Today, David Snyder talks about his goal of losing weight for diving.
Is this some “Biggest Losers” program? Ah, no. Lose weight when you go diving refers to you kit (equipment). As we continue to dive, over time we acquire more and more things. Very important things when we acquired them but are they still important?
As the airlines have become more strict with checked luggage, I have embarked on a quest to lighten the load. This quest takes two paths. First is do I need a particular piece of equipment? Do I really need that fourth light, or that second slate, or that spare whatever? My idea now is if I am not certain that I will use something it gets left behind. I plan to enter the water carrying everything I brought and my dive bag empty.
The second path of my weight loss quest is to change heavier for lighter. Ounces add up to pounds. Do you really need a 12″ knife when a 6″ knife will do just fine. Lights, if your light is more than three years old you should be able to double the capacity or half the weight with a new one. I look at each piece of equipment to see if there is a lighter or more capable substitute.
My goal for this process, is one bag 40 pounds, two weeks of diving, nothing rented (except bottles) or borrowed. I am getting there.
How much do you weigh?
Photography
Underwater Camera Maintenance
You may have heard the saying that underwater photographers like to tell new photographers, it is not if your housing will leak, it is when. And while there may be some truth in that phrase, there are ways to reduce your risk.
Here are some things you can do to keep your camera in working order:
- Before you leave town, assemble your camera so you make sure you have all of the parts. It is a lot easier to locate missing items while you are at home rather than on your trip.
- Check your spare parts kit. You should have a spare set of o-rings for your camera housing, ports, cables and strobes. It should also include the appropriate lubricants for the o-rings, an eraser to clean contacts and some contact cleaner. Don’t forget spare batteries, cables, cards and Moisture Muncher® packets.
- One of David Snyder’s suggestions is to store a set all of the tools you need to assemble your housing and strobes in your camera bag or box. This allows you to assemble everything without having to find your diving tool kit.
- Develop a packing check list so you make sure you have everything. I developed one for our group traveling to Antarctica and you are welcome to use it too.
- When you arrive at your destination, take time to carefully assemble your camera. Remember, be methodical when you are working with your camera. Clean all the o-ring seating surfaces (requires you remove the o-ring from the groove. Grease your o-ring according to the housing manufacturer’s guidelines and before you close-up the housing, check the o-ring and the seating surfaces one more time. I had a client who flooded a camera because of a beard hare that broke the seal on his o-ring.
- After your dive, it is important to rinse and dry the camera. It is better to leave it in a water bath until you are ready to deal with it. However, one word of caution, leaving it in the boats rinse tank may result in a leak because the motion of the boat may break a seal especially on cameras with ports or waterproof lenses (Nikonos Camera).
- I recommend creating a work surface using a Microfiber Towel. These handy towels keep parts from bouncing away and absorb any moisture that may be on the camera. Use a separate towel to dry the camera and clean the sealing surfaces. You want to keep all saltwater away from the seals and sealing surfaces. The salt crystals that remain after the water evaporates may cause a leak.
- Again, whenever you open the housing, be methodical about cleaning and checking the o-rings. You may not have to open all of the o-ring protected areas between dives but, if you break the seal, you need to re-prepare the o-rings, sealing surfaces and grooves.
- As a note, before you seal the camera in the housing, add a Moisture Muncher® to absorb the condensation typically caused by the heat generated by the camera and battery.
- As you start your descent, check your housing for bubbles and for any signs of leakage.
If you are careful, your inevitable flood may be minor or even delayed for years and years.
Photographic Equipment…How to get it there
Traveling with photo equipment on your diving vacation may be as simple as tucking your camera in your pocket or may be more like taking an extra person with you. The more equipment you have to take on your trip, the larger your travel bags need to be. Like any commercial photographer, an underwater photographer will have multiple lighting sources, spare parts and possibly even spare cameras and lenses. With new airline luggage regulations, getting all of your equipment to your destination may be a challenge.
Once you get it there, you need to be able to use it effectively. You probably wont need to carry all of those spare parts with you on your daily shoots but you do want to carry what you will need.
