Juan

Hi I'd like to add that this design flaw only poses a problem on surface (pressure keeps the port in place during the dive) but it's so potentially dangerous I had to think of something, and that's the best I could come up with on a tight budget!

So, given the overwhelming demand, I'll upload the pictures again. It works, you just have to make sure the nut is firmly attached to the dome, since there's quite some lever and it could have to support a fair amount of stress. The duct tape is ugly, now I use a rubber band to hold the lock in place. A few more pics here

I'm currently finishing my trip around Australia and I'm going to French Polynesia on May 1. My Pelican 1630 Case is too big for what I intend to do there, so I'm willing to trade it for a smaller Pelican 1610 case or similar (I don't mind the brand or shape as long as it's similar to the 1610 model). Of course, I'd also sell it for a fair price (fair meaning here the price of a case like the 1610, given that the 1630 I'm selling retailed for quite a bit more than the 1610 and that it's in perfect condition. I won't say anything about how tough these cases are (check the peli website if you don't know them). It's a great case which should allow to carry pretty much any single SLR underwater setup. The It comes WITHOUT the foam padding, but you can buy it easily from http://www.pelican.com/australia/. Apart from some dust and cosmetic scratches outside, expected on this kind of cases, its like new. The inside is perfectly clean. I never engraved my name on the plastic thing where you're supposed to do it (but it could be changed anyway) People often use these cases to store their gear even when they're at home, since they are dust and water tight.

Hi! I just want to add my two cents, since, after all, I'm one of those "eager kids" at the center of the question. I'm 25, and I've been a diver since I was 12. After high school, I studied photography and video producing/filming. I did an internship in the only serious underwater filming company in my country, and I've been working on and off with them as an assistant underwater cameraman for the last 6 years. Although it's far from paying all the bills, it's a job I love doing and, on top of the money, it allows me to keep in touch with the business, and work on some pretty big gigs with very talented –sometimes oscar awarded– people, which is always nice. (for those curious, with Arri 435 on movies and commercials and XDCAM HD on documentaries) My relationship with said company goes much farther, so even though I only work with them on and off, there are many valuable perks. I've also worked in the TV business in many other odd jobs in the movie/broadcasting industry. Along the way, I have sometimes worked for free or for peanuts, and like everybody else, realized later on that it had most often been useless career-wise. The thing is, I've always wanted, if not to make a living out of UW photography, to make some money from it, or at least enough to offset some of the costs. A while ago, I got myself a housing, and decided to travel a bit and give it a try. Now, I think in a few months time, I'll have enough material to write a few articles about a few diving places in the Pacific and offer them for publishing along with the pictures. Now comes the problem: I'm a complete beginner when it comes to this field. And I'm an easy prey. I have no idea how much I should ask, when I should say no, and when I should bargain. I tend to underrate my work, and yet, I think it's good enough to be published in the few magazines I've in mind (I speak three languages, which is a huge advantage and broadens my possibilities when it comes to writing articles, although I don't plan to write in English, if that makes you feel less threatened ). Let me list why I'm a threat for everybody (including myself). I've put the key points in bold. - I'm inexperienced in this particular field - I'm eager to see my work published (let alone paid!) - I don't wan't to give my work away, but I've no idea when I'd be dropping my pants. - I'm not the best, I'm starting, but "it will do" (I'm only assuming ) - I don't "need" this money (although it'd be very welcome), so potentially, I could even do it for free (I'm not saying that I will) - There are thousands of me out there. I've been honest, blunt, but I also think this is the situation here and everywhere in most of the fields. What I think we should all do (I'll do it too when my time comes, I hope) is say openly, if not precisely, how much we get paid for our work, in every particular situation (covers, articles, ads, for different exposures and so on...). This way I, and the ones after me, won't be unknowingly reducing the going rate which, incidentally, will also affect you. In the end, it's the only way to keep the boat afloat for everybody because the bottom line is that there will always be some who'll be willing to work for free, so the only thing you can do is hold the hand to those who won't. That's it, go on, ban me from this and every other uwp forum,but this is how I feel we should all face the future. Cheers Juan

It's the Cabinet Lafont (Group AXA). They are the official insurer of the FFESSM. http://www.cabinet-lafont.com/trm/trm01_ac...herent=licencie You'll need first to be a licensed member of the FFESSM. I've a FFESSM/CMAS certification, so it worked for me. I don't know if another CMAS certification will allow you to get a yearly license. You should first contact the FFESSM, if they say it's okay, get in touch with some FFESSM diving center, and only then, you'll be able to get insured. Oh, and just so you know it, the average Frenchman doesn't speak English. Enjoy!

Hi! I just insured all my gear (two bodies, one housing, two ports, two strobes, several lenses, two SB-800s, a MacBook Pro laptop, a tripod...) with an insurance company which works with the French diving federation (FFESSM). You need to get a year-long license first with the FFESSM (55€/y) in order to be able to insure your gear. Insuring 16000€ worth of gear cost me 450€/year. Just thought I could share the info with you guys.

Thanks, but I don't think I'll be going back to Los Roques before a long time. Next on the list is Australia... Just curious, what places do you think are the best? We were there for a documentary, and the itinerary was pretty much closed, but it's good to know anyway. Juan

I just bought an Ikelite housing for my D200, and have witnessed how easy it is to accidentally rotate it too much. I think I found an easy and cheap way to prevent this. I've posted it in the DIY section. here. Let me know if you guys like the idea. Comments are always welcome, as long as they're done in a polite manner.

Well, Madrisqui, Nordisqui, Los tabacos, los partidos, dos mosquises, la guasa, las gatas fumadoras... We stayed there for 11 days for a documentary. Very very nice place. I had heard bad things about the Caribbean, and was pleasantly surprised. Yeah, the same thing happened to me. You carry it, and it justs falls. It really sucks. As soon as you get a few meters underwter the pressure holds it into place, but it's still scary. The weak link would be the nut. I superglued it to the port and it should stay in place for some time, but I cannot guarantee how much strength or how long it'll resist. For average use, however, it'll certainly prevent the port from falling like it used to do. I used 4mmx 16mm screws and 4mm nuts to hold the bolt, and used a 4.2mm drill, by the way.

Hi everybody. I recently took my new Ikelite housing for a trip to Los Roques, and almost had a flooding accident because of the fisheye extension. I was scared to see how easly it comes off, so I just did this: When locked, it'll prevent the port from turning. I don't know if it's what people already do, but I think it's functional, and still sleek. I plan on putting some rubber stripe so I don't have to use tape anymore. You can see more pictures here. Edit: it's my first post, so I want to say hi to everybody. I already learned many things from this forum, and I hope I'll be able to give something back.