Sealife's New SportDiver iphone Housing
Katie Murphy Dec 16, 2020
The SeaLife SportDiver is a new compact, lightweight underwater housing for iPhone 7 and up — (sorry, Android users). We wanted to see what all the fuss was about, so we took one diving. We’re excited to share our experience (and photos), but first let’s take a closer look at the housing itself.
What’s in the box?
- SportDiver Underwater Smartphone Housing
- Color-correction filter
- Vacuum pump
- Rubber Grip Tabs (12x Small, 12x Medium and 12x Large)
- Spare O-rings (1x Main O-ring and 1x Vacuum Check Port O-ring)
- O-ring lubricant
- O-ring removal tool
- Deluxe wrist strap with clip
- Moisture Muncher sampler pack (1 capsule)
- AAA alkaline batteries (2)
- EVA carry case
The SportDiver is packaged attractively in a red and black carrying case, which contains everything you need to get started. Setup is quick and easy. It’s fairly intuitive right out of the box, and the instruction manual is clear and straightforward. You just insert the batteries, install a Moisture Muncher, attach the padded wrist lanyard and replace the pre-installed grip tabs to fit your phone if needed.
You’ll need to download the SportDiver app to your iPhone (compatible with iOS 12 and over) and connect via Bluetooth, and then the app will walk you through the remaining setup, including changing necessary phone settings (such as turning off auto-lock) and ensuring the housing is properly sealed. That’s pretty much all there is to it.
The SportDiver is compact at 8.4" long, 4.9" wide and 2.2" deep – to put that into perspective, it’s about 2" longer and less than 2" wider than the iPhone 12 Pro Max. This heavy-duty housing also weighs less than 1.5 pounds, so it’s easy to travel with and nearly neutrally buoyant, depending on which iPhone you use. The two AAA batteries provide approximately 50 hours of continuous use, so there’s no need to pack yet another charger for your trip.
The SeaLife SportDiver includes a removable underwater color-correction filter, which is attached by a short tether so you don’t have to worry about storing or losing it. It also has three 1/4-20 tripod mounts, which can connect to any lights or light trays with standard tripod threads.
The large shutter lever and rear control buttons make the SportDiver easy to operate even with dive gloves, and since it’s connected with Bluetooth, you have control over almost all of your iPhone camera’s functions without ever touching the phone itself. Your phone’s safety is assured by a holding spring, rubber grip tabs, and dual leak alarms that continuously monitor internal moisture and vacuum pressure and alert you immediately if the waterproof seal is compromised.
Now for the fun part. We took our SeaLife SportDiver to Troy Springs in Florida, and we were blown away by how easy and fun it was to use. The photos and videos we took look incredible (in fact, we put one on canvas and hung it up in our shop), and having them on an iPhone makes everything super easy to share. Here are some of our favorite shots:
After taking one out for a test dive, we can wholeheartedly recommend the SportDiver for any iPhone owner interested in underwater photography who wants an easy and cost effective solution. It’s an especially great option for casual photographers who don’t want to break the bank on expensive specialized equipment. At $299.95, the SportDiver is more affordable and accessible than most dive cameras, and the picture quality speaks for itself.
