Camera flooded at 90 fsw!!

[Pez7378]

So there I was, just getting started on our dive of 7 tree in Browning pass. You know, the little island with "7" trees. (wink wink) I take out my camera and shoot some video of our decent. There's Maverick, Cuppie and John. COOL! Over the edge and OMG that's deep!, we turn with the current that's gently pushing us North and I see a nice sized grunt sculpin, snap snap. Moving on, cuppie and I are gliding along the wall, while John and BJ are just a little below us. I'm amazed by all the pink soft corals, and beautiful finger sponges, they are everywhere! snap snap. I'm around 85 fsw now and I've taken several pictures. I notice that Cuppie and the others are slightly above me now so I take a deep breath and gently began to rise. Oh! Look at that beautiful Nudie! snap snap. Huh? What's this? There's some water in my housing........OMG! It's at least a table spoon of water in there! My housing is flooding!!! Okay, stay calm. The camera is working perfectly. What to do what to do? How deep am I, I look at my spg and my little emergency has caused me to sink a little. Cuppie notices that I am breathing a little heavier and begans to watch me closely. John checks to see if Im okay and I signal BJ that my camera is hosed. Well, I have some options.

a) I hang on to my camera for the rest of the dive, and it fills with water, and I lose all my pictures on the card, and the camera.

b) I let it go, (it's positive) and it hits the surface but I never see it again.

c) I send it up with a bag attached, hopefully saving the camera and the pictures and John Deboeck sees the bag and recovers the camera.

Either way, I risk losing something valuable. I signal to BJ that the camera is toast and I'm going to send it up. At about 90 fsw I take out my SMB, attach the camera and put some air in the bag. I check the divers above me. Cuppie gives me the Okay and I return the signal. I swim into the current some to create some space so I can safely send the camera up without hitting anyone and let it rip. Whoosh. Well I think, there goes several hundred dollars. I hope John sees the bag on the surface. I relaxed considerably once it was all over and we all enjoyed the rest of the dive. Cuppie signalled me that she was going to ascend and I signalled BJ that I was going to follow her. I was anxious to get to the surface to see if I still had a camera, and an SMB. When we broke the surface John wheeled the skiff around and I asked him if he had seen my SMB. The puzzled look on his face indicated that he had not. Well, that was the risk I thought. John is a master of those waters however so he asked at what point in the dive I sent it up. With enough information, and knowing that John and BJ had at least 20 minutes more of bottom time, John said we could look for a minute or two but that we shouldn't get too far away. We set off with the current looking for a Bright orange SMB. "There it is!" I shouted after only a couple of minutes of searching. Everything was there, and after drying it all out, everything still worked perfectly! John has been running charters up there for years and he says that's the first time anyone has done that........ What would you have done?

[Pez7378]

How deep am I, I look at my spg and check my depth and my little emergency has caused me to sink a little.

No edit button?

[Nwbrewer]

No reel? I've thought about this for the typical shore dives I do, my plan has been to send it up with the reel attached, and either continue to drag it along, or free ascend under the bag, depending on conditions. Maybe that's not the right thing to do? I'm curious to here others thoughts too.

[enchantmentdivi]

Nice save!

I'm inferring from your post that you were staying/diving at Browning Pass Hideaway?!? Trip report please! I have a trip planned up there for next summer.

[Sounder]

Dude!! That's a gutzy move!! I'm impressed!!

You pose an excellent question - course, I'm sure you'll get a bunch of Monday-morning Quarterback answers which will help if there is ever a "next time" but I think you made a strong call. If nothing else, you decreased the pressure on the houseing which decreased the force with which the water was trying to get in and lessened the compression on the o-ring so it could possibly expand back to "sealing" size. I think it was a strong call... ballsy, but strong!!

So hindsight being 20/20:

Why not shoot the bag/camera combo with line attached? You could write a quick note on your wetnotes (including a "give me 2 tugs when you've got it"), attach it to the TOP of the SMB, attach the camera to the bottom, and shoot the bag... then you could get a few comfort tugs and just do the rest of your dive relaxed holding your spool. Heck, if he really wanted to send a mesage back, he could have written it and clipped it to the line so it could run down the line to your spool.

[Dmitchell]

I might have shot it on a bag with a line on it. But, I probably would have just gone up. Taking the additional atmospheres of pressure off may have stopped or slowed the leak. I also would have held the camera as best I could to keep it dry in the housing.

Provided that water is coming in because of pressure and no air is coming out, then by going up, the air would inside would expand and slow the leak.
DM

[Pez7378]

I considered the reel and line. I didn't want to risk fouling the other divers in the current as they were slightly above me at the time. I believe that the ONLY reason John missed the bag at the surface was because he was just around the corner on the lee side of the rock. I was 97% certain he would see it. I didn't consider the other 3% but I guess that left a 3% chance that he would be around the other side of the rock right? I also didn't want to have to focus on managing the reel, line, etc. at that depth in that current. I was able to really relax and enjoy the beautiful corals and sponges.

