What bouyancy level for a housing?

Ok, unlike the lanyard issue, this time I actually tried a forum search....now that my conscience is clear, what bouyancy degree do you like for your video rig, positive, negative, how much, why, whether it applies to macro or regular or both, etc.

Amphibico says my rig with dual lights and external monitor will weigh about 1lb under saltwater....not sure if that is good or not...seems like ever so slightly positive would be better, especially if I let go and thr recently recommended black swanky coily lanyard breaks.

My rig with lights and W/A lens was almost 3 pounds negative. It created all kinds of problems with my trim.

I am experimenting with closed cell foam trying to get it as close to neutral as possible.

I want my housing completely neutral. This is especially important if I attach it to a scooter. I have just received a new housing (L&M Bluefin HD) and will test dive it this weekend.

My old (now sold) PD-170 housing from Gates with a Fathom WP35 was really heavy. I had to create extra boyancy with PVC-pipes to keep it neutral.

The newer larger HD housings seem to have movable and removable internal weights that makes it easier to set the amount of boyancy and trim you want the housing to have.

Anders

Anders, is your vote still for neutral for those of us not diving with scooters?

If my new unit is negatively bouyant without the addition of weights as stated by the manufacturer, and the consensus is neutral to slightly positive trim, then I guess I will buy bouyancy arms, and take the existing grid style solid arms and convert it to an underwater tripod.

Anders, is your vote still for neutral for those of us not diving with scooters?

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I like the housing setup (housing, lights, arms, battery [unless attached to hip]), best when it is neutral since it is easy to handle and does not affect my overall diving position in the water. I have heard that some like their video setups slightly negative to achieve a sense of more stability, make it less affected by currents, etc.

I personally want it completely neutral, if possible, since it is more imporant for me to ensure I can keep my trim so the fins stay away from the bottom or other possible silt areas.

Example of diver with balanced housing and "proper" trim

This is especially important if you want to use the video equipment inside a wreck or any other overhead environment. I am of the opinion that a video setup should not force you to change trim (feet down) in the water, and if it does, the system is not balanced correctly.

Anders

I find that just slightly negative is best for stable shooting. Fully neutral and I get more movement in my shots. if you are using the phenom, I would remove the rear left lead weight (1 of 6) when shooting without lights. With lights depends on your set up.

Too many people concentrate on the housing and not the lights. If you have heavy lightheads or battery packs, get them neutral so it doesn't affect the housing balance.

I'm a fan of foam over PVC pipes. Foam doesn't compress as much so the effect of depth is not as pronounced as the pipes.

If you have a big housing, have a 200g weight strapped to the bottom of the housing. If you have an emergency, that 200 g can be shifted to your pocket (drop it in dire emergency only) and your housing will float up to the surface.

I'm a fan of foam over PVC pipes. Foam doesn't compress as much so the effect of depth is not as pronounced as the pipes.

How do you work that one out Drew? Or are you talking about flexible PVC pipes? The uPVC pipes I've used are rigid. They don't compress at all. Now I use glass-filled ABS.

Perfectly neutral is best for me. Dave, very slightly positive gear is a nightmare to find in most situations at sea if you lose them. They just drift along with the current and hardly break the surface. Good for Stoney Cove though

I lost a lamp once at Koh Doc Mai that I'd made just slightly positive. No chance whatsoever of finding it but if it had been slightly negative I reckon I would have found it with a search. Obviously not if it had been on the Sipadan drop-off though

Anyway, think positive (excuse pun)... you won't be losing your housing.

Nick

Simply put, positive bouyancy can almost guarantee that your shots (especially macro) are going to end up making the viewer seasick.

I agree with the others entirely, your full setup (lights included) should be neutral to slightly negative for ideal shooting...... it depends on individual's tastes, Anders has a great point for about wrecks and silty environments.

Investing in a simple system to attach it to your BC and all should always (generally) go well...

WERE you to drop it somehow on the surface whilst taking it from - or handing it to - the boat crew, a slightly negative housing really shouldn't be sinking faster than you can go after it and grab it.....

Wanna laugh?........................ 4 years ago I had some good-old Thai flip flops ("thongs" for the Antipodeans out there) strapped to my gear (a brand made out of a good solid rubber, didn't compress too much) ...... God I miss looking as cool as I evidently did in those days!?!?!

Nick's pipe-system works a treat, I don't - but have seen a few people - use them. You can even spray them black for that added Darth Vader effect.......... sweeeeeeeeet....... cooler than filp-flops maybe?

Chris

Yea it's a pain when you stick out your arms to take a shot and fall forward. I guess it's not as bad as taking a picture of the surface though.

Better add my 2 cents worth.

The bare Phenom is every so slightly negative.

With my lights bolted on it's more negative.

I can get smoother shots when free swiming with the lights bolted on. (more negative)

Lanyard....never used one in 14 years.