Your underwater camera, once it is assembled, usually requires no special carrying case to transport it to and from the dive destination. However, if you plan on taking above the water shots or go touring while on your diving trip, you may need a bag or two to help you transport your equipment.
Transporting Your Equipment on Airlines
Today, the airline luggage regulations can impact your trip and your budget. Most airlines are now charging for bags, charging for heavy bags and limiting carry on bags. Dealing with all of these ever changing regulations can be a challenge. Small underwater camera systems, can be easily carried in your standard luggage. However, a specialized bag like a photographic equipment backpack or roller will give you more protection.
With the advent of digital photography, gone are the lead lined film bags and plastic film cans. However, these have been replaced by laptop computers, portable hard drives and cables for everything. This means that an effective photographic equipment bag must also provide storage for these items. Additionally, since laptop computers must be scanned separately from the remainder of the bag, having an easy access pocket for the computer is helpful.
International airlines tend to be stricter with carry-on bags. Many allow for a maximum length of 20 inches rather than 22 inches for US airlines (see Continental Airlines), and generally they have more restrictive weights. For example, Continental Airlines allows carry-on bags to weigh 40 pounds, while Singapore Airlines is 22 pounds and Air Lingus is even lower with 15 pounds. To make matters even tougher, many of the international carriers have scales at the check-in counter and require passengers to weigh their bags.
Keeping your photographic equipment with you is the best option. However, larger underwater camera systems will not generally fit in these carry-on cases. In the past, photographers used ice chests to transport their camera equipment but airline regulations will not pay for anything damaged in these “unapproved” suit cases. A better option is a Pelican hard plastic case. I am fond of the 1620 case with photo inserts. This allows me to organize my underwater housing, electronic strobes, cables, mounting arms, batteries, chargers, spare parts, etc.
The Pelican cases protect your photo equipment and make it easier to organize your equipment. By keeping it organized, you can easily review your stock of spare parts before a trip and have easy, fast access to your equipment during a trip.
The downside of this organization is that it makes it more organized for thieves. In an article that appeared in the Wall Street Journal online, Delta Airlines found a number of employees stealing from patron’s bags. As divers we have often been warned about flying through Miami and Los Angeles, both known for problems with luggage being lost and items stolen.
Having been the victim of such theft, Ann now zips the trays in plastic blanket storage covers which have clear tops that allow TSA and other security personnel to look inside the case but makes it difficult for the items to “fall out.” You could also use mesh bags which allow the agents to look through the mesh at your equipment.
An added problem with these cases is the weight. The Pelican 1620 weighs in at 21 pounds empty. This leaves you 29 to 49 pounds for your photographic equipment, depending if the airline allows 50 or 70 pounds.
With most airlines charging for checked luggage and overweight luggage, consolidating camera equipment, clothing and dive equipment is important. Ann is fond of putting clothing and other travel essentials in her photo case and minimizing her carry-on weight. This is important for her especially on trips involving multiple plane changes.
This brings up another point; it is important that you have a method of moving all of your equipment, photo and diving, as well as your clothing, easily. I am an advocate of diving with dollars, meaning that there is usually someone at a destination who will carry your bags for a small fee. But the operative word is “usually.” There are some locations where porters have disappeared (e.g. Cozumel, Mexico) and you will be moving your own luggage. Because of this, wheels are important as are straps designed to turn your luggage into a caravan if necessary.
Carrying Your Photographic Equipment on Location
Diving
Once you arrive at the destination and your equipment is safely stored in your room or cabin you can abandon your traveling bags. After your system is assembled, you are the mule to transport it back and forth to the dive site. For some people, carrying their camera systems is awkward. By adding a padded food carrier to your equipment, you now have both a carrier and your own “rinse tank.”
Non-Diving Activities
For many, meeting and photographing the areas and people we meet is just as important as the diving. But these non-diving activities mean carrying photo equipment away from the boat or resort. Dealing with your camera and the related equipment means you may need something other than the bag you use to travel with.