For a shore dive, with no support above, Jake, I think you're right on the money. I considered the risk of losing it. It was a gamble that paid off.

Enchantmentvindi, The Hideaway rocks! Keep your eye on the trip reports. I'm sure there will be something there in the next few weeks.

[Nwbrewer]

As Doug said, ballsy move, and I'm glad it paid off. Not sure I could have enjoyed the rest of the dive launching that kind of $$ into the current and hoping for the best though....

[Sounder]

As Doug said, ballsy move, and I'm glad it paid off. Not sure I could have enjoyed the rest of the dive launching that kind of $$ into the current and hoping for the best though....

Yeah, I think I would have thumbed it. I would have probably at least ascended, made appropriate stops, handed off the camera, and dropped back down (gas permitting)... but that would suck too.

Ballsy move indeed buddy!! I admire your guts... that would have been a tough call.

[spatman]

that was some smart thinking, pez! glad you recovered your camera.

before i lost my canon i had the same thing happen a couple of times, but not at quite the same depth - more like the 60-70' range. my theory was that the colder water temps contracted the parts just a little bit more than usual, allowing some seepage.

also, as the case got older, the buttons would stick and (i think) their gaskets may have dried out or worn down a little. i found that if i applied a generous (but not goopy) amount of silicone gel to all moving parts and their gaskets or o-rings, it staved off some of the seepage for a few more dives.

[Sounder]

...but Pez, did you break trim?!

[submarine]

I would have to say: Nice job, quick thinking and well done.

This is something new to me for consideration. I have thought about flooding possibilties but, never to send the camera up without me. What if your camera rig is negative?

[Pez7378]

Not sure I could have enjoyed the rest of the dive launching that kind of $$ into the current and hoping for the best though....

The way I see it, the camera is disposable anyway. It's not a matter of if it dies, but when. I was determined to enjoy the dive, and not let the camera issue ruin it for me. After all, I was there to dive, not take pictures. The photos are a blurry, backscattered, poor lighted bonus!

but Pez, did you break trim?!

Yep, and I sunk like a stone!

[Nwbrewer]

The way I see it, the camera is disposable anyway. It's not a matter of if it dies, but when.

The camera maybe, but the housing and SMB too? I'm actually looking around for a second camera for the inevitability of a flood since I like that compact little sucker so well. Did any of your pics turn out?

[John Rawlings]

You guys need to understand something here....this was not your typical dive. Visibility on the dive was close to 100 feet, and we had a live boat on the surface manned by the MOST knowledgeable person I can think of in the waters we were in. John deBoeck probably knows the intricacies, foibles and currents of Browning Passage better than you and I know the lay-out of our houses in the dark....certainly better than any man alive. Additionally, the passage itself is not very wide.

Once Pez came up and said that the camera was sent up at a certain time from a certain depth, John probably knew EXACTLY how far to go in search of it and EXACTLY where to look. It doesn't surprise me one bit that they found it within minutes. By the time that we did this dive, Pez undoubtedly had a firm grasp of the man up in the boat, and I think that that probably factored in with his decision-making process at the time.

For what it's worth, I think that he made a wise decision and I would probably have done the same thing in his circumstances.

We had more than our fair share of equipment issues on this trip, but everything worked out well in the end as we were able to keep diving on some of the most gorgeous locations on Earth. Once I have time to do so, I will download and post a few pics.

A suggestion....GO DIVE THE PORT HARDY AREA BEFORE YOU DIE, (and diving with John deBoeck out of the "Hideaway" is a great way to do it!).

- John

[Tom Nic]

A suggestion....GO DIVE THE PORT HARDY AREA BEFORE YOU DIE, (and diving with John deBoeck out of the "Hideaway" is a great way to do it!).

- John

Now we're talkin'!! Gotta get to BC someday, but those Bonaire trips keep getting in the way...

Pez, let me join the chorus of voices saying "good job and good thinking!" :rr:

I probably would have either thumbed the dive or just written the camera off as a loss. ](*,)

[Sounder]

I'm still impressed - I don't care if God himself was manning the live boat and somehow KNEW I was sending it up... that was a ballsy move.

As for diving Port Hardy - with an endorsement from Mr. Rawlings like that, it's just climbed up on my list.

[John Rawlings]

When we were planning this trip a couple of folks told me that they thought it was kinda expensive, especially when compared with Caribbean diving. One thing to remember is that Caribbean diving is based on a high volume of divers.

There were only 5 of us there at the Hideaway....no mobs....we did as we pleased.

We spent 5 nights at the Hideaway and had 4 full days of diving. During that time we were GRANDLY fed as much as we could eat three times per day...if anyone pushed away from that table hungry it was their own darn fault.

A fairly typical Northwest dive charter is $80.00 per day. We could have dived up to 4 or even 5 times per day if we had wanted to. It was left totally up to us, with the locations based on the weather and tidal currents. So....4 days X $80.00 = $320.00.

