What to do with the camera when...

... you need to shut off one of your valves?

... you switch gases?

... you donate your primary 2:nd stage?

... something is wrong with your deco-gas and you need to turn it on-breathe-turn it off

... you're diving a mCCR and you need to reach and add dil to the loop?

Or is the answer to the above questions simply - stay withing recreational depths with your camera?

Many people have their camera on a lanyard or with a short clip - so that they can either drop it on the lanyard or clip it on to them, if they need both hands free for another task.

But I think that if someone is unable to do the tasks that you say, then they should think very carefully about either diving with both a camera and diving with complicated technical dive kit. Many choose one or the other.

However, the few who have the skills to cope with both can get some impressive images.

Alex

-Learn to do many of those things one handed.

-Clip off the camera on a lanyard and let go if you need both hands.

Even at recreational depths you can get yourself in a lot of trouble if you can't manage your life support equipment and the camera. Underwater (especially at the tech level) you have to be a diver first and a photographer second. Your pictures will not do you any good if you don't come back.

True. As I wrote in another thread - its first now I feel confortable bringing a camera on my dives. It took MANY hours of valvedrills and practice to get there

The answer I was looking for was the lanyard though

Have coped with a few on the list:-

... you need to shut off one of your valves?

 

... you switch gases?

 

... you donate your primary 2:nd stage?

 

Or is the answer to the above questions simply - stay withing recreational depths with your camera?

The answers are:-

No, you do not need to stay within recreational limits....but the skills, approach and planning, mindset etc are different regardless of a camera or not.

Yes, use a lanyard.

I've added 3 things to my camera rig. I only shoot in underwater caves, so it is important to control the camera to protect it and to keep myself from getting in trouble.

-I modified a stage bottle kit to make a carry handle that I can quickly and conveniently grab to hold the camera, in addition to the hand grips but this on is more balanced.

-I added a short lanyard with a bolt snap to be able to clip the camera off so it hangs under me if I need to momentarily go hands free.

-I added a short bungee to the side opposite the lanyard side. I use this with a double ender bolt snap if I want to stow the camera and scooter a long distance. It rides much like a stage bottle would. Short distances I'll just use the carry handle.

These I have found these work well for me and the carry handle is also great for out of the water.

Yes, use a lanyard.

This is what I do.

1st make sure you are completely comfortable with all the emergency drills and can literally do them with your eyes shut and without thinking. If not, practice until it becomes 2nd nature.

Then try taking the camera down but not using it. See where the best place to clip it off is that doesn't interfere with any of your drills.

I then started to use the camera during the bottom time taking extra care to note depth and time and then would clip the camera off for the ascent / deco schedule. As i became more comfortable, i would then start taking some photo's to while away the time on the final stop.

The diving comes 1st, if necessary ditch the camera.

The lanyard i use has a clip in the middle so it is fairly short and will clip off nicely, When using it i undo the clip and it has an curly bit that makes it about 4 times longer. I can then let go of the camera and as it is slighty negative it hangs below my knees and is clear of the stages. I now have 2 hands to perform whatever drill i need, be it gas switch, loop clearing etc.

Also remember that you are going to feel alot more narcosis while you are task loaded taking photos so adjust your depth or mix accordingly.

Have a buddy who is not taking photos so he can slap you when your discipline starts to slip.

Assuming your camera is in hand, and you haven't already clipped off to a ring of preference:

... you need to shut off one of your valves? For a failure?!? Camera is disposable. Drop it.

 

... you switch gases? Was this gas switch a surprise? Should have been planned before starting the dive. Clip off the camera.

 

... you donate your primary 2:nd stage? Because your buddy is OOG??!! Throw the camera away. Sheesh.

 

... something is wrong with your deco-gas and you need to turn it on-breathe-turn it off Since I'm not actually breathing the stage, I'd clip off the camera first.

 

... you're diving a mCCR and you need to reach and add dil to the loop? Good question, I only dive OC.

 

Or is the answer to the above questions simply - stay withing recreational depths with your camera?

To dive in an overhead-restricted environment, you need to be completely at ease with the equipment and the procedures. If you are, adding a camera becomes a non-event. If you're not, don't.

Everything is in context - in your example above of donating the long hose, I could care less if my buddy clipped off their camera at the same time as they passed me the primary. However, if they turned it into a flailfestival, and I ended up waiting for a long while (OOG!) as they got themselves squared away, then finally passed me the long hose, I would have to consider some angry words back on the surface, assuming I lived through the experience.

Ultimately the camera is disposable. Depending on where your training came from, some of us regard a camera/video/etc as more disposable than most.

All the best, James

You should be able to do all of those things single-handed.

In the final analysis the camera is disposable. I don't clip it off (ever) because it might cause problems. Never take a camera diving you can't afford to lose.

I've added 3 things to my camera rig. I only shoot in underwater caves, so it is important to control the camera to protect it and to keep myself from getting in trouble.

 

-I modified a stage bottle kit to make a carry handle that I can quickly and conveniently grab to hold the camera, in addition to the hand grips but this on is more balanced.

 

-I added a short lanyard with a bolt snap to be able to clip the camera off so it hangs under me if I need to momentarily go hands free.

 

-I added a short bungee to the side opposite the lanyard side. I use this with a double ender bolt snap if I want to stow the camera and scooter a long distance. It rides much like a stage bottle would. Short distances I'll just use the carry handle.

 

These I have found these work well for me and the carry handle is also great for out of the water.

Sounds pretty neat - do you have any pictures of your setup?

Doing a valve shutdown sometimes requires both hands when using a dry suit. In an emergency I certainly wouldn't hold onto my camera while trying to do a shutdown. Why add more stress to the situation. Clip it or drop it. I clip off the camera to my scooter ring when coming up the deco line and it stays there hanging just below me.

As stated, survival is your number one priority.

Sounds pretty neat - do you have any pictures of your setup?

As always you must be comfortable with the dives you are doing first. Task loading on challanging dives is not good.

Here's a some photos.

I'm typically not clipped but holding the camera by hand. I can and usually do most things one handed. If need to work, I can clip off the camera to free that hand, by using the yellow line on the left. If I am scootering, clip the yellow line and then attach the double ender to the bungee on the right handle and attach to me as one would carry a stage bottle.

If swimming I am pushing the camera in front of me. The large handle is a stage kit that I modified and wove through the handles.Of course there is quite a bit more bulk when the strobes and focus light is attached. I hope this gives you some ideas.

You can also hold the camera with your legs, assuming you have achieved and not lost neutral buoyancy prior to your emergency.

Other than that, hand the camera off to some one else, or ditch it somewhere you may be able to recover it from during another dive.

Thank you all for your input, information and concern for my safety

Of course cameras are disposable - life isn't so I'd drop the camera faster than you guys can say "underwater housing" and proceed with emergency routines.

Although it is all a variance on a theme, I use a lanyard that contains a clip with a loop. When you undo the central it is effectively extended. That means that I can keep the camera attached onto me at all time. Ongoing in and on deco the lanyard is short so that hang nicely. During the dive is extended giving enough freedom to move the camera as I see fit. That way I do not even need to delay to clip the camera on before going through a shutdown.

Daniel

Practice to do everything with one hand or dive with partner or equip.