As some of you are aware, Caroline is the photographer onboard. Last year she quite fancied a "GoPro" action camera, the type of camera you see being used a lot by sports enthusiasts today to capture the moment. Typically you see them strapped to the handlebars on bicycles and motorbikes and to crash helmets for gokarting, skiing etc. My Uncle has recently purchased one and was even kind enough to provide us with a link to a company that was selling them reasonably cheaply but unfortunately we were leaving the marina too soon to take advantage of the offer. Also with a limited income as we have, we have to consider very seriously if the spend can be justified and to date it just hasn't been.

Now we find ourselves in a position once again when we believe we have something around the propeller (our last experience was back in September 2014 http://www.sailblogs.com/member/distantdrummer/?xjMsgID=334642) but without jumping in and diving underneath Flirtie we can't be sure. This may sound simple, but we are on the Atlantic side of Spain, it's only April and the water hasn't really warmed up yet. This is where a "GoPro" may just come into its own....with a waterproof housing that can be strapped to a boathook and submerged below Flirtie capturing everything that passes in front of the lens.

A walk around Rota found us in a small PCWorld shop with a "GoPro" equivalent in the window. Whilst not necessarily the same quality as a "GoPro", it came with all the accessories we wanted including the waterproof housing (waterproof to 30M) and handlebar mount that we needed to attach it to a boat hook. On offer at 69€ with a 2 year guarantee it was something we couldn't really resist especially as the resident diver just wasn't prepared to 'take a look' based on a hunch! http://www.netway.com.es/comprar/productos/video---foto/camaras-de-video/videocamara-deportiva-netway-pro-1080p-sumergible.aspx

Back at the boat having spent some time translating the Spanish instructions (not so easy without an internet connection) we had it working.

Then the moment of truth, submerging 69€ worth of camera on a boat hook 1-2m below the water. I must say it just didn't feel right!! We kept our fingers crossed that the casing didn't leak or fall off in its entirety.

After a couple of failed attempts to capture anything useful (the camera was at the wrong angle or to shallow or deep) this is what we finally saw.....



"Man the diver" I say....lol