Where you are taking photographs and the related activities will have an impact on the way you carry your camera, lenses, strobes and accessories. In urban settings, you may not want to advertise that you are loaded down with expensive camera equipment. Here a nondescript bag like ThinkTank’s Urban Disguise or a small backpack may be a better choice. These systems appear more like common bags or briefcases while providing protection for your equipment. One feature of many high end camera bags is a custom designed rain cover to help keep things fry in a wet environment.
Many nature photographers, sports photographers and travel photographers use a modular bag system that fits on a belt. Often termed, speed belt mounting, these systems provide easy access to equipment and allow you to change lenses quickly and easily without having to take a pack off and dig inside.
Sporting events are constantly moving so you may need more mobility and lower concentration on keeping up with a bag. This can also be important on nature hikes where the animals won’t wait for you to change lenses.
A speed belt system also places the weight of your equipment on your hips rather than on your shoulders. The better units also include rain protection for the holsters.
A photographer’s vest is another option for carrying equipment. Like its equivalents in the hunting and fishing sports, it has large pockets that allow you to carry your equipment in the vest. These tend to work well in temperate climates but less so in cold climes because of other outer-wear. In extremely warm conditions, they also tend to be warm.
Selecting an Equipment Bag System
Like the selection of your diving equipment, what type of bag scheme you choose for your camera system depends a lot on the quantity and size of your system as well as the destination. Before purchasing a bag or a system of bags you need to ask yourself the following questions:
- How much equipment do I need to carry?
- Can I carry it on the plane with me or will I need to check some or all of it?
- How many bags am I willing to check?
- Where will I be using it?
- Is security or protection from pick-pockets or other thieves an?
- How much walking will I be doing while taking photographs?
- How fast do I need access to the camera, lenses, strobes or other accessories?
- How much weight am I willing to carry?
Answering these questions will help you select the system that works for you on a given trip. Remember, the system that works for one trip may not be the ideal for another trip.
—– Eric V. Keibler
Underwater Video Anyone?
Who says you have to own a powerboat to go scuba diving? Recently, Ann thought it might be fun to bring in an inflatable kayak for the staff to play with. Well, it arrived and it looks like fun. It fits in a small bag but inflates to a very reasonably sized craft. Ashton and David inflated it as soon as it arrived and Ashton is already planning a diving trip using it.
On one trip to Pohnpei, I toured Nan Modal with a Kayak, paddling through the canals of this very ancient city. It was a beautiful day and a spectacular way to see these ruins and to get a real feel of how it one was when this city was alive and active.
One thing I realized while paddling along is the importance of having a camera to capture the moment. However, I also realized that a large camera was not very desirable because of the space requirements and the balance issues.
On my recent trip to Indonesia, I was once again assigned underwater video. This is only the second time in 20 years of working with Ann at Oceanic Ventures and the first time was in Thailand over ten years ago. The advantage of this second time was that the camera was a video camera the size of my iPhone that was housed in a small plastic housing from Ikelite. Now don’t be misled, I am not a videographer by any stretch of the imagination but it was fun trying to get a little video of the people and creatures we encountered.
I am a still photographer at heart so much of my video looks like still shoots. I am sure that someone with a video outlook could achieve better results. It was fun taking video underwater but even more memorable taking video on the surface. Imagine mother and daughter dancing to hip hop tunes while heading out to the dive site or incredible beauty zooming by captured as it appeared.
A small video camera is always handy and you are more likely to carry it with you. At times, it was just clipped off to my harness and at other times I was trying to capture a frog fish or two. I am sure with some additional time with the camera and perhaps a light, my video images would improve. I never really played with the on-camera adjustments, I just shot it when I had a free moment (yes, it was a working trip).
The video results were better than I thought they would be, especially with an inexperienced operator. I think that with some practice and a little tweaking with the camera settings, I can improve my results and generate a more professional looking film. But in the meantime, I’ll just keep shooting a few short clips to help me remember things. I guess I’ll have to return to Nan Modal so I can try it from a kayak or maybe I’ll just borrow the one from the store and head out!
