Reefmaster Mini access door stuck

[jgeldin]

I've taken my Reefmaster Mini on a dozen dives and taken hundreds of pictures and videos, too. Today, after two dives, soaking the camera, drying it, opening and removing the batteries and sd card from the dry camera, removing and cleaning the O-ring, putting in a desicant tube, and blowing out a few bits of sand in the closing lever... the camera will not open.

The lever lock and lever seem to be releasing normally, but the access door will not release to open. My plan is to take the camera to my LDS tomorrow for return to SeaLife for warranty service.

I know this is a newer camera model but has anyone had a similar experience? Up to this point the camera has worked better than advertised.

 

[bigfrog23]

one thing you mite be causing it to not opine is a pressure difference if you cleaned it on a hot day and sealed it back up and the housing cooled down there would be a vacuum on the housing. that could make it really hard to open if not impossible to open if you ever take it on a plain make sure that you take the o ring out so that the housing can not seal abcause this will happen. if you go for get to do this you will most likely damage the housing because the air pressure will be greater inside the housing than in the cabin of the plain and it will push out on the housing and escape as you clime in altitude then when you land the air pressure will be greater in the cabin and you will be screwed because u will not be able to open it.

 

[jgeldin]

... a pressure difference if you cleaned it on a hot day and sealed it back up and the housing cooled down there would be a vacuum on the housing...

Bigfrog,

Thanks for the tip. In this case there was no temperature, or pressure differential. The camera was, and remained at, 1 ATA. The temperature was, and remained at, ambient. But, this is good information to prevent this from happening in the future... after I get it open, again.