Do not expose the SportDiver housing to excessive heat for prolonged periods of time. For example, letting SportDiver sit in direct sunlight, inside a hot car, near a heat vent, etc. Exposing the housing to high temperatures for prolonged period may cause damage to the main O-ring seal and internal sensors.
Make sure you and the SportDiver housing are completely dry when releasing the vacuum pressure and opening the waterproof door. Releasing the pressure with a wet finger will result in water drops getting forcefully pulled into the housing and internal electronics. Not following these important instructions may cause the leak alarm to activate and damage the electronics.
After use, dry the housing with a towel. Before opening the waterproof door, ensure you and the housing are completely dry. Open the door with the back of the housing facing down (lens facing up) to prevent water drops from entering the housing and activating the leak alarm. Use a lint-free cloth to absorb any water drops. Once the O-ring area is dry, remove the phone.
Water drops that entered after opening the housing
The gold-plated wet sensor is located on the inside bottom right of the SportDiver housing. The leak alarm will activate if anything conductive touches the wet sensor – your finger, water drop(s), dirt/debris, etc. If the alarm activates every time you power on the housing, some water drops may have entered the internal electronics behind the wet sensor, or the sensor has become damaged. Try these troubleshooting tips:
Power off the housing. Use a cotton cloth to clean and dry the wet sensor. If leak alarm still activates when powering on the housing, use a thin strip of tissue paper to absorb water droplets trapped behind the wet sensor, particularly on the back right of the wet sensor near the lead cable.
If the leak alarm still activates every time you power on the housing, some water drops may have deposited on the internal electronics. See above Important Product Alert. In this case, insert a new Moisture Muncher desiccant capsule inside the housing and keep the rear housing door sealed for one or two days. For faster drying, use a hair dryer on low heat / low fan speed. Direct the warm air towards the wet sensor for about 5 minutes. Be careful not to overheat the housing.
A common cause for this issue is water drops entering the housing when opening the housing after your dive. The water drops may not be easy to see and may travel down behind the gold-plated wet sensor.
If the above information does not fix the issue, please contact the SeaLife Service Center in your country. For a list of dealers/distributors that can offer repair service, please visit the SeaLife website at www.sealife-cameras.com/dealer-locator/
3. Housing frequently fails the 3.5-minute Leak Analysis
The purpose of the Leak Analysis is to check if the housing maintains an airtight seal before diving. After sealing the housing and applying the vacuum pump pressure, the housing monitors the internal air pressure for any changes. If the housing loses internal vacuum pressure, the phone will display “Leak Detected” or “Keep Pumping”, depending on the amount of pressure change. If the housing maintains vacuum pressure, the leak analysis will be successfully completed, and the housing is ready for diving.
Here are the most common causes for a loss of vacuum pressure resulting in leak analysis failure:
The O-ring is not lubed, dirty or damaged. Clean O-ring and apply very thin film of lube. Replace the O-ring if cut or damaged in any way. One free O-ring is included with each SportDiver. A spare O-ring set may be purchased at your local authorized SeaLife dealer. See item #SL40010.
The O-ring is installed incorrectly. The O-ring is “D”- shaped. The flat side of the O-ring must be against the O-ring groove with the round side facing outward. Make sure the O-ring is not twisted.
The yellow one-way rubber valve at the vacuum check port is damaged or has some dirt/debris trapped underneath. Clean the one-way valve using lint-free cloth moistened with alcohol. Use pressured air to blow out any dirt/debris trapped underneath the one-way valve. If the one-way valve is damaged, contact the SeaLife Service Center in your country. For a list of dealers/distributors that can offer repair service, please visit the SeaLife website at www.sealife-cameras.com/dealer-locator/.
The vacuum check port O-ring is not lubed, dirty or damaged. Clean O-ring and apply very thin film of lube. Replace the O-ring if cut or damaged in any way. One free O-ring is included with each SportDiver. A spare O-ring set may be purchased at your local authorized SeaLife dealer. See item # SL40010. Note: Screw on waterproof cap after applying vacuum pressure and always make sure waterproof cap is installed when diving.
