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Underwater Photography in Cold Water
Being a diver/underwater photographer in Ontario, Canada for over fifty years I’ve had to be used to diving in waters, that are, at times, uncomfortably cold! The more bulky wet suits and dry suits traditionally used in these waters are definitely more restrictive than that Shorty, Diveskin or 3mm suit that one uses in the tropics.
*Why bother? Up here in the temperate zone we are fortunate if we have four to five warm months, where shallow water is warm and we can dive comfortably in lighter suits. But, even then, at deeper depths, we encounter thermoclines a layer below which can plunge water into considerably colder temperatures.
Although 7mm wet suits provide a degree of comfort most divers will want to use a dry suit for Coldwater Underwater Photography. Ensure , however, that you are adequately trained and experienced in diving in a dry suit before getting into using a camera underwater while diving dry. Drysuits come in a variety of materials and most provide adequate protection from cold water. I have preferred the thinner materials such as crushed neoprene as its less bulky, less buoyant and more flexible. A number of manufacturers have produced drysuits made with materials
with similar characteristics. Your local dive shop can offer suggestions.
The undergarments, worn under the suit, are critical for comfort and warmth. I ensure that I have a thin layer under my primary undergarment and have found that those made from Merino wool help to wick off moisture. Other synthetic materials may also help in this regard. Most dry suit manufacturers also have a line of undergarments. Again, recommendations for the local dive store and divers can help to guide you to a good selection. Newer on the scene are heated vests worn under the suit which allow for longer and more comfortable protection from the cold. These come in a variety of styles and are battery operated. Follow the manufacturer’s instruction when employing these garments.
Keeping those fingers warm!!!!
The gloves needed to be worn during cold water dives especially make it a little more difficult to operate controls on the housings used underwater. Cold water gloves, especially the older style 3 finger gloves usually of 1/4 inch or 5mm neoprene were especially difficult to operate camera controls with. Some divers, whoever can use 5mm neoprene gloves successfully, Personally, I use Viking style five finger gloves dry gloves which are very thin rubber. They don’t offer any thermal protection, so under these gloves I use a variety of fleece style liners to keep fingers warm. Being able to keep your hands and fingers warm throughout the length of a coldwater dive will, however, be a limiting factor. Some divers insert chemical hand warmers under their dry gloves and this may help if they fit comfortably. Battery operated glove liners are also now available.
Over the years I’ve been able to use a variety of cameras from housed Konica 35 mm rangefinder and SLR cameras, the venerable Nikonis 35 mm film cameras, models 2,3 and 5, Amphibico housed Nikon F-3, SeaLife, Canon , Sony Rx100’s and most recently the Olympus TG-6. All of these have been used on Cold Water photography dives.
Most modern cameras have the ability to operate under cold conditions. This is usually outlined in the literature describing the cameras. Underwater the coldest temperature likely encountered is 34-38 F in freshwater and 30F in ocean saltwater. So, the cameras are able to operate quite well in these temperatures. Keeping the camera warm above the surface prior to a dive, however, is important as air temperatures can be much colder. Minimizing the cameras exposure to outside, above water temperatures will help.
Batteries both in the camera and in video lights or strobes may drain faster in colder temperatures. This is something to be aware of as the number of flashes or length of burn may be reduced. Its good to have extra batteries on hand if you are doing more than one dive a day.
Humidity may be concern. The air trapped inside a housing, may have moisture which will condense on the inside of the housing and fog up dome ports. ( You may already be familiar with this as the same thing can happen in warmer climates when humidity levels in the air are high). There are a variety of products that help ‘soak’ up this moisture.(Insert product names) One thing that I do prior to sealing up my housing, at home, is to expose the open housing and camera to a flow of air being discharged from a dehumidifier. This air has less humidity in it. Over the years it seems to have helped. Housings made of metal don’t appear to have this problem.
Keeping it simple, setting up ahead of time so you don’t have to fiddle with controls. The various controls on the outside of a housed camera system are fairly small and often close together. This makes them difficult to change with the gloved hand on cold water dive. If you become quite familiar with various settings for your camera, you may be able to set up aperture, shutter speed settings etc ahead of time and only need to make slight adjustments. For slight adjustments for those smaller buttons a small item such as a golf tee, tied to the housing, can be used to press them.
Becky Kagan Schott has been travelling to the Arctic and Antartica for the last 11 Years! Her wealth of experience is shared in the following tips.
5 Tips for Polar Underwater Photography by Becky Kagan Schott
- New batteries and lithium batteries in both the camera and strobes. They perform better in freezing environments. I try and keep them warm before using them to make sure they perform well. Its’ not uncommon that a new camera battery will last 2 dives easily shooting still photos. I will swap them out if I’m shooting video since that will drain the battery faster in most cameras.
- Using a vacuum system is also important along with checking all o-rings for dirt, hair and debris. Set up and work on your camera in a warm, dry place like your room not outside.
- O-rings can shrink in extremely cold conditions if the housing is sitting out on the ice for a long period of time so I try and keep the camera in a comfortable temperature as much as possible. If i do have to be out on the ice for hours i will use a Cinebag Square Grouper padded bag to keep the camera off the ground and protected.
- Know your camera system ahead of time and use it with dry gloves to make sure you can reach and find all of the buttons easily. Everything is harder with dry gloves and cold hands. Also don’t bring new gear you haven’t tried in advance. Set yourself up for success and really know your whole system before you take it to the ends of the earth.
- Most polar diving is done from zodiacs. There is usually a lot of dive gear and heavy weight belts along with other cameras on the boat. I always keep my dome cover on to protect the dome from being scratched and hold my camera so it doesn’t get bounced around going over Antarctic speed bumps (icy bits). I put it in my pocket in the water or clip it off to my d-ring. Then I put it back on before handing the camera back up. Protect that port!
Traveling with camera gear
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l2GVPrFhI4&t=38s
Polar diving configuration
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbT77ASWQ48
Becky Schott – Extreme Glacier Diving Expedition
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMV6bJ1MebI
- Underwater Photography in Cold Water – March 14, 2023