Recent Ikelite Innovations

Recent Ikelite Innovations

Jun 21

Anytime a new underwater housing is announced, Ikelite tends to lead the pack by having the first housing, thanks to their quick engineers that work around the clock. So when we asked for a “universal” vacuum system that could work with Nauticam, Sea & Sea, Isotta, and Marelux housings, we knew that they would deliver. While these new vacuum systems will make non-Ikelite shooters happy, Ikelite decided to announce two new exciting bulkheads to cater to their own users as well.

Ikelite Vacuums are Now Compatible with Non-Ikelite Housings

We love Ikelite vacuums because they are so reliable and easy to use. I, personally, have saved my camera half a dozen times when I plugged my Ikelite vacuum into my camera only to see that the seal had broken. At Bluewater, we have found that the simplicity of the Ikelite vacuums make them more reliable than vacuum systems that require electronics and we asked Ikelite’s engineers to produce an M14 and M16 version of their vacuum valve that could be screwed into the M14 and M16 bulkheads of non Ikelite housings. Once you screw in this vacuum valve to your bulkhead, the next step is to attach the Ikelite vacuum pump and pump the housing between 10 and 15 in. Hg. After a 15 minute wait, if you reattach the pump to the valve and if the needle hasn’t moved, your seal is good and you can dive with your housing leak free. If you attach the pump and the needle has moved, that means their is something wrong with your seal and you should not dive with the housing. This simple process and engineering ensures that you can have a reliable vacuum system in the field without worrying about electronic failure.

 

An Ikelite USB Charging and Data Transfer Bulkhead

Ikelite shooters will be thrilled to know that they can now leave their camera in their housing for the duration of their trip! Ikelite has developed a USB charging and data transfer bulkhead that allows you to plug a USB-C cable directly into select Ikelite housings. The camera is connected to the bulkhead inside the housing, so when a USB-C cable is connected to the bulkhead, your camera will automatically charger or you can download photos. Check out the bulkhead at Bluewater Photo to see if your housing is compatible.

IIkelite DL and DLM Housings Can Now Be Used with Fiber Optic Cables

And now for the grand finale….Ikelite DL and DLM housings can now be used with fiber optic cables! An Ikelite manual fiber optic transmitter has been designed to replace your Ikelite flash bulkhead and allow you to trigger strobes using fiber optic cables. The trigger screws into your flash bulkhead and is connected to a battery pack that produces an optical trigger via LEDs in the bulkhead. The trigger is compatible with most underwater strobes with a fiber optic sensor. This has been an innovation that Ikelite DL and DLM shooters have been hoping for years as some strobes are not compatible with sync cords. We are excited to see it come to fruition and can’t wait to try it out in the field!