How to transport UW kit to/from a local shore dive

I could use suggestions on how to transport a FF DSLR, housing, ports, extensions and strobes to and from a local shore dive. Links are appreciated if prior discussions exist.

Getting the gear to the site is no problem. I have an old unused Lowepro Road Runner I am considering using. I also have a Think Tank Airport Security but prefer to keep that for my big glass. I just don't know if they are practical for anything other than dry transport.

So it is the return that I need to develop a plan for since I will need to deal with salt water, rinsing, and getting home without turning my SUV into a smelly mess. Has me wondering what you do when you travel; not the airport transport, the dive transport, but that is for a different topic.

For my scuba gear I rinse what I can, throw everything into a large plastic/Rubbermaid type storage container, and deal with it when I get home. I suppose I can use two storage containers, add some padding to prevent broken dome ports, and do the same but I wouldn't mind some more secure suggestions.

For discussions sake let's assume a two tank dive, first dive with a dome for wide angle, second dive with a macro configuration. Aquatica housing, D3S, 9 ¼ dome port, macro port, 2 ea. Ikelite 161's, arms, floats, lenses, etc.

I can visualize my SUV getting pretty crowded and needing to tell my buddy to take a cab.

Thank you.

I use a polar cooler. You would need the 48 pack.

48 pack Polar Cooler

The great part, it can hold water. So I use it as a rinse tank for boats that do not have a large enough one. Same for shore diving. And the insulation works as padding for my gear. It zips shut, sling it over the shoulder and I am off. Fill it with water near the dive site and its all ready to go.

I am not certain how to work it with your 2 setups. I use mine for when all the gear is assembled and I am going from vehicle to dive boat or hotel to dive boat, etc. You could assemble one setup and put it in the bag, bring the other parts in a camera bag, then change as needed on the site. Fill the cooler with water when on/near the site and have your rinse tank for between dives.

I found the idea here so searching for coolers would likely give you more ideas than this.

I have been using just an old cooler we had but this Polar cooler looks like a great idea. I don't switch out set ups at shore dives. Too many things to go wrong, too much dirt. But I live where there isn't much opportunity for anything but wide angle.

Sticking with one lens/port configuration per day is of course the best plan; I just know I will be on a dive, see something I really what to shoot but have the wrong configuration and would love the flexibility to change lenses and get the shot on the second dive after asking the fish to stay put, don't move and that I'll be right back.

I use a polar cooler. You would need the 48 pack.

 

48 pack Polar Cooler

 

The great part, it can hold water. So I use it as a rinse tank for boats that do not have a large enough one. Same for shore diving. And the insulation works as padding for my gear. It zips shut, sling it over the shoulder and I am off. Fill it with water near the dive site and its all ready to go.

 

I am not certain how to work it with your 2 setups. I use mine for when all the gear is assembled and I am going from vehicle to dive boat or hotel to dive boat, etc. You could assemble one setup and put it in the bag, bring the other parts in a camera bag, then change as needed on the site. Fill the cooler with water when on/near the site and have your rinse tank for between dives.

 

I found the idea here so searching for coolers would likely give you more ideas than this.

I've had great luck with the AO Cooler products. I own three of them. Some models have a dry side pocket for keeping a towel or other goodies handy. Love the build quality.

Cheers,

Steve

I like the idea of the soft coolers. I have regular coolers I can use for now but will need to add some type of padding to protect the equipment and keep it from bouncing around.

Thank you.

I've had great luck with the AO Cooler products. I own three of them. Some models have a dry side pocket for keeping a towel or other goodies handy. Love the build quality.

 

Cheers,

Steve

Ditto on the A/O cooler. I use one and love them. They are not completely waterproof due to condensation, but they make an awesome rinse bucket in a pinch. Very well padded too.

A photographer friend is selling his old one because it got a slight tear in the dry pocket. Let me know if anyone is interested and I will ask him.

It looks like the 48 pack Polar Cooler is a A/O cooler in wolf's clothing, as it is $10 more for the same thing. I have also had good luck with A/o and there a great company.

I go with the guys who use coolers to protect their housings but I also place the cooler in a stackable storage box system. This is a great solution for both at home and in transit storage and maximises the space in my camper (RV). As the boxes stack its easy to work on any part of the camera system by placing the appropriate box at the top of the pile.

