What does a camera housing depth rating really mean in practice?

[Miley Cyrus]

I dive in the 100-130 foot range, will a 130-foot rated housing be prone to occasional leaks, given that I will be taking it to the limits? Or is it like a 3000psi tank, you can take it much further without the risk of blowing it up? Housings rated at 200 feet are 50% more expensive, but the camera is even more expensive than either housing. Can anyone share their experiences?

 

[farsidefan1]

My prior camera was rated to 130 feet. I took it to 145 with no problem. But keep it maintained or it will flood at 20 feet No doubt they can handle AT LEAST the rated depth with some margin for error. How much of a margin? Only one way to find out - and it involves a replacement set of equipment

 

[Dsix36]

Generally speaking the housing will handle greater depth without leaking, but the buttons will begin to stick or become inoperable at greater depth. My 130' rated camera made several trips to 200' without issue.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I generally agree with the statement above - buttons tend to be the limiting factor.

On the other hand, if you're quiet you'll hear some 130' rated housings making cracking and popping noises as you go below 100' and when that happens I assume the rated depth is fairly close to the crush depth.

The major flooding problem however is dirt or lint on the o-ring or in the o-ring groove. More cameras are killed by a little water than are killed by a major flood, so keep the groove s clean and be sure the o-ring is clean and properly lubricated.

If in doubt about the depth rating, take the housing down empty first and operate the buttons, then if it is still leak free at the target depth you can do it with the camera installed.

 

[Tool Belt]

Off topic sorry, but do I care if a dive watch is rated to 3000 feet?

 

[ScubaSteve]

Off topic sorry, but do I care if a dive watch is rated to 3000 feet?

Not as long as you stay above 3000 feet

 

[drbill]

Of course this is dependent on how conservative the manufacturer is in giving its ratings. I've dived with Light & Motion housings exclusively for the last 12 years. My last one was rated to 150 ft but I frequently took it to 200 ft without any problem. It had magnetic controls so no buttons to stick. My current housing is rated to 300 ft... but I doubt I'll ever go there!

 

[klausi]

A good friend of mine took his GoPro housing, rated to 60 meters, on a technical wreck dive to 110 meters. The camera stopped working in 90 meters, but restarted functioning on the ascent!

I agree with above notions that the buttons will start to be a pain long before a flood occurs.