How to Make a Float for a Heavy Camera

Scuba diving brings you to new worlds. Coral reefs, ship wrecks, kelp beds and rocky shores hold fish and marine mammal species best seen underwater. Many divers incorporate a love of photography with their love of scuba diving to record the deep sea wilderness via photos. Because gravity works below the water as well as above, having a system to help alleviate the weight of the cameras becomes necessary. Camera floats help relieve much of the weight of the camera gear while underwater.

Things You'll Need

  • PVC closed-cell foam
  • PVC glue
  • Plastic-based spray paint
  • C-clamps
  • Jigsaw
  • Power drill
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Instructions

    • 1

      Calculate the weight of your photo gear's underwater weight. Tie the camera to a wooden dowel so there is a string attached to both ends of the dowel and the camera. Sink the camera into a bucket full of water and hold the scale above the bucket. Place the dowel across the bucket and lift so the camera weight is on the scale while underwater. Record the weight in pounds and ounces, less the weight of the dowel.

    • 2

      Calculate the amount of buoyancy needed to achieve neutral buoyancy underwater. Use a buoyancy calculator. The basic calculation is Lift Needed (ounces) + Provided Lift (from the PVC foam per square inch) = Total cubic inches of foam needed.

    • 3

      Cut the foam pieces to fit the camera handles. Be sure to consult the foam weight ratings and your calculations for buoyancy. Cut an equal amount of foam for both sides of the camera. Cut the foam chunks into square blocks. The amount of blocks is determined by the calculated buoyancy needed. For example, if you need 20 ounces of buoyancy and the foam is rated at 4 ounces per square inch, cut 5 chunks of 1-inch by 1-inch square blocks. Use half the weight for each handle, making the full 20 ounces needed.

    • 4

      Glue the foam blocks for each side of the camera together with the PVC glue and clamp together. Let the glue dry. Check the glue directions for setting and drying times as not all glues have the same formula. Bore out a hole in each of the two foam chunks to mount them onto the camera handles. Use a proper sized bit with the power drill to bore out the holes. Make the hole equal to the diameter of the camera handles as the foam blocks will be pushed down onto the handles through the holes.

    • 5

      Spray paint the foam pieces with the plastic based spray paint. Use dark colors like black or navy blue to prevent sun glare or light flashes.

    • 6

      Slide the foam camera floats onto the end side handles of the underwater camera.