With lights my rig is slightly negative. I leave the lights connected to the housing at all times and it seems to work a treat. Never had the need to remove lights etc for any filming application but I have used the Watervisions lighthead which was bastardized to fit onto an articulated arm and braket for some macro stuff I was shooting. I needed to add some small weights to get back to slightly negative. I was carrying the battery pack twined to my SCUBA tank so lost the weight of the two lights which are heavier than the lighthead and articulated arm combined.

I also have a lanyard connected just in case. I have been in INSANE conditions on Blue Corner in Palau AND got swept out to sea alone on one occaision. It was all I could do to hold on with both hands and just let the housing go. Thanks to God the lanyard was a heavy duty home made jobby. I guess the lanyard issue is decided on where and what you're gonna be getting up to.

Cheers,

Mark.

Got swept out to sea alone on one occaision.....

I hope they found you okay there Mark....maybe you should get one of those watertight personal EPIRB's.. for ya BCD....

The drift was only for about 25 minutes during which time I couldn't even see Palau as we were in a rain out condition. Viz topside was about 50m in all directions. I could hear the reef but not see the islands. I was also over very deep water which was not a great feeling. Currents were too extreme on the reef so no sharks were close to the reef, all out in deeper water. My mask had been blown off in a pathetic attempt at a safety stop as I had tied my SMB line to a rock to try and get elevation whilst on the reef. No way to see what was around me.......this was not a good experience.

The drivers here are a god send though and know every current and its characteristics. They came straight for me out of the mist. Great knowledge. My dive buddy......Douglas David Seifert who was in Palau doing an editorial shoot met me with that massive grin of his. My retort, "That was a f......g crazy ride......can we do it again" I guess we all confront fear with jovial comments. All pretty happy to meet up again on the boat.

I now have a lot of signalling gear on my BCD but no EPIRB. Could be a consideration.

Cheers,

Mark.

.... I am of the opinion that a video setup should not force you to change trim (feet down) in the water, and if it does, the system is not balanced correctly.

 

Anders

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Feet up is no picnic either.

My rig's negative buoyancy changes depending on which lens I have attached and if I am using lights. I made several different sized pieces of foam to experiment with. Works OK in the bathtub, I'll get to dive with it in a few weeks.

Wow Mark, that could of turned ugly very easy. I think you should get one of these EPIRBS

I may look into it.

Currents out here can get insane to say the least. A Japanese dive shop recently had two 'floaters' out there for 30 hours. One guide and a client. They got picked up by an Ocean going vessel some 28 miles south east of Angaur, the southern most tip of Palau. They reported being surrounded by sharks, silvertips, silkies and on one occaision 3 tigers, for the whole duration. Imagine that, at night time knowing they were around your fin tips!!! they even had to kick one of the tigers away on one occaision, they didn't have a video but the client did have a photographic rig. He used the strobes to try attracting attention to the boats they could see looking for them. The seas were heavy and no rescue was effected by Palau based operators. There was a small plane up there looking for them but no luck.

What a story for the kids!!

My BCD is now loaded with reflectors, large SMB's and of course a dive alert. Feel more like a scuba dealership when diving

Cheers,

Mark.

I think I would be buying a personl beacon that's for sure, it looks like you can even have the locator on the boat itself as well. What's a few hundred bucks for peace of mine..

I hope the customer got their money back

I think getting away with his life was more than the client could wish for, being Japanese they never brought into discussion the question of guilt or blame on the dive shop. They went through a rough time and were just happy to have been found. If it was me, the last thing I'd be concerned about was getting back my dive fee.

The currents here are crazy at times especially in Peleliu at half moon. The divers put up their SMB whilst still on the reef which is SOP's for diving that area. I've seen reef hooks snap like twigs on that site - Peleliu Express - when the currents get going. Really gives you a work out and allows you to test out your new fins!!!!

Par for the course out here. Other stories don't have such happy endings. Six years ago seven divers and a guide were all lost, never seen again from that same site. Their gear was eventually found floating and they had written of their experiences on dive slates which were clipped to their BCD's. Freaky stuff

Anyway, getting off topic but yeah, I do use a lanyard as it allows me to use my hands to hold on if the currents whip up here.

Best,

Mark.

Back in the mid 80's I owned my first video cam and housing, a minolta 8mm and an AquaVideo housing. It was pretty darn positive in its bouyancy. No lights, didn't know I needed them but I was having fun shooting when not many were. The bouyancy was what it was. Then I got a Gates Housing and a Sony 101 hi 8 cam with UK AquaSun lights and brackets. Now everything was negative and it took a bit to get used to it. I liked the positive bouyancy because it was all I knew. Then I went to the Sony 1000 with Gates and then the 2000 with Gates and a Sony SC100 with L & M. Now its a Sony A1-U and Gates housing. All had different feels but I got used to them.

This long winded speil is just to say that everyone has different preferences, usually based upon what they have grown accustomed to. Change something and, at first, it doesn't feel right...but it will..and then that will be that person's new standard of what is proper.

Steve B)