For guys in the UK, Solent Plastics supplied the stacking boxes and Go Outdoors their own brand coolers

For on location rinsing I use a pressurised hand sprayer which does an adequate job immediately post-dive and dry off with an air gun attached to my dry suit or wing inflater. At the end of the day I use the exterior shower facility in my RV and one of the stackable storage boxes as a reservoir to do a more thorough job. Back at home its always a soak in the bath...

I agree that swapping out lenses and ports on location is a recipe for eventual disaster. The only way around this is multiple camera systems. With a little forethought and planning I set up two dissimilar systems each complimentary to the dive site.

Cheers, Tim

It looks like the 48 pack Polar Cooler is a A/O cooler in wolf's clothing, as it is $10 more for the same thing. I have also had good luck with A/o and there a great company.

A/O coolers Christmas Discount Code http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/re...R88BiAO2SgAQ%3D

What AO Cooler model would you all recommend (DSLR, wide angle and macro ports, two strobes, arms, plus other usual essentials)? The 48? Something else?

Thanks.

My Ikelite and Sea&Sea dslr assembled with big strobes can fit in a 48 and zip shut with a little careful positioning. It will not come close to closing with a 36, I tried that and had to do a upgrade. They upgraded mine for the difference in cost but of course I had to pay shipping. I purchased the off-road model as I liked the extra straps and tie-downs. Also think about color, they are well insulated but if it is going to be sitting in the sun very long as on a boat ride to the dive site that may come into play.

Bill-

I am not sure that bouncing an assembled rig submerged in a SUV to some of the shore dives I've been to is wise. It depends on the camera's enclosure. Richard Perry of Reef Photo advises not leaving a camera in a rinse tank even on shore so ........

Tom

Bill-

 

I am not sure that bouncing an assembled rig submerged in a SUV to some of the shore dives I've been to is wise. It depends on the camera's enclosure. Richard Perry of Reef Photo advises not leaving a camera in a rinse tank even on shore so ........

 

Tom

Assuming I have a way to rinse the kit off, I like the idea of an empty soft cooler just to set a dripping housing in while adding some protection against those bounces. If I didn't have anything to rinse with first, the sealed cooler would keep the housing and strobes from drying off as fast and since I live very close to Puget Sound, allow me to get home to do a proper job before the salt dries.

Tom

Why would you submerge your SUV????? With your camera in it????

I didn't say that there should be water in the cooler. I would recommend rinsing it off and putting inside the cooler and zipping it shut. This keeps it moist so that any salt left on it doesn't crystallize on the ride home and gives it extra padding for the trip. Yes you can use it as a rinse tank but I don't think it would be a good idea to transport it with water and a camera in it.

As far as a rinse tank is concerned a lot of people have problems with them and a lot of floods happen there because the system is at or very near atmospheric pressure and the o-rings are as loose as they can be. A little bump from someone else's rig or hand can cause a leak. People just toss there rig in the rinse tank thinking it's safe.

I use the Housing Sentry http://www.uwcamerastuff.com/housing_sentry_overview.htm and that keeps my rig at a depth of 11 feet when on the surface and with all of the seals tight. My hand never leaves my rig while the rig is in the rinse tank. I do not soak my rig in the rinse tank as my arm would get tired.

Another thing you have to watch out for is the use of compressed air to blow the water off your housing. It can also un-seal a o-ring and blow water inside the housing if it is at atmospheric pressure.

I use the Housing Sentry http://www.uwcamerastuff.com/housing_sentry_overview.htm and that keeps my rig at a depth of 11 feet when on the surface and with all of the seals tight. My hand never leaves my rig while the rig is in the rinse tank. I do not soak my rig in the rinse tank as my arm would get tired.

I guess the housing sentry will decrease the maximum depth you can take the housing seeing as it increases the differential between inside and outside pressures.

yes as listed on the FAQ page http://www.uwcamerastuff.com/housing_sentr...take_my_housing

Will the vacuum affect the depth to which I can take my housing?

A vacuum of ten inHg creates a pressure differential equivalent to 11.3 feet of depth. You should deduct 11.3 feet from the maximum depth recommended for your particular housing.

I use a wheeled cooler with a long handle.

I usually don't swap lenses or open the housing between dives either, just too much that can go wrong...

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But few of us need two...