Changing air temperature inside the housing during the leak analysis will cause the vacuum pressure to change and may activate the alarm or “keep pumping” message. For example, if the housing is taken from a cool air-conditioned room to the warm outdoors. If the housing is warming up during the leak analysis, the housing’s internal air expands causing vacuum pressure to drop and the leak analysis to fail. Make sure to allow a cool housing to adjust to the warmer ambient temperature before starting the leak analysis. Inserting a hot phone into the housing before starting the leak analysis will also cause thermal expansion inside the sealed housing and vacuum pressure drop. A freshly charged phone may be hot. Also, unused apps running in the background will draw battery power and generate heat. Force off all apps running in the background, except for the SportDiver app. Also, allow a hot phone to cool down before starting the leak analysis.
If the above information does not fix the issue, please contact the SeaLife Service Center in your country for assistance. For a list of dealers/distributors that can offer repair service, please visit the SeaLife website at www.sealife-cameras.com/dealer-locator/
5. The 3.5-minute Leak Analysis not working at high altitude
After preparing the housing and applying vacuum pressure, the app keeps displaying Please Prepare Housing message and status LED continuously flashes red, yellow and green. This issue is most likely caused by exceeding the SportDiver’s high altitude pressure limit. The SportDiver housing vacuum pressure check (leak analysis) works up to altitude of 6500 ft / 1980m (11.6 psia). At higher altitude, the SportDiver Leak Analysis will malfunction, and LED status indicator will show red/green/yellow error code.
6. How to fit larger phones, like iPhone 14 Pro Max, into the SportDiver housing
Replace the pre-installed medium-sized rubber grip tabs with the small-sized grip tabs. For some of the largest phone models, you may need to remove the grip tabs on the left side and use small grip tabs along the bottom. The online compatibility chart shows “0/S” in the grip tab size column, which means no grip tabs on left and small grip tabs on the bottom. The other grip tab sizes are in the white envelope included with the SportDiver. Please refer to the instruction manual for more details.
The internal vacuum pressure must be released before the housing can be opened. Unscrew the vacuum check valve cap. Use your fingertip to move the rubber yellow 1-way valve sideways to release the pressure. Do not push down the valve as that will not release the pressure. You may also use some unsharp object, like a pen cap, to move the valve sideways. Never use sharp object near the rubber 1-way valve.
8. Attaching wrist strap to the underwater housing
The housing wrist strap included with the SportDiver UW camera attaches to the housing as shown below. Attached the looped end of nylon cord through the housing strap connector (A). The clip (B) is used for attaching the camera to your BCD (buoyancy Control Device) D-ring. Adjust the sliding lock (C) to tighten around your wrist.
Humid air or water drops trapped inside the underwater housing may condense on the cooler glass lens port and cause fogging. Here is the best way to prevent fogging:
Do not allow any water drops to enter the inside of the housing. Even one water drop can evaporate and condense (fog) on the lens port.
The phone must be completely dry before inserting it into the UW housing.
Load the phone and housing in a dry environment, like an air-conditioned room. This will help to avoid trapping humid air inside.
Avoid letting the housing get hot or sit in direct sunlight for pro-longed periods of time.
Avoid opening the housing in a humid environment. If you need to charge the phone between dives, make sure you and the phone are dry before opening the housing.
Use a fresh Moisture Muncher desiccant capsule (item # SL911) inside the housing.
Glare in the upper left corner may occur when a bright light or sunlight is behind you and there is an air gap above the phone. Light is passing through the air gap and reflecting of the inside of the glass lens port. To eliminate the gap [and glare], select the appropriate rubber grip tabs along the bottom and side. For example, the iPhone 11 Pro fits well inside the SportDiver housing using medium size grip tabs, but that creates a gap above the phone. Using large grip tabs along the bottom and small grip tabs along the left side eliminates the gap. See iPhone 11 Pro before and after pictures below.
