Everything is CLOSED until Monday!!

[alcina]

The wind finally dropped around 2:30pm and we were launched from the ramp at about 2:35pm. Get to the dive site, kit up, try to put my hooded vest on -doesn't feel right, try again...it's ok, but not great. I've left it salty wet and then baked it in the sun so it is all crunchy. No big deal.

I roll in and head under.

I look at the camera to make sure there are no problems. Condensation on the port (never had this before!!). Back to surface. Hand camera to DH. Clasp is broken or gets broken. No camera for dive. Luckily have video system with me. But not happy. Try to get Zen again...

Vis is down but a ton of activity. EVERYTHING sits still or comes back to pose. Fabulous for still camera, kinda ho hum for video, but I shoot it anyway!

Two porcupinefish, one little one big, peeking over a ledge. I glide slowly to them camera rolling. They smile and sink behind the ledge. I come around the edge and get them a bit more. They laugh, turn tails and slowly swim off - with the big one's long spines puffed out a bit. Gorgeous.

The whole dive was cool stuff and I sure did miss my Canon and new toy the strobe. I did get some nice footage, but it wasn't what I wanted to do, you know?!? And everything is shut here until Monday. And the weather is supposed to turn nice as of tomorrow afternoon. <sigh> Typical timing.

A friend says I can use his A70 and housing when he isn't using it, but since he also has been complaining for the past few days that we can't get out and dive it looks like it'll be video only for me! Too bad I can't upload that!

Merry New Year, Everyone! Hope nothing befalls you on this last day of 2003!

 

[Gilligan]

alcina, sorry to hear about your housing. I hope you can get it repaired.
As respects the condenstaion, I keep my camera/housing in a soft beverage cooler as it is insulated and somewhat padded. It sits in the direct sunlight on the deck of my kayak as I paddle to and from my divesite. I have had no condensation problems. I also use desiccant in the housing as shown on my PT-010 website (link below).
I used a tray and handle with my camera from day 1, even though I did not have a strobe at the time. It saves a lot of "manhandling" of the housing which I noticed on my Yucatan trip when handing the housing back and forth to the boat crew.

 

[alcina]

Yeah, my gear gets insulated and padded and I LOVE those drink eskies for carrying stuff on the boat - I actually have one that I have modified with pluck and pull foam inside a tupperware container inside the cooler so my camera stays snug as as a bug. I think it was just one of those days - it sure felt like one of those days all day and I wasn't the only one to have bizarre/bad/weird stuff happen to me I found out later. Must be the end of year voodoo.

Don't know why the condensation happened...never has in any of my gear before and I have been dragging stuff around underwater for a long time! oh well.

Hopefully I have sorted things out with my friend so I will be able to use his system for the next few days and then order a new housing/part on Monday that should arrive on Wednesday. I can live that long without mine, I guess! Now if only the wind would drop off before 2:30.

Have a great first day of the year.