Camera bouyancy

[Greg G.]

I've got a Sea & Sea Pro Ex w/strobe and would like to make it a little more bouyant, I don't like the way it just sinks if I have to let go of it when I need both hands to do something else (I have it tethered to my bc with a quick release coil lanyard). If I'm near or on the bottom, (which I usually am when taking pics), there's the danger sand or rocks or what ever may scratch the lens. Can someone recommend a way to make it at least nuetral or slightly positive buoyant (preferable) with easy to find materials?

 

[herman]

Hi Greg,

How about tie wrapping some of that white plastic shipping material that looks kind of like foam rubber ( the stuff buggie (?) boards are made of ) to the strobe arms?? It's cheap, easy to work with and does not adsorb water.

 

[old_mike]

hey, that's a pretty good idea herman! You might also try some lengths of PVC (plastic irrigation) pipe with the ends capped off. depending on the weight of your rig, you might try a six-inch length of 3/4" schedule 40 PVC from Home Depot or Lowe's. Cut the pipe to length, use PVC solvent to glue on the ends and see how much buoyancy you get. You can then tape your newly improvised buoyancy tank to the strobe arm or some other area. I affix mine to my camera tray. If you have too much buoyancy, cut a shorter length of pipe: not enough? try a little bit more. Be sure to use the glue in a well ventilated place!

One other thing, if you make your rig too buoyant, it might become a hassle to keep the thing out of your face when you are not taking pictures. Also, think about how the camera rig might get in the way should you suddenly have an emergency with either yourself or a buddy.

 

[herman]

A new use for pvc pipe!!! Does anyone actually use it for plumbing??? Anyway, to expand on Mike's method, why not drill and tap a couple of holes in the sealed up pipe section and insert stainless steel or nylon screws into the holes, then you could add or remove water to adjust to bouyancy from 0 to whatever the max is for the size of the tube. You could also use one of the treaded end caps and a threaded plug. A bit of silicon grease makes these threaded plugs or screws easier to get in and out. Just don't adjust the bouyance at any depth greater than the surface, I am not sure what the pressure capacity of pvc is but an exploding pipe is not something I want to deal with....That just reminded me, the foam type material would crush at depth and cause the added bouyancy to vary a good bit, Oh well,it was a good idea, it just could not stand up the the pressure!

 

[old_mike]

schedule 40 should stand up to 60 psi minimum, which is a little more than 4 atm. One atm is approximately 14.7 lbs, so theoretically, one should be able to go to 120' with no problem. Check the rating of the pipe to be sure. That stuff is typically over-engineered.

here's a caveat however: if one descends to 120 feet, where there is approximately 58.8 psi being exerted on the pipe (buoyancy tube, whatever), will it be likely to implode should the diver bump it into a rock (look at what your camera housing is made of: i'm not likely to worry about it unless i end up at 240 feet and then i'd have other problems!)?
Alternately, if one can fill the tube at depth, and its pressurized to 60psi on the surface, might i burst when someone accidentally drops it? sits on it? bangs it against the rinse tank? Thats why i don't fill the things at depth (although, theoretically, one could, just like a lift bag only way way smaller! and a lot of hassle)

 

[Greg G.]

Wow! 3 useful ideas and no flames! This is MUCH better than rec.scuba! <G>

Another idea a buddy suggested was get ahold of some scrap neoprene from an old hood or wetsuit and tie-strap it to the strobe arm or make a mini "hood" for the strobe itself. I don't have a problem with it being too buoyant as long as it doesn't make me have to ad more weight. I used to take 2 Aquashots with me on dives, one was set up with the strobe, the other for macro. Aquashots are very positively buoyant. I had them both tethered to the D-rings on my BC, and while I was swimming prone, they just floated up behind me and out of the way. When I needed either one, I just did a sweep left or right. That worked real well until Kodak and Fuji once again changed the size of their cameras and Ikelite came out with the AS3. By that time I was ready to upgrade anyway. As far as being in the way during an emergency, that's why I use the coil lanyards with the quick release, one pinch and it will be at the surface waiting for me. That's kinda what I want to do with my current setup.

 

[John Reinertson]

I tether my Ex to a retractor clipped to my BC, which keeps it close to me but lets me stretch it out at arms' length for shots.
Between the retractor and tucking the strobe head under my left BC strap, it gives me freedom without having to get paranoid about my investment drifting away.I had an Aquashot and once I used the EX I greatly preferred the neutral to neg buoyancy, but I was too scared I'd drop the camera under stress to be comfortable until I added the retractor.

 

[Greg G.]

I finally got around to trying that, but unfortunately it didn't work at all, it still sank. I made it about the length of the strobe arm and tie-strapped it to that. I don't think adding another inch or two would help. Try bigger diameter PVC? I think it would have to be very large bore, it failed that much. Maybe a mini lift bag?

Originally posted by mike
hey, that's a pretty good idea herman! You might also try some lengths of PVC (plastic irrigation) pipe with the ends capped off. depending on the weight of your rig, you might try a six-inch length of 3/4" schedule 40 PVC from Home Depot or Lowe's. Cut the pipe to length, use PVC solvent to glue on the ends and see how much buoyancy you get. You can then tape your newly improvised buoyancy tank to the strobe arm or some other area. I affix mine to my camera tray. If you have too much buoyancy, cut a shorter length of pipe: not enough? try a little bit more. Be sure to use the glue in a well ventilated place!

 

[old_mike]

try a larger diameter pipe. Also, is there any possibility that the pipe flooded? I am thinking of getting a toilet bowl float and trying that, but that will require some thought as to attachment and storage on the boat etc. I just got back from a night dive in Catalina where i had the opportunity to test a whole bunch of my ideas on a crowded boat at night, in chilly water with lots of kelp to get tangled in. I am now placing a premium on streamlining my rig, and affixing a couple of powerful dive-lights.

OH MAN! The learning curve never ends with this stuff!

 

[Greg G.]

I'm fairly certain it didn't flood. Cleaned it, primed it, cemented it, let it cure overnight, checked it in the tub first, no bubbles, still sank. Only problem with a bigger bore pvc would be how to attach it in such a way that it's not going to make the camera more cumbersome, thus adding to my gear stress. As big as it would probably need to be, I'm thinking that the best way would be to attach it somehow to the strobe and let it "float". If it's above the strobe, it'll be out of my way. I'll figure something out. Wouldn't a toilet bowl float collapse with depth?

Originally posted by mike
try a larger diameter pipe. Also, is there any possibility that the pipe flooded? I am thinking of getting a toilet bowl float and trying that, but that will require some thought as to attachment and storage on the boat etc. I just got back from a night dive in Catalina where i had the opportunity to test a whole bunch of my ideas on a crowded boat at night, in chilly water with lots of kelp to get tangled in. I am now placing a premium on streamlining my rig, and affixing a couple of powerful dive-lights.

OH MAN! The learning curve never ends with this stuff!