34 replies to this topic

[WreckWench]

Thanks Tammy!

I should have said *wrist lanyard and brass/stainless clip* so that you can clip it off to your bc between dives and use it as a tank banger. Its still very nice to have on a lanyard just in case you need to drop it!

[georoc01]

Mine is attached to a very large brass clip. It easily attaches to a d-ring on my BC when I'm entering & exiting the water, and the brass clip fits my hand nicely. And, it doubles as a tank-banger so I can get the attention of my dive buddy if I need to.

If you go deep off of Texas Reef you may find one I lost upon entering the water in Roatan last year in that exact configuration.

[WreckWench]

Mine is attached to a very large brass clip. It easily attaches to a d-ring on my BC when I'm entering & exiting the water, and the brass clip fits my hand nicely. And, it doubles as a tank-banger so I can get the attention of my dive buddy if I need to.

If you go deep off of Texas Reef you may find one I lost upon entering the water in Roatan last year in that exact configuration.

Ahem... a wrist lanyard or strap or bungie like I have on mine would have prevented that little mishap...assuming you had it around your wrist of course! LOL!

[peterbj7]

You can also use a short lionfish spear.

If I'm taking pictures I don't want to be last in line, when the water has been stirred up and the critters have probably been scared off, I want to be first. In practice that means I want to be alone. When I was running Protech we had lots of well-equipped experienced photographers who didn't want to be in the same ocean as other divers, so we kept an eye on them and kept away. The group didn't move far or fast in any case, so keeping away from the photographer but still within reach wasn't difficult. That obviously wouldn't work with an inexperienced photographer, on two grounds. - I wouldn't want to be too far away in case he had a diving emergency, and I'd want to keep a close eye on him to be able to haul him off the reef if it became necessary.

Fine buoyancy control is critical when taking photos, whether diving or snorkelling. Firstly because you'll get much better pictures, and secondly but more importantly because you shouldn't then damage the reef (or kick anyone in the teeth). The most difficult conditions are at night in a current, and in fact I expect any budding photographer to be able to demonstrate very good body control in those conditions. As Kamala said, if it's all going pear-shaped, and it can for anyone no matter how skilled, just float up, regroup and have another go. If you're in a strong current there's no substitute for being a good diver.

I learned long ago to be wary of people who turn up with elaborate housing & lamps that are obviously new, especially if they also have dive gear that also looks new. And even more especially, if they're using a wing but clearly haven't much experience with it. I saw some photos taken by one of my guests once and I hadn't even realised he had a camera. It was a compact in a compact housing and he had it in his BC pocket, and when he took the photos he did it in such an unobtrusive way I didn't even notice. Those photos were magnificent! In talking to him I discovered he had been taking underwater photos for over 20 years, and had several thousand dives. It showed, or rather it didn't show.

[Greg@ihpil]

Mine is attached to a very large brass clip. It easily attaches to a d-ring on my BC when I'm entering & exiting the water, and the brass clip fits my hand nicely. And, it doubles as a tank-banger so I can get the attention of my dive buddy if I need to.

Thank you for your order Greg! The BEST way to carry it IMO is on a wrist lanyard. Its in your hand waiting to be used but if you need to be handsfree you can safely drop it and its safe and sound. I've seen some put it on a retractable lanyard but that seems ackward to me. If its in your hand...you are likely to use it. Even MASTER photogs carry them in their hand READY to use. So that is my suggestion. If you need a wrist lanyard let me know. I have a dive shop a few feet away from the house!
Ladies,for the responses..
Kamala,your welcome..I will see what I can do b/4 the trip..Having a camera in 1 hand ,lanard/attached to the stick????mmmmm
Tammy, very lg brass clip?? Double ended?? Could you be a little more specific..I just don't want to become a Cxmas Tree..LOL

[Parrotman]

Mine is attached to a very large brass clip. It easily attaches to a d-ring on my BC when I'm entering & exiting the water, and the brass clip fits my hand nicely. And, it doubles as a tank-banger so I can get the attention of my dive buddy if I need to.

Thank you for your order Greg! The BEST way to carry it IMO is on a wrist lanyard. Its in your hand waiting to be used but if you need to be handsfree you can safely drop it and its safe and sound. I've seen some put it on a retractable lanyard but that seems ackward to me. If its in your hand...you are likely to use it. Even MASTER photogs carry them in their hand READY to use. So that is my suggestion. If you need a wrist lanyard let me know. I have a dive shop a few feet away from the house!
Ladies,for the responses..
Kamala,your welcome..I will see what I can do b/4 the trip..Having a camera in 1 hand ,lanard/attached to the stick????mmmmm
Tammy, very lg brass clip?? Double ended?? Could you be a little more specific..I just don't want to become a Cxmas Tree..LOL

Greg,

I have a wrist lanyard that keeps me attached to my photo stick while in the water. It does not get in the way and my stick is always right there . When I am getting off and on the boat I clip it on to a carabiner clip that is on d ring on my bc. I lost one on a dive trip because I did not have the lanyard and I was helping a struggling diver get to the tag line in a current and had to let go of the stick to help her. After that I got the wrist lanyard.

[Greg@ihpil]

Mine is attached to a very large brass clip. It easily attaches to a d-ring on my BC when I'm entering & exiting the water, and the brass clip fits my hand nicely. And, it doubles as a tank-banger so I can get the attention of my dive buddy if I need to.

