Photographers Using Doughnut BP/W BCD (dump valve location)

[doctormike]

Excellent description, thank you DoctorMike. I especially like the solid ring around the handle as a solid attachment point and will incorporate that.

OK, since you mentioned it, I will tell the story of the split ring, before I switched to the solid ring and double attachment!

Diving the San Diego off Long Island, ripping current going down the line. I had my camera clipped and I felt the steady tug as we descended. Suddenly I didn't feel the tug. Looked down - no camera.

I was in mid water with limited visibility and current, no way that I was going to leave the line and head for the bottom to look for it. So I said all sorts of unpleasant things to myself, and spent the dive sulking instead of having fun.

When I got back on deck, the captain was laughing and said "Hey, Mike! Did you get any good pictures?"

Turns out that the camera had gotten snagged on the line as the split ring gave way, and the next diver down had found it and brought it back to the boat. I hugged that guy, paid for his dive, and bought the solid ring the next day!

 

[gstrek]

OK, since you mentioned it, I will tell the story of the split ring, before I switched to the solid ring and double attachment!

Diving the San Diego off Long Island, ripping current going down the line. I had my camera clipped and I felt the steady tug as we descended. Suddenly I didn't feel the tug. Looked down - no camera.

I was in mid water with limited visibility and current, no way that I was going to leave the line and head for the bottom to look for it. So I said all sorts of unpleasant things to myself, and spent the dive sulking instead of having fun.

When I got back on deck, the captain was laughing and said "Hey, Mike! Did you get any good pictures?"

Turns out that the camera had gotten snagged on the line as the split ring gave way, and the next diver down had found it and brought it back to the boat. I hugged that guy, paid for his dive, and bought the solid ring the next day!

View attachment 568744

You are very, very lucky. I dropped my camera once getting back onboard but was able to swim down to save it (just slightly negative rig) and learned my lesson. I will add the solid ring and use a double ender when I want to secure it to a d-ring. My tray is an Ultralight TR-D and has room to secure my tether bolt snap.

 

[Schwob]

All: good advice.
@gummybun : What they said. But I am additionally curious why you hold your camera rig in your left hand when you just hold it. Not to question you, but to understand why. In my specific case I use the left tray post to steady the rig - for shooting two handed. The right post only serves as a base extender for the right arm. I never figured out how to hold onto it and get to the shutter, not even with one of those mount ontology of the post shutter triggers (did not fit for me). So that post is just moved all out so I have enough room to hold onto the camera housing with my right hand ... and that‘s how I hold it most all of the time. I do have and use a teacher set up akin to what @doctormike described, except all the weak points are still there and shall get fixed. Important is to have the short clip off that works for you. If need be I can i.e. clip off my rig to left and right shoulder (Arms folded in) and make it USA ladder fins on wrist entirely in-assisted. Prefer handing the rig off of course. Clipping off short comes in handy also when deploying a DSMB... I can see how the crotch ring may make sense there.
All that said, I still have a (cut-able) wrist loop on my right wrist, that I slip out off when clipping off. In retrospect, it likely is more of a hazard than help. It does allow me to sometimes brieflyuse my right hand with the rig dangling, but it‘s lazy and asking for trouble I think. And it‘s not useable if I have anything wrist mounted on the right hand anyway. Shall change that.

Pending on how cut-able the teather is, I might prefer cut-able soft rigged loops instead of steel rings (strong braided utility cord rings (double fisherman knot)). That‘s what I prefer to use for non scratch, non rattle, strong, but curable attachment „rings“/loops. But even if the teather cuts easy, I, if needed, prefer to cut the easily replaced loops as I always have extra cord with me.

 

[doctormike]

You are very, very lucky. I dropped my camera once getting back onboard but was able to swim down to save it (just slightly negative rig) and learned my lesson. I will add the solid ring and use a double ender when I want to secure it to a d-ring. My tray is an Ultralight TR-D and has room to secure my tether bolt snap.

Yup! Good judgement comes from experience, which comes from bad judgement...

Redundancy is important in all aspects of diving. They way that I use this system, my camera always has two points of attachment. If my hand isn't one of the points, then the second clip is used.

It's a fairly heavy rig, so I don't climb a ladder with it. I hand it up. What I do is unclip the bolt snap on the housing, and then get close enough so that I can hand it up to a crew member. I don't unsnap the second bolt snap (on the tether) until the crew member has the rig. In rough seas, it helps to extend a strobe arm and let them grab that, so I don't have to get so close to the boat.

Of course, gotta let them know about this system ahead of time, otherwise they will try to haul me out of the water by the tether if they pick up the camera before I can undo the second bolt snap!

 

[Stoo]

Another way of looking at it is if this minor issue is a point of concern, then perhaps it's better not to task load with underwater photography just yet.

I was thinking along these lines as well... If you're struggling to do basic diving stuff with a camera in your hands, it might be time to regroup.

Having said that, I don't think I've ever met a camera that wasn't triggered with a right-hand shutter release. Is your system unusual and if not, why don't you just hold it in your right hand?

 

[gummybun]

why you hold your camera rig in your left hand when you just hold it.

