

If you're doing a boat op, then it be best to leave that stuff on the boat, in a dry box/pouch. Tuck it all away in a dry bag with your other stuff.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

I like what g1138 said, and that is out practice, but on occasion we have used the "buried treasure" approach. We put wallet, phone, car keys and anything else we need to secure in a zip lock plastic bag and, hopefully when no one is looking, we bury it in a place where there is some relocation reference. We've done this maybe a dozen times over the years, and haven't lost anything yet. Just be sure you are comfortably above any high tide or surf/surge line.
DivemasterDennis

 

[freewillie]

I would leave the cash and cell phone in a safe back at the hotel. If you really wanted pictures then a cheap disposable camera would be a good alternative. You can keep a credit card and small amount cash on you for snorkelling since doesn't matter if gets a little wet.

Crime is a significant problem in Greece. My mom had her purse pick pocketed within an hour of arriving in Greece. Pick pockets in general are a problem. Just be aware of your surroundings and take appropriate measures to minimize your risk.

 

[RonFrank]

Leave your possessions in the hotel safe. You can use a pelican but anything you take UW has the potential of flooding. You can bury your stuff in the sand but what if it is gone when you return? No one on SB is backing you wallet. You can come up with a dozen reasons why you needed your wallet but those reasons mean nothing when your wallet is gone and you have to deal with that mess. Your phone is more valuable as a phone vs. an UW camera! Leave the valuables in the Hotel safe when you shore dive. When in Mexico I carried my ID with as much cash as I needed for the day. That could get wet if need be. When shore diving leave your stuff in a hotel safe where it will not flood or be stolen. Putting cash and an ID in the otter box is safe. Wet money spends!

 

[TMHeimer]

I would never take anything in the water that is electronic, including those darn chip car keys. But that's just me. I have put the key in a zip lock bag and hid it in weeds, burried it, etc. when diving. Guess that would work with camera, and you could just take your ID-license and a few bucks and do that also. Disposable camera is a good idea. Or take topside pics. when not diving as well.

 

[b45]

I put my cellphone in this case http://mashable.com/2012/06/20/take-your-iphone-underwater-with-this-scuba-suit/ (i haven't dived passed 100 feet, so not sure if the case would hold up in deeper dives)

and then leave my wallet at home