GEAR TESTS: AIRLOCK
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Jennifer Penner VP of Social Engagement  |
Airlock installed in the left bulkhead of Nauticam Housing.
My confidence in not flooding my brand new system came from the installation of an Airlock, a vacuum system that verifies your housing is leak-proof before jumping into the water. I was not jumping on the bandwagon when this product first hit the market. My thought was, "I don't need that because I am extremely careful and fastidious when putting my rig together." Against my wishes, an Airlock was installed on my brand new housing, and I bemoaned how it was another step of set-up, taking me longer to get into the water. On the second day of diving, my housing would not hold pressure, meaning I had a leak somewhere. Everything was checked, re-checked then checked again. Still not able to find the cause of the leak, we turned to Berkley, who examined my entire rig under a microscope. On the second inspection, he found the culprit: a very small shaving, colored black, in the tray where the housing's o-ring sits. Minutely small, but enough to cause a small leak. Something of that size would not catastrophically flood a housing and camera, but it may be enough to produce a teaspoon or two of water, and we all know that electronics and water do not mix! So, the moral of the story is: while you may be super careful when putting your underwater system together, there are factors outside of your control that could derail you at any time. An Airlock will give you peace of mind that your housing is leak-proof when you make the splash. And I HAVE jumped on the bandwagon!
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