Why Camera Housings Flood

There are many reasons why camera housings accidentally fill with water. Some floods are due to breakages, some due to maintenance issues and some remain a mystery. Following are some of the preventable reasons why cameras food.

Incorrect housing assembly. Being in a hurry to get to the boat, get into the water etc.

Forgetting to put the in the o-rings, put them in before you leave home.

Forgetting to connect strobe cords, or not checking that connections are tight before each dive.

Incorrect or forgotten maintenance, too much or too little silicone grease on o-rings. Maintenance is not something done over a few beers and is not done on the boat or on the way to your dive site.

Sand, hair, fur, cotton wool etc etc on your o-rings. Don’t service your gear on the carpet, on the floor, or with the cat on your lap.

Not having your housings annual service done when it comes due, that year rolls around all too quickly.

Not testing a brand new housing before putting the camera in. Or pulling a camera straight out of storage and diving with it, have it serviced.

Letting people “play” with your camera or housing. No one will look after your expensive equipment like you do.

Being distracted whilst servicing or setting up equipment.

Entry and exit techniques while diving. Have someone hand you the camera once you are in the water and have done your buddy check.

On live aboard dive trips it becomes all too easy to become complacent. I’ll just open the housing quickly to change the film (charge the battery, change the lens etc). In a hurry, the main o-ring doesn’t seal properly, you don’t realise and the housing floods … damn. Always rinse and dry equipment before opening the housing, and always work slowly and carefully.

With a little care and attention you can avoid flooding your brand new or trusty old camera housing … and if all else fails contact your insurance company and ensure you are insured.