Thank you for your order Greg! The BEST way to carry it IMO is on a wrist lanyard. Its in your hand waiting to be used but if you need to be handsfree you can safely drop it and its safe and sound. I've seen some put it on a retractable lanyard but that seems ackward to me. If its in your hand...you are likely to use it. Even MASTER photogs carry them in their hand READY to use. So that is my suggestion. If you need a wrist lanyard let me know. I have a dive shop a few feet away from the house!
Ladies,for the responses..
Kamala,your welcome..I will see what I can do b/4 the trip..Having a camera in 1 hand ,lanard/attached to the stick????mmmmm
Tammy, very lg brass clip?? Double ended?? Could you be a little more specific..I just don't want to become a Cxmas Tree..LOL

Greg,

I have a wrist lanyard that keeps me attached to my photo stick while in the water. It does not get in the way and my stick is always right there . When I am getting off and on the boat I clip it on to a carabiner clip that is on d ring on my bc. I lost one on a dive trip because I did not have the lanyard and I was helping a struggling diver get to the tag line in a current and had to let go of the stick to help her. After that I got the wrist lanyard.

Thanks Jim,I'll see what I end up doin when I get it..I'm always thinkin about being (trim) with my accessories.This might be better explained or shown when I get to GCM...

[WreckWench]

Greg a double ended is ALWAYS the best.

The wrist lanyard can be anykind..you actually spend your time with the photo stick in one hand and the camera in the other. If you need both hands for the camera let the photo stick go and it doesn't go far....just around your wrist. If you ALSO attach the double ender to it (they all have a stainless ring on them) then you hold that or let it dangle while you hold the stick. Or leave the double ender on your bc and just use it to attach between dives.

You will NOT look like a xmas tree if you are suing these things.

[Scubatooth]

Im really leary of wrist/coil lanyards anymore after on i had for a camera nearly caused a major incident went it got fouled by a inexperienced diver with a camera that snuck under me to get the shot i was setting up for and couldnt break away from me.

As for my photo stick i have a bolt snap(that can break away in a emergency) on which is either clipped to a D-ring or on a camband on sidemount rig when not in use or to the elastic band on my wrist slate.


For those interested in a break away set up. materials used 1 bolt, 1 zip tie, 1 o-ring. on the photo stick there is a split ring on the stick, i take the o-ring and loop it through the split ring then on the free loop on the oring i feed the ziptie and tighten it down on the bolt snap. pretty easy but if to much force is applied the oring will break. This isnt permanent as will have to inspect the o-ring often to see if its breaking down or tearing.

[scubajunkie6]

I keep my photo stick on a retractable line now, so that I can comfortably use it as a tank banger too. I've learned my lesson on using wrist lanyards after losing my CAMERA in Fiji! I lost the camera while it was attached to my wrist! (I'm still baffled by that, and STILL incredibly thankful for the the group to allow me to return to that site a day later AND for person who found it AGAIN!).

From now on, I try to (somehow) attach EVERYTHING to my BCD (lights, my dive knife in my BCD pocket, etc. I try not to rely on wrist lanyards anymore, or at least get a good locking wrist lanyard that isn't too tight, but snug around my wrist) I took Tammy's advice and got a really nice camera lanyard that attaches to my BCD with a locking clip. The locking clip is really the key because it's easy to secure the camera when it's not in use, and unclip it when you're ready (and it's still attached to you).

[Greg@ihpil]

From now on, I try to (somehow) attach EVERYTHING to my BCD (lights, my dive knife in my BCD pocket, etc. I try not to rely on wrist lanyards anymore, or at least get a good locking wrist lanyard that isn't too tight, but snug around my wrist) I took Tammy's advice and got a really nice camera lanyard that attaches to my BCD with a locking clip. The locking clip is really the key because it's easy to secure the camera when it's not in use, and unclip it when you're ready (and it's still attached to you).

Margret,.I also have everything clipped in one way or another.I also clip the wide angle to the bracket of the strobe,just in case..

[ScubaFred]

Mine is attached to a very large brass clip. It easily attaches to a d-ring on my BC when I'm entering & exiting the water, and the brass clip fits my hand nicely. And, it doubles as a tank-banger so I can get the attention of my dive buddy if I need to.

This is how I carry my photostick as well. I just returned from a week of diving on the Ultimate Getaway and a few divers asked me what it was. Simple answer. I was the only diver with one on the trip.

But I soon discovered a new use for the photostick, courtesy of the boat captain. He thought I used it to direct the band down below. (I am sure he knew what it was.) Made sense to me. But really, the photostick allowed me to get in close to the reef and not damage it.

So Kamala, thanks to you and the photostick, I am a much better diver and underwater photographer.

And Tammy, next time I need to bang my tank, I will think of your method and try it myself.

[WreckWench]

Fred you are most welcome!

I hope some of your new friends will want their own photo stick...I have LOTS!!!


p.s. I hope we'll see you on another trip soon! Great divers are always a treat! Kamala

[peterbj7]

How long are these sticks?

[Greg@ihpil]

How long are these sticks?

Peter,if I recall correctly 15"..or 38.1 cm
Couldn't find the link in here,but I'm pretty sure of the length.