Coral Sex
Dive Mom, Wade and Ashton have just returned from the last Gulf Coral Spawning trip aboard the M/V Spree. They all had a great time and got in a lot of diving. Here’s Captain Frank’s comments:
5 folks didn’t show for the 2008 coral spawn, which made the boat a little more comfortable for the 19 who assembled at the dock on Wednesday night for a lumpy ride out to the East bank. The plan was to go to the East bank first, dive 1 or 2 there, do a rig, then wander off to the West bank to stay away from the filming that was taking place at the East bank. Alas, all good plans tend to be shot down by the rules nature dictates. The current was ripping on the West bank and would for the entire spawning time.
We arrived at the East bank and tied to Buoy 6. After 2 dives, I determined that the conditions were a little rougher than I wanted to contend with a rig, so we moved to Buoy 6 for the duration of the week. Current was noticeable in the morning, water temp was 84 degrees, waves were the biggest 1-3’s I’ve ever seen (more like 2-5’s), air temp was in the 80’s to 90’s, visibility was pretty good at 100 feet, and there was evil stinging crap in the water. Those without wetsuits are tougher than I am.
The entire week we were treated to a manta ray that kept coming back. I’m sure this is the same ray that has been here most of the summer. She seems to be curious about divers, but does not come close enough to touch She was mostly feeding, with her cephalic fins unfurled, and doing barrel rolls under the boat. The divers got lots of photographs of a marbled grouper defending his (or her) hole in the coral, since 4 days were spent on one site, the divers got to know it very well. They found the tiny nudibranchs we have here, painted alysias, as well as Ann’s favorite character from Star Wars, Jah Jah Binks (also known as a red-lipped blenny), mustached jawfish, yellow-headed jawfish, sharks of unknown varieties, and a strange blue glow from under the Fling. The Fling had a feature film crew onboard, and their lights made the ocean glow with the coolest blue color ever.
The big show was supposed to be Friday night, but only a little spawning activity was seen. Saturday night, however, was the big show. Spawning was scheduled for 9 PM, I got in at *:45 to watch for the start and signal Melanie to jump divers. At 9:05, right on schedule, the brains started. Soon after, the male cavernosa (large boulder coral) had their thing on. I came up before Franksii (small boulder coral) did their thing, but the divers were all in for that.
All in all, it was a good spawn, not the best ever, but Manuel (who has done this 5 times) said it is the best he has ever seen. Everyone saw it happen, and the guys all remarked how soft their hair was.
Sunday morning we moved to Stetson Bank. Current was coming up the wall, visibility was 100+, and all the fish were out on grand parade. The divers spotted Sailfin blennies, ubiquitous undefined sharks, rays of many descriptions, mantis shrimp, scorpion fish, deer cowries, and “dancing” angel fish. CP was surrounded by 5-7 sandbar sharks, a spotted eagle ray, southern stingrays, and a manta. The guests continued to rave about the coral spawn.
It’s sad to see our last coral spawn in the Flower Gardens go under our belts, but we’re looking forward to two of them next year in the Dry Tortugas.
Captain Frank
M/V Spree
Freeport, Texas
See you in the Dry Tortugas!
Deep Wreck Trip
We arrived in Key West at about 3:00 in the afternoon and found some of the other divers already loaded and waiting for our arrival. Of course for Dave Kenny and I it was more than just loading equipment it was making sure the Gas Blending station was loaded and ready. The final arrangements and filling would have to wait until after dinner at a local restaurant, the anchor.
Captain Frank had intended to have the bank system and blending system completely set-up but the previous day was spent making sure the generator would work, remneung the temporary generator from the roof and replacing with the 54 bottles of gas that we would need for this 5 day trip.
