Adrian Gresores

Dave, Did you get a chance to test out the Atom Knob? Even for warm water, it can be difficult to turn the knob especially with fat fingers. Adrian

I am right there with you on all this. I do like the one 4.5" double ender for caring the great. It fits well in my hand. If I have a longer carry, I put a 5mm neoprene handle cover over it. I take the cover off on the boat. I haven't seen the double ender confuse crews so far. I also secure my gear to myself, especially for shore entry and exit. The coiled lanyard comes off the parking loop and clips to my crotch strap d-ring. The double ender then gets clipped to one of these dog bone tri-glides. I move another free double ender from a chest D-ring to do the same thing on the other side. The dog bone tri-glides keep the gear higher so it doesn't bounce on sensitive areas while walking on shore. Once in the water, I store the double enders in my chest d-rings. Obviously, I can also attach the gear while swimming at either one or both shoulders, if needed.

After reading how you secure your gear neatly some time ago, I have been doing the same: a double ender between the middle clamp lanyard holders and bungee loops on the strobe clamps that loop around the handle clamps. It is so much easier to carry the gear or slip it into a rinse tank or bag!

I have these lanyard holders on my ULCS clamps and have no problems with them. Did you install them between the clamp handle and the clamp, as in the picture? Ken actually recommended I install them between the spring and the clamp. This gets rid of all the problems you mentioned, except they do not stay in one fixed position - a small annoyance. Since I also clip them together with a double ender, I fit a split ring into the holes so I only use one double ender.

By the way, there is a small hole at the middle of that cap to allow air to vent.

I’ve been wanting a simple, reliable cover for my CMC‑2 on the Nauticam flip adapter—something I can keep on during entries/exits to protect the lens, and then remove and stash easily once I’m underwater. Since I don’t have a 3D printer (or the CAD skills to design a custom cap), I decided to improvise. With a little help from Google Gemini, this is what I came up with. The cover is made from a 70 mm vinyl end cap, trimmed down so the depth matches the CMC‑2. Inside, I wove bungee to create four small “tabs” that snap under the top ledge of the lens body. That gives the cap a positive grip instead of relying on friction alone. I also added a parking loop on the hinge—just an extra layer of security in case the cover pops off before I have a chance to clip it to a D‑ring at the start of the dive. Any thoughts or suggestions for improvement are welcome.

I have used salt water exactly like that before.

I carried the camera by hand on the way to and from the boat. As for the water for the cooler bag, Aldora was nice enough to bring me a big jug of fresh water every day to pour into it. The camera obviously went in the bag while on board.

I wanted to share a quick update on how the AO 36 Can Cooler Bag performed during my recent trip to Cozumel. If you’ve been looking for a DIY portable rinse tank solution, this one is great. The SetupThe logistics were seamless. To get from the hotel to the boat, I packed my wetsuit and rash guard directly into the cooler. For my dry items, I used a 20L dry bag tucked inside the cooler alongside the gear. This allowed me to carry the cooler over one shoulder while keeping my hands free for my camera rig. On the BoatOnce on board, the cooler really proved its worth: The Swap: I geared up and stowed the dry bag under the bench. The Rinse: I filled the AO bag with fresh water to create a private rinse tank. The Fit: My camera gear fit comfortably inside. The boat only provided a 5-gallon bucket for rinsing, which would have been way too small for my setup. Having my own dedicated space was a game-changer. The Return TripPost-dive, I simply dumped the water and packed my wet gear back into the cooler. Since the dry bag stayed sealed, I could toss it right next to the wet stuff without any issues. Carrying it back to the hotel was just as easy as the morning trek. Final VerdictThe bag is rugged, perfectly sized, and incredibly convenient. If you want to ensure your gear gets a proper soak—or if you just want to avoid the "communal bucket" struggle—I highly recommend picking one up.

Sold.

Deal reached! Sale Pending.

I’m heading to Cozumel for a dive trip on April 15! If you want this kit in time for your spring dives, the last day I can ship is Friday, April 10. Skip the retail backorders—this is a complete, factory-fresh Octo setup (housing replaced 08/25) with low shutter count and all the necessary gears/ports. Ready to dive immediately!

For my upcoming Cozumel trip, I’m planning to use the AO cooler as both a tote and a rinse tank, instead of bringing a separate mesh bag. For the flights, I’ll fold it in half, vacuum pack it, and tuck it into the front pocket of my suitcase, though I could also use it as a carry-on or to line another bag. For diving, I’ll place a 10L nylon dry sack inside and use it to transport my gear to and from the boat. Once on the boat, the dry sack comes out and the cooler gets filled with fresh water as a rinse tank, as suggested by the dive shop. After the dive, I’ll dump the water, pack my wet wetsuit and other gear inside along with the dry sack, and take it back to the hotel, while leaving my BCD, reg, and fins on the boat.

I just saw this post. Without a 3d printer, this was my solution on my AOI housing

Hey everyone, I’m currently shooting the Olympus OM-1 with the Panasonic 8mm fisheye in an AOI DLP-06 acrylic dome. I haven’t had enough bottom time with this setup yet to know if internal reflections will be an issue, but looking at the port hood petals, I'm curious: does anyone proactively line the inside of the petals with matte tape or similar materials to kill stray light? Is this a known quirk with the DLP-06/8mm combo, or am I overthinking it before seeing the files? Would love to hear if anyone uses flocking or gaffer tape here. Cheers!