Small Waterpoof Case for Scuba Diving?

[Kharon]

The design approach appears to be similar to an Otter Box, and the Otter Box and others like it are notoriously subject to random leakage despite the "depth rating." As others have said, the only truly safe housing for scuba depths is the canister kind used for EPIRBs/PLBs and dive lights.

I would bet that the leaks in Otterboxes are from user error. A single hair across the seal will cause a leak. I make sure that the seals on mine are prefectly clean and I've never had a leak - but they haven't been below 131'.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I would bet that the leaks in Otterboxes are from user error. A single hair across the seal will cause a leak. I make sure that the seals on mine are prefectly clean and I've never had a leak - but they haven't been below 131'.

If a single hair on the gasket is "user error," then you may be right. I've had to pick grains of sand off the gasket before closing the case, and it has occurred to me that a single grain of sand (or salt) could cause leakage. It's also occurred to me that the case itself on some of these Otterbox-tye designs may not be sturdy enough to resist being deformed a little by the pressure. On some dives I have not had a leak, but on others I have. I just don't think the Otterbox-type design, with the rectangular gasket and hinged lid, is going to be nearly as robust as a canister-based design. If you've never had an Otterbox leak, you may be in the minority.

I don't mean to slander Otterbox, but that is the only brand I've had experience with. I'm not familiar with the Watershot case of similar design that someone linked to above and is advertised as waterproof to 200 feet. It's possible the Watershot case is sturdier, or the gasket is better, etc. However, the basic design seems similar--rectangular gasket and hinged lid with latch--so I am skeptical.