My tray only has the one handle on the left, on top of that is my strobe and vid light plus arms and floats, so that handle becomes the gravitational centre (of sorts). Holding the whole assembly from the right is majorly uncomfortable. I could get a tray with a second handle i suppose, but I try hard to stay compact.
It has crossed my mind about the tether risk if the kit is snatched by something large - funny that no one has ever questioned my wrist tether to me ever, on any boat - but now it will be a primary mission to resolve. That being said, we divers have so many shiny lure thingies dangling all over our suits... another shiny item I have worried about is our wedding rings... I have heard they can attract attention.

@ Stoo, I think you have made some assumptions, I have no trouble with basic 'diving stuff'. I have ignored a couple of previous comments like this as they come across as disparaging, pejorative and frankly uncharitable. How anyone can leap to such a conclusion is beyond me. Even Nemrod who said something similar was kind enough to say that he now sees my problem, as have others. Really, you have 5000 dives and you have never seen a kit like mine? That is not to say I don't have a lot to learn, I am not arrogant - but please do not belittle me.

Also, I would add that my case is not an expensive aluminium model but a cheaper plastic case which when holding in the right hand may induce twist resisting the loads hanging off the left side. I would rather avoid that. I do think with some of the equipment and modifications presented here that I can get to where I need to be, and so I say again, thanks to all for the helpful comments.

 

[Nemrod]

I like the way Schwob says "short clip off" and that is what I am doing with my double enders, left and right shoulder D-rings. My scooter/crotch ring tether is just a safety tether should I drop the camera by accident and I can let it hang from the tether for a moment (with all due caution). But to get my hands free or to come up a dive ladder, I use a "short clip off" as per Schwob. This way the camera is not dangling around beating itself up or getting in your way. Yeah, I cover my dome and my new WWL-1, the hard cover has a bolt snap on it to secure to my harness while shooting. I prefer to hand my camera up and then take it back once on deck but I do not trust most boat crews, too many bad experiences with them. So, I like to be able to come up the ladder with my camera. When I do hand it up, I unclip from my shoulder D-rings as I approach the ladder, when it is my turn (I usually try to be either last or first), and I do not unclip the tether until the deck hand has it and tells me he does.

The tiger shark makes a good story and lends to exaggeration. LOL. Let me be clear, it did not attack me, it just bumped me, possibly by accident (or maybe not!) but as it squeezed by my strobe clamp got caught in the jaw momentarily and my camera snapped out of my hands and to the end of the tether in an instant. Good thing, like Doctormike, my ring is a solid, welded ring. A split ring would have failed. And there was no bottom and that camera was quite negative, it would have been a loss of $4,500. My new camera is being set up to be more neutral, I am trying, but, gosh, hmmm, $6,500, might get me mostly replaced. You betcha it is clipped off. Insurance does not cover loss. Theft and flooding, yes, losing the camera into the Gulf Stream, no.

But getting back to the original issue, left handle tray or right handle tray, you can still pass the camera to the other hand to vent the BC. If you get rid of the wrist tether. I mean, that is the problem. I used wrist tethers back with my original Nikonos III. And when I added a tray the Oceanic strobe and handle was on the left. And it was around that time I quit using a wrist tether and started using a coil lanyard secured to something on my dive harness. The scooter ring works so well for me because the ALWAYS secured coil tether stays out of the way, even for selfies, I never notice it be connected, until I need it, as in the case of the playful shark.

James

 

[gummybun]

It's gone! It's gone! I've cut it off.

 

[doctormike]

@ Stoo, I think you have made some assumptions, I have no trouble with basic 'diving stuff'. I have ignored a couple of previous comments like this as they come across as disparaging, pejorative and frankly uncharitable. How anyone can leap to such a conclusion is beyond me. Even Nemrod who said something similar was kind enough to say that he now sees my problem, as have others. Really, you have 5000 dives and you have never seen a kit like mine? That is not to say I don't have a lot to learn, I am not arrogant - but please do not belittle me.

I assume that you are talking about my comment, and I hope that you understand that people are spending their time here trying to help you. No one gets any points for belittling you.

When you say that your rig is tethered to your right wrist and that you can't swap hands, to me that's a "problem with basic diving stuff". If your camera gear makes it so that your ability to respond to diving emergencies is compromised, then I stand by my comment.

 

[gummybun]

@doctormike, no, I prefaced my comment @Stoo, who quoted you and then went where? My reply carefully thanked peoples constructive comments and I carefully stated that I have a lot to learn, but some comments drift from my OP and it is fair to bring that to light. My post was regarding Dump Valve locations, immediately I was asked why I felt the need to adjust my buoyancy so often, and later why I don't just hold my rig in my right hand, it gets a bit tired. As for your comment in particular, you supplied reason and alternate and you will notice that I thanked you for your considered response. So no need for you to take umbrage!

Regarding your assessment, I think it is a rather a good observation and recommendation for a quick and easy improvement - not something that requires a demotion to 'no camera for you'.

Another way of looking at it is if this minor issue is a point of concern, then perhaps it's better not to task load with underwater photography just yet.

I mean, logically if I didn't have the kit, I wouldn't be having the conversation, and it really couldn't be much of an easier fix. My OP question was about having quick and direct access to a mechanical safety device without reaching over, under, swapping hands, clipping off - classic risk management - why the need to question basic competence? But I can do better with your recommendation, so again, thank you. I mean it.