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Oh nice, I didn't know those TSA latches were a thing, those are nifty. I just have a little TSA combination lock that I loop through the metal-lined corner holes which are designed for locks.

I use a Pelican 1620: 1620 Protector Case | Pelican Had it for 20 years or so and it's been checked all over the world with zero issues or damage. It's well within checked bag size limits, and I can load it with all my underwater camera housings, ports, strobes, spare batteries, cables, and...

Yeeesh. Hope she survives, and hope they take enough money from that operator or their insurance company to put them out of business. Yes divers sign waivers and are ultimately responsible for their safety, and yes I'm sure all of us have been handed a not-full tank by boat crew before (and...

You don't need to put the housing under vacuum with a pump, but you do need to have the cap/plug on the vacuum port. It's a little disturbing that you report multiple people unable to manage a simple vacuum port plug. You really need to be meticulous and have attention to detail for SCUBA and...

Yeah it's an interesting time. Don't get me started on the many major issues with cell phones as underwater cameras, but it appears they aren't going anywhere and they've killed many of the affordable point and shoots for the most part. The "real camera" entry point nowadays is increasingly...

Yeah I'll echo just find a decent camera/housing/strobe (the strobe part is critical) setup in your price range and jump in. You can find lots of info online but honestly you're going to need to figure it out for yourself through trial and error. What software you use for your RAW workflow is...

Yeah, shoot RAW and get lightroom classic (or a comparable competitor) and learn how to use it. It's not difficult. If you end up shooting lots of video you might want to spring for something like Davinci Resolve or Adobe Premiere at some point but that's probably a ways off.

My Apex RK3's are right around 20". I wouldn't call them a travel fin, but the jet fin style is certainly more compact than split fins and the like. Pretty sure I could fit them in a roller carry-on if I wanted to, though I've never bothered since I check so much gear. I think the only way...

Nice report. I've always heard pretty consistently decent-to-good things about Volivoli, so good to hear you had a good time there. Sounds pretty similar to my experience years ago at Wananavu Resort (currently being rebuilt) just east of Volivoli on the same peninsula. Both much bigger and...

Look no further than the Linnea Mills case, another instance of a student having a fatal accident during a class, as to how much of a cluster these things can turn into. There's obviously civil liability here, but also potentially criminal liability as well if there was obvious negligence or...

Again emphasizing that you need to contact an attorney and probably stop posting any more details here. I'm sure we're all sorry for your loss and would love to be supportive or offer advice, but it's in your best interest to say nothing publicly until consulting an attorney. You could end up...

I'd take the night and fly with the good airline. You don't want to deal with those sketchy discount operators who constantly cancel flights and whatnot when you're trying to time up your travel halfway around the world.

Oh nice. I had noticed that the square grouper bags appeared to be discontinued, but didn't know that Kraken stepped in to basically make the exact same bag as the larger CB80 square grouper bag that I bought. That's pretty cool. They're great bags, I love mine. Keeps my rig nice and safe...

For my camera body/lenses/laptop/accessories (not housings) I use this: PRVKE: The Award-Winning Travel Camera Backpack & Bag | WANDRD. They make a variety of very nice photography oriented bags, though not sure if they have a roller option. I'm sure they could probably be adapted to carry...

Talk to the operator, they probably have a good idea of how it might impact them, if at all (they're probably running boats there now). If they think they can operate close to normal, I don't see any reason not to go. Hopefully you have travel insurance.

Yeah I meant the compressor at the resort or wherever they are doing their fills, typically owned by the dive op.

Yeah I consider liveaboards and shore operators to both share a lot of the same problems caused by extremely low market value, cost cutting, lack of oversight, corruption, etc... With liveaboards obviously you might have more exposure since you're on the boat full time for like a week, but I...

Yes you can often find shorter stay packages, or they can usually price one out for you if you contact them and ask (though the cost per night may be higher). But there's diminishing returns because of travel time/expense and time you can't dive at the end of your stay before your flight out...

+1 for liveaboards, assuming it's a quality operator and a destination with dives within your ability comfort zone (eg. probably not Galapagos, Palau, Komodo, etc...). It's the most pampered diving experience you can get in terms of not having to lug gear around or walk long distances or...

Looking at my computer data from late June 2022 when I was there, min temp on every single dive was 82F. For comparison, in early January 2024 min water temp was 84F on most dives. I wear a 3mm full, mostly for sting/scrape/burn protection not warmth, but most divers were in rash guards or 3mm...