11. Siri launches when putting iPhone into the housing
The volume button is being pressed accidentally. Move the rubber grip tabs around so they do not touch the iPhone buttons. Refer to page 14 of the manual.
Here are some commons causes and solutions for the rear housing buttons not working:
No vacuum pressure has been applied to the sealed housing. Applying vacuum pressure moves the waterproof door assembly closer to the internal buttons, ensuring the buttons make proper contact.
A larger-sized phone is forced into the housing, pushing against the internal buttons located on the right, inside of the housing. Remove the rubber grip tabs on the left side of the housing, so the phone is not pushing against the internal buttons.
The rear housing buttons are sticky and do not return to the normal resting position. Soak the sealed housing in fresh water for 20 minutes. Push each button 20 times to flush out any sand and debris that may cause the buttons to stick.
No Bluetooth connection between the housing and installed phone. Make sure the Bluetooth icon on the bottom right of the SportDiver app display is blue, indicating the housing has a Bluetooth connection with the phone.
If the above information does not fix the issue, please contact the SeaLife Service Center in your country for assistance. For a list of dealers/distributors that can offer repair service, please visit the SeaLife website at www.sealife-cameras.com/dealer-locator/
14. Using lithium single-use or NiMH rechargeable AAA batteries
We recommend using two standard alkaline AAA batteries, which will last about 50 hours of continuous use. Single-use lithium and NiMH rechargeable AAA batteries may also be used in the SportDiver with no known side-effect. When using non-alkaline batteries, the housing battery strength indicator on the top right of the SportDiver app display may not be accurate because NiMH and lithium AAA batteries operate at slightly different voltages than alkaline batteries.
(See above for underwater housing troubleshooting)
15. SportDiver iOS app only records video but not photos (iPhone only)
Check your iPhone’s operating system and update it to iOS 16.5. Apple’s recent release of iOS 16.5 included significant changes, causing older phones running iOS 15 [or earlier] not to be supported by many apps, including the SportDiver camera app. iPhones 8 and up should be able to update to iOS 16.5. These kinds of technical updates occur every 1-2 years, making it necessary to update the SportDiver app so it remains compatible with Apple’s current operating system.
On May 22, SeaLife released SportDiver app update for iPhones, version 3.0. The app update includes the following:
Added ProRAW image format. ProRAW image capture is only available on iPhone 12/13/14 Pro/ProMax. Phones not supporting ProRAW will support standard RAW-only or RAW+JPEG. iPhones that support RAW but not ProRAW will still be able to capture RAW images with the SportDiver app.
Added Image Format setting with options to select JPEG-only, RAW-only or RAW+JPEG.
Added ProRAW Resolution setting with 12MP and 48MP options. 48MP ProRAW is only available on iPhone 14 Pro/ProMax when using the Wide lens without zoom. 48MP will revert to 12MP low light.
Added ProRes video format. ProRes video recording is only available on iPhone 13/14 Pro/ProMax.
Changed the Settings Menu color scheme to white, gray, and black for higher contrast and better visibility
Changed “Normal” lens name to “Wide”.
Moved Mode icons to avoid interference with iPhone 14 Pro/ProMax Dynamic Island display feature
Allow zooming when RAW or ProRAW is enabled. ProRAW 48MP is only available at 1X (i.e. no zooming)
Allow RAW image capture when using the Triple Lens setting.
Changed photo and video file name to date/time format. For example, file name “SeaLife_20230502_170344” means the photo or video was taken on May 2, 2023 at 5:03:44 pm
Changed 3.5-minute pre-dive leak analysis pressure guage titles from “Low Pressure” to “Keep pumping”, and “High Pressure” to “Too much pumping”
Removed Portrait (Bokeh) setting. Caused app instability and potential for app crash.
Removed Dual Lens from Lens Setting Menu. Caused app instability and potential for app crash.
Removed Photo + 3 Sec. Video setting. Caused app instability and potential for app crash.
