Lifting housing out of water

I am looking for a good way to make it easier for the boat crew to lift my housing out of the water. I have seen others with a rope rigged between the strobe arms. Is there a product like that or does everyone make their own? If so is there some best clip to use? I am thinking about tieing a piece of rope on one side with a sturdy clip on the other side, but am not real good about weaving rope.

Dave

Hey Dave

There was some good advice on Wepitxel about a year ago on ways to fit clips on to Ultralight arms to form a triangle of the two sets of strobe arms to make lifting easy. A search should find it.

This makes it easy to clip a rope for a boat crew to lift. The line doesn't need to be especially heavy but if you tie on a carabiner (using a bowline knot) it is then straightforward for the crew to throw the line down and for you to loop it through the strobe arm, clip it, for it to be hauled up.

HI Dave,

I always let boat handlers/ Crew know how to handle my rig, I only use a line

to clip the rig to my BCD, usally I have the rig in my hand & its used if I need

two hands so my rig is still attached to me. I always use the handles to pass my

rig out of the water, not any other part & also collect my rig from crew that way.

Andy

Apart from the usual clips, lines, lanyards etc being reffered to here I have what I feel is a top tip.

I have one handle covered in red insulation tape with a dymo label saying "HOLD HERE" that way I can hand the camera up from the other handle, the boat boys see the red handle saying hold here. Also as it's red I shout "hold the RED handle".

Also the other thing is INSURANCE for when they don't hold the red handle.

Apart from the usual clips, lines, lanyards etc being reffered to here I have what I feel is a top tip.

 

I have one handle covered in red insulation tape with a dymo label saying "HOLD HERE" that way I can hand the camera up from the other handle, the boat boys see the red handle saying hold here. Also as it's red I shout "hold the RED handle".

Also the other thing is INSURANCE for when they don't hold the red handle.

And what do you do when they can't read English?

And what do you do when they can't read English?

thats what i was going to say...

I am looking for a good way to make it easier for the boat crew to lift my housing out of the water. I have seen others with a rope rigged between the strobe arms. Is there a product like that or does everyone make their own? If so is there some best clip to use? I am thinking about tieing a piece of rope on one side with a sturdy clip on the other side, but am not real good about weaving rope.

 

Dave

Thanks for the ideas. I tried to search out prior posts on the subject but no luck. At the moment I am going to try looping a yellow rope thru the top of each handle installed permantly with a number of tie warps and tape (no clips) so the loop sticks up above the housing like a handle. I will insert an image when I am done.

Dave

http://kelpfish.net/tip_tame_arms.htm

Another good trick is to loop a piece of 3mm cord between the strobe arm ball adapters that are mounted on your housing's handles. Thread the cord through a piece of brightly colored plastic tubing. Tie a bowline loop at each end and use Lark's head knot over the end of the ball adapter. (see attached images)

Take Care,

ChrisS

thats what i was going to say...

Shout

Nexus & Sea&Sea sells 'rope handle' as a product. These handles are not just good for boatman but, handy when you carry more than one camera in UW.

Sam

Easy do-it-yourself solution:

1) makes it easy to carry the rig on the boat

2) east to unclip u/w

3) obvious to the crew where to grab

Interesting solution... Do those UL arms lock in place well? My Ikelites don't, no matter how hard I turn the knobs...

Jlyle: planning a trip to see some Humpbacks?

Interesting solution... Do those UL arms lock in place well? My Ikelites don't, no matter how hard I turn the knobs...

I think the swing potential, especially with a big dome on, makes this more problematic and potentially damaging.....particulalry in big swells when diving from a dinghie or panga. Deckhands need to get their hands on the handles or arms, whatever our preference is (I like it to be my strobe arms), and we need to help them understand that is how we want our gear to be managed. In over twenty years I cannot think of a time when I was unable to convey that preference to the deckhands on a boat as long as I positioned and tightened the arms, for their easier grab, before handing the housing/camera up to them.

Interesting solution... Do those UL arms lock in place well? My Ikelites don't, no matter how hard I turn the knobs...

Yes, the ulcs arms don't move, even when the rig is picked up by the handle.

Hi!

A word on knots. Bowline knots may slip open. Especially if the open end is as short as shown in the picture above. I use a "figure-of-eight" knot if I need a loop at the end of a line. Holds tight and is still easy to open if I have to. It looks nice too.

I use to hand over my rig with a handle towards the guy in the boat. The rig stays attached to my BC with an extendable lanyard until I'm sure the rig is safe. This worked fine with my two video tnk lights (heads mounted on flex arms). I'll have to think for a new method for my (quite heavy) Hartenberger stobe.

Helge ;-)=)

Lots of good ideas here. After looking at them all I have remade my rope handle to be a little shorter so it won't swing as much. Also changed the knots to a figure eight although I really didn't know what that was but found a explanation by googling it. I liked Jim's handle but as my housing is a little heavier I decided to stick to the top of the handles and leave the rope permanently installed during a dive, one less dangling item. Finally going diving Friday so I will get a chance to see how it works. Thanks Dave

Here is a photo of my solution.

The two carabiners clip to the front of my BCD during the dive, enabling me to have my hands free if necessary. The length of the ropes are carefully measured so, with my arms at their farthest stretch, the ropes are taut, adding a little to the overall camera stability.

On the surface, I unclip the carabiners from my BCD and clip them together. This then becomes a harness for someone on the boat to grasp and lift the unit out of the water. I can lift the joined carabiners a long way out of the water so the person does not need to lean down so far. Given the attachment point is at the top of the handles and most of the weight is in the housing and battery packs, the unit hangs vertically when lifted.

The yellow nylon platted rope loops back into itself and is joined by melting in the middle. The arms of the housing would rip off before this rope broke.

Works for me.

Regards

Peter