This left the final assembly to us. The task was daunting because all of the diver’s bottles were wither full or contained the wrong mix of gas *mostly air and we would need trimix). So the bottles were drained and the first fills – deco cylinders were started. While Kenny and Dave filled these bottles, I continued plumbing the deco station, adding the quick disconnect fittings, changing some of the other fittings and getting ready for the next phase. We were lucky that Capt. Frank had filled the bank with Trimix prior to leaving Houston. This made this part of the job easier. Of course Kenny and Dave still had to work
Perhaps the best report of this trip comes from Captain Frank’s trip report:
This trip ROCKED!!! Mike Barnett, Richie Kohler, the crew at Oceanic Ventures, and 12 loyal customers joined us for the Deep Week wreck trek off of Dry Tortugas and Key West. As with all plans, some things changed from the original, but holy cow, what a great week we had. We boarded as usual after a great meal at the Rusty Anchor, with at least 50 tons of rebreathers, doubles, stage bottles, deco bottles, 24 cylinders of helium, 30 cylinders of oxygen, 10 tubs of sorb, and a partridge in a pear tree. We set out at 9 PM for the wreck of the Rhein.
We arrived on-station at the Rhein at 0700 on the 17th. We threw a spot buoy, Mike and Richie swam down the up-line and tied into the wreck, and we were anchored above the wreck by 0800. The divers waited for Mike and Richie to come back up with a conditions report, then splashed onto the Rhein. The Rhein was sunk by Dutch and British warships before the US had entered World War II. A complete description of the sinking is available in Mike Barnett’s book Shipwrecks of the Sunshine State. Richard Mork shot some amazing video of a baitball above the wreck, and Richie returned with a square porthole to start the collecting. Most people did not come prepared to collect (no tools, no plastic bins), so a large pouty face was collectively seen. By the second dive, the crew was starting to get the program figured out regarding fills, etc. After pulling the grapple, we motored off to the Araby Maid.
The second day was spent on the Araby Maid. The Araby Maid was sunk in a collision at the turn of the last century, and was a wood over steel sailing ship. The weather was slightly choppy and the Spree was hanging by her stern to the seas making for a uncomfortable ride and a grumpy captain. Richie again started with a brass something or another, and, on his second dive, came up with a matching chamber pot, pitcher, and butter dish, probably from the captain’s cabin. OK, it isn’t a butter dish, I don’t know what it is, but it’s freakin’ cool. China fever had hit the Spree. So we moved onto the U-boat U-2513.
The U-2513 was sunk with Hedgehogs and Weapon Alfa’s (ASROCS for the old navy guys) in the 50’s during the cold war. We captured the 2513 from the Germans and brought it back to the US as a war prize. No collecting is allowed on the submarine as it is still owned by the US Navy, but it is penetrable, has cool placards on the torpedo tubes, has some monster goliath grouper and a big baitball on the conning tower, and is really really cool to boot. After 2 dives, we were supposed to go on to the S-16, but china fever had taken hold, and the vote was to return to the Araby Maid.
Day 4 found us anchored over the Araby Maid once again, with divers wanting to borrow gloves and prybars (no!). Even without, some real finds were discovered. Mike found a porthole with glass intact, Richie found a globe from a hurricane lantern, Terry found an intact red globe from a lantern of some sort, many brass door locks, hinges, and many pieces of catch and release junk were brought back to the Spree. The junk was released unharmed. Wade and the scooter got a little misplaced, but not lost!!
Day 5 found us at dawn on the USS Wilkes Barre off of Key West. When we arrived, conditions were slick calm, no current, and a beautiful anticipated dive. After dropping the anchor, current picked up to a knot and a half, and visibility dropped to about 25 feet. The anchor was hauled and the dive turned into a live boat. Some divers did not understand “drop hard” and missed the wreck altogether. Some hit the bow section, and some got to dive the whole thing (by Braille). After 1, most divers were ambivalent about a second dive, and the rest were drinking beer. Off to the dock we went, looking for more beer, as well as getting home a little earlier. The guests universally had a great time, most signed up for one of three trips planned for next year, including a rebreather-only trip to the Key West Ghost Fleet, max depth 420 feet.
Capt. Frank
M/V Spree
Stock Island, FL
Not much more can be said except I cannot wait until next year. Maybe I can even dice more!