SportDiver Troubleshooting & Technical Updates

Contact us for support: sealife-cameras.com/contact

  1. 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 a prolonged period may cause damage to the main O-ring seal and internal sensors.

  2. 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.



  3. 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.

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/

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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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 sealife-cameras.com/dealer-locator/
  4. 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.
  5. 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/

This is normal.  SportDiver housings produced after January 2022 will not make an alarm sound when vacuum pressure is released after diving. 

The SportDiver housing vacuum pressure check (leak analysis) works up to altitude of 6500 ft / 1980 m (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 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.