Even a flop-house motel in the Northwest is over $50.00 per night. So....5 nights X $50.00 = $250.00.

The meals that we had were both varied and sumptuous....I don't think that we could have paid less than $50.00 per day for them in a restaurant on the mainland. So....5 days of food X $50.00 = $250.00.

In case you are missing my point....we are up to $820.00 already, and we haven't even included the 2 hour boat ride each way to and from the Hideaway and Port Hardy, which with the cost of diesel right now is an expensive undertaking.

$750.00 is a bargain for what is, in my opinion, absolutely some of the finest cold water diving in the World. John deBoeck's stories about 30+ years of exploring and diving all over Northern BC told every night around the dining table or out under the stars around the fire pit also added an element whose value cannot be even adequately estimated. I'm certain that all of my buddies on this trip would agree....

- John

[Tom Nic]

Hmmm... I might have been one of those folks, don't know. Was I invited? Hmmm... maybe... don't remember, but my other trip was in the works. But no argument from me! This trip definitely seems more than worth it. And I love the way you laid out the cost!!

It's something that I would love to do, and perhaps in the future - [this coming Fall or Winter?] IF can find 4 or 5 people willing to spend 5 days in confined quarters with me I might get to do this trip.

However... If I can use air miles and pay about the same and dive for 7 days for $50 more in 80 degree water... well, BC will just have to wait a little longer! Hopefully it will still be there when I'm able!!

BTW, we're STILL WAITING for a detailed report on this amazing trip that we've only heard rumors of to this point... We want DETAILS!! PICTURES!! How many dives, the viz, the critters, the late night partying, etc. etc. etc.

[Maverick]

it was a unified team decision. I thought it was sweet pez didn't thumb the dive.

[Nwbrewer]

Ok, after reading Nailer's trip report and seeing john's pics I'm starting to understand the cruise missle launch of the camera. Wow, I want to go there!

[Sounder]

Ok, after reading Nailer's trip report and seeing john's pics I'm starting to understand the cruise missle launch of the camera. Wow, I want to go there!

Yup. It's VERY clear now why he didn't thumb the dive!!

[thelawgoddess]

It sounds like you did an excellent job of weighing the risks - I'm not sure if I would have had the foresight to do the same. I've lost two to flooding, but I was nowhere near that deep. If I'm able to descend near a buoy, I've taken to checking my camera as soon as we start descending so that if I start seeing bubbles I can surface, clip it to the buoy, and retrieve it post-dive. (I haven't had to do that with my new housing [yet], though - the old housing had apparently "gone bad" ...)

Nice work on your part - glad you saved your camera!

[Pez7378]

When we were planning this trip a couple of folks told me that they thought it was kinda expensive, especially when compared with Caribbean diving. One thing to remember is that Caribbean diving is based on a high volume of divers.

There were only 5 of us there at the Hideaway....no mobs....we did as we pleased.

We spent 5 nights at the Hideaway and had 4 full days of diving. During that time we were GRANDLY fed as much as we could eat three times per day...if anyone pushed away from that table hungry it was their own darn fault.

A fairly typical Northwest dive charter is $80.00 per day. We could have dived up to 4 or even 5 times per day if we had wanted to. It was left totally up to us, with the locations based on the weather and tidal currents. So....4 days X $80.00 = $320.00.

Even a flop-house motel in the Northwest is over $50.00 per night. So....5 nights X $50.00 = $250.00.

The meals that we had were both varied and sumptuous....I don't think that we could have paid less than $50.00 per day for them in a restaurant on the mainland. So....5 days of food X $50.00 = $250.00.

In case you are missing my point....we are up to $820.00 already, and we haven't even included the 2 hour boat ride each way to and from the Hideaway and Port Hardy, which with the cost of diesel right now is an expensive undertaking.

$750.00 is a bargain for what is, in my opinion, absolutely some of the finest cold water diving in the World. John deBoeck's stories about 30+ years of exploring and diving all over Northern BC told every night around the dining table or out under the stars around the fire pit also added an element whose value cannot be even adequately estimated. I'm certain that all of my buddies on this trip would agree....

- John

It was money well spent. It was worth every penny, and I will do it again in an instant! I would even pay for a friend if I had the coin. and if they just couldn't go, I'd never let them live it down. When I was invited on this trip, I went back and read some of the previous posts on Port Hardy and Browning Pass HideAway, and all I remember were some folks that have been diving for Decades saying they have always wanted to go there. I didn't want to be among them. Now I've gone, and I'm saying to you all, if you want to go GO! If you're not sure, GO! If you don't want to go..........give me the money and I'll go in your place! I promise I won't flood your camera!

[Zen Diver]

I'd go without hesitation. The only reason I wasn't there too is evident in my current avatar But I'm most definitely planning on returning this year.

Everything John says about this area is TRUE!!!!

-Valerie