Added map location to photo and video file meta data. The location can be viewed in the iPhone’s Photos app file information screen. Location is not available when shooting underwater.
Notes:
If you have any suggestions or find a bug, please email us at quality@sealife-cameras.com
If you are happy with the SportDiver app, please consider leaving a review in the App Store or updating your previous review.
17. iPhone display is always on with iOS 16 (iPhone only)
iOS 16 included a new feature that keeps the display on when the phone is locked. To disable this feature and preserve the phone’s battery power, go to Settings >>> Display & Brightness and scroll down to “Always On”, which is located at the bottom.
18. MagSafe external battery charger for iPhone (iPhone Only)
The MagSafe external battery charger for iPhones will not fit inside the SportDiver housing. It will interfere with the SportDiver’s waterproof door. Please make sure to remove the MagSafe charger before installing the iPhone in the SportDiver.
The smartphone camera’s auto focus system requires sufficient lighting and contrast to focus on the target subject, as well as good visibility for the camera to “see” the subject. If the subject is in low light or blending in with foreground/background (i.e. low contrast), the camera will struggle to focus. If you are experiencing focusing issues, please try these troubleshooting tips:
Make sure the phone’s lens(es), the housing lens port, and the red color-correction filter are clean without fingerprints or smudges.
Low visibility will hinder auto-focus performance. The phone may try to focus on the small particulates suspended in the water in front of the lens. In low-vis waters, keep your shooting distance close-up.
For plus-sized phones, slide the phone all the way to the right, up against the four inner buttons. That ensures the lenses have a clear view through the optical port.
Use the phone’s ultrawide lens for the close-up shots. The ultrawide lens has a higher depth of field and is more forgiving than the wide and telephoto lenses. For example, the iPhone 14 Pro Max 0.5x ultrawide lens has a close focus distance of 0.8” (2cm), while the wide and telephoto lenses have a close focus distance of 6” (15cm) and 18” (45cm), respectively.
If you notice the lens struggling to auto-focus, position your hand in front of the lens for a moment, allowing the camera to focus on your hand. When moving your hand away from the lens, the camera will re-focus on subjects farther away. You may also push the mode button four times to cycle through all the modes and back to photo mode. That will reset the lens.
Use the Manual Focus setting to manually adjust the desired focus distance. When turning on Manual. Focus, push the OK button to toggle between zoom and MF (manual focus). Then, use the up/down buttons to manually adjust the zoom.
Use one or two Sea Dragon photo-video lights to illuminate the subject and improve contrast. Position the light as far away from the lens, which will minimize backscatter.
Use one or two Sea Dragon photo-video lights to properly illuminate the subject.
When video resolution is set to 120 fps (frames per second) or 240 fps, the playback will be in slow motion. This is useful when recording fast moving subjects and adding a dramatic effect to your videos. Recording videos at 30 fps or 60 fps will play back at normal speed.
21. Huawei Android smartphone unable to access SportDiver app on Google Play Store
Some Huawei smartphones have a special factory Android version installed that blocks out Google Play Store. You may install the SportDiver Android app directly to your Huawei phone by following these instructions:
22. Screen not always dimming when iPhone is in Power Save (iPhone only)
We have recently discovered that some iPhone models may automatically undim the display even though the phone is in Power Save mode. The phone will normally go into Power Save mode if no buttons are pushed within 1 minute. The display will dim and camera turns off [showing a frozen image] to conserve battery power. Pushing any button brightens the display and “wakes-up” the camera. Some iPhone models may automatically undim the display when moving the phone without touching any buttons. The camera does remain off until a button is pushed. Changing the phones Display settings or SportDiver app Power Save settings does not fix the issue. App programmers are investigating the cause and solution for this issue and will release app update ASAP.
23. Unable to delete the last photo or video in Playback (iPhone only)
The SportDiver app will save the first photo or video in Playback mode. You may delete the other files by pushing the OK button and selecting YES, however, the first photo/video will always be saved. This is necessary to prevent the app from becoming unstable and potentially crashing.
