Standard or dive housing?

[Dannybot]

Sorry if it's been asked.... I got a Silver 3+ for Christmas and the manual says it's good for 3 ata, so I assumed I was good to go. I was helping a coworker research GoPros and came across the 'dive' housing. Does it matter? Is the dive housing a necessity? Is there a real benefit?

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

I have asked folks on scubaboard that I trust - they have taken the standard housing down to 190ft. WAY past my limit - maybe yours too? The only thing they mentioned is once you hit the button to play - leave the gopro running till you come up to depth so there is not leaking around the buttons (perhaps pushing a button could cause a leak -none were noted)... Lol I dont think within Rec Limits that I frequent that I need the dive housing if this is true...
YMMV - but I asked the same question.

 

[RJP]

Sorry if it's been asked.... I got a Silver 3+ for Christmas and the manual says it's good for 3 ata, so I assumed I was good to go. I was helping a coworker research GoPros and came across the 'dive' housing. Does it matter? Is the dive housing a necessity? Is there a real benefit?

3ATA? That's 66ft. Doesn't sound "good to go" for diving to me. That said, the "standard' housing is good to 130ft, so not sure what you have that's only good to 66ft.

Dive housing is good to 197ft. I've had mine deeper than that with no problem.

More robust case/o-ring. More secure locking mechanism. Beyond depth considerations, being more robust overall the dive housing seems like it will better hold up to getting banged around on/off boat, wrecks/rocks at depth, hitting tanks, etc.

 

[Floribbean Divers]

I dove all last week in Dominica with no problems. I have a silver 3+ and used the stock housing. My laptop has bit the dust so I can not tell you what the video looks like but I have been told it will not be as focused with the stock housing. I think I am getting the Back Scatter housing unless someone on the board tells me different

 

[Dannybot]

Thans for the responses. I don't recall where I read the 3ata rating for the standard housing, my manual does list 140'.

 

[toozler]

I dove all last week in Dominica with no problems. I have a silver 3+ and used the stock housing. My laptop has bit the dust so I can not tell you what the video looks like but I have been told it will not be as focused with the stock housing. I think I am getting the Back Scatter housing unless someone on the board tells me different

All stock housings from the HERO3 onwards (3+ and 4) will focus underwater. The issue was with the stock housings for the HERO2 and the old HERO HD, both had the curved port that wouldn't focus.

 

[kwinter]

My original Hero standard housing was rated to 180. The new ones are only rated to 130. I just bought a Hero 4 and had to decide between the dive housing good to 200 ft. and the Golem housing good to 500 ft. The price difference made the decision for me. I will not hesitate to take the dive housing to 250 or so. I assume the standard housing would be ok at 160. The dive housing is definitely more sturdy but requires different options for things like filters.


iPhone. iTypo. iApologize.

 

[tomfcrist]

The dive housing has been used much deeper than the rated depth as others have stated. I would guess that the standard housing could easily go deeper than the rated depth also, but I certainly wouldn't take it beyond 150' (just wearing my risk management hat).

 

[Dannybot]

Hnestly, I'm not concerned with going deeper than the rated 130'. I've only gone that deep once--at the Great Blue Hole, and no plans to go back there any time soon. Usual max depth on any given week of diving is between 100-110 if there's something down there that deep really worthwile.

 

[tomfcrist]

Hnestly, I'm not concerned with going deeper than the rated 130'. I've only gone that deep once--at the Great Blue Hole, and no plans to go back there any time soon. Usual max depth on any given week of diving is between 100-110 if there's something down there that deep really worthwile.

If that is the case, I would not bother getting the "Dive" housing unless you just want to error on the safe side.