25. iPhone “Back Tap” feature activates while underwater
Back tap is an iPhone feature that performs select tasks when tapping on the back of the phone 2 or 3 times. Back Tap should be turned Off when the phone is inside the housing because it may accidently perform the task and close the SportDiver app if the housing gets bumped or knocked.
28. Vacuum pressure check (Leak analysis) not working at high altitude
The SportDiver housing vacuum pressure check (leak analysis) works up to altitude of 6500 ft / 1980m (11.6 psia). At higher altitude, the SportDiver LED status indicator will show red/green/yellow error code.
When diving at altitudes higher than 6500 ft, you will need to disable the leak alarm in the SportDiver app Settings Menu. Make sure you carefully set up the housing to avoid a leak – inspect, clean and lube O-rings, and properly seal the waterproof door. You also need to add two pumps of vacuum pressure after sealing the housing even though the leak alarm is disabled. The vacuum pressure helps the waterproof door to fully seat itself into the housing, creating a strong seal.
29. How to display on-screen exposure and settings
The SeaLife SportDiver app update V2.0 includes on-screen exposure & settings data feature, which can be enabled or disabled. To enable the on-screen exposure data feature, go to iPhone settings >>> scroll down and enter the SportDiver app settings. You will find the on/off toggle at the bottom. See below screenshot.
30. Photos and Videos Not Saved to the phone’s Photos or Gallery app
Check that SeaLife SportDiver app permissions are set correctly. The following screenshot shows the correct app permissions. Access to Photos must be set to “All Photos”. App permissions are located under phone Settings -> SportDiver [app].
31. Notifications still appear when Do Not Disturb is turned on
Phone notifications may still appear if exceptions are allowed. For iPhone, notifications will still appear if Do Not Disturb “Silence” setting is set to “While iPhone is locked”. Select “Always” to prevent notifications from appearing when Do Not Disturb is On. Do Not Disturb setting is located under phone Settings -> Do Not Disturb. For Android, remove any Do Not Disturb Exceptions.
32. Cannot download RAW files from an iPhone to a computer
Here is some information from Apple on how to import photos. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201302. For PC, use Windows Photo App. For MAC, use Photos app import tool.
33. Using the Triple Lens Setting with SportDiver iOS app (iPhone Only)
The SportDiver iOS app includes a Triple lens setting, which applies to all iPhone Pro and Pro Max models with 3 lenses. The Triple lens setting allows you to quickly change lenses when zooming up/down. 0.5x is Ultrawide, 1.0x is Wide (normal) and 2.0, 2.5 or 3.2 is Telephoto lens. The other zoom steps in between lenses are using digital zoom.
Notes
In Triple lens mode, the Telephoto lens will automatically switch to ultrawide when shooting macro (close-up). This is a function of the iPhone, not the app.
For iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, 3.2x is actually 3.0x Telephoto. The 2.0x Telephoto feature is not supported by the SportDiver app.
34. Manual White Balance setting with some Android phones shows green live view and black image capture (Android only)
The manual white balance setting is not supported by some Huawei and Redmi phone models. The live view will appear green and result image capture will be black. See below screenshots. This is a limitation with those phone models and app update will not fix this issue.
35. Cannot access all available lenses (Android only)
For Android phones with two or more lenses, the SportDiver app may not show all available lenses in the Lens settings menu. This is not a bug. Some Android phone makers block out access to ultrawide and telephoto lenses. The SportDiver app will display all lenses made available by the phone maker. In most cases, it is possible to access the Telephoto lens by using the normal Wide lens and zooming to 2.5x or 3x – the lens will automatically switch to Telephoto.
36. Ultrawide lens vignettes inside the SportDiver housing (Android only)
Some Android phone makers position the ultrawide lens in the upper left corner of the phone, causing the SportDiver lens port to appear in the photo or video (i.e., Vignette). This issue only applies to some Android phones but not iPhones. iPhone has the ultrawide lens is positioned away from the corner, so there is no vignette. Back to Index
