WATER HOUSINGS

I've been making my own water housings to swim out and capture surf imagery for the past 10 years.
Now they are available for sale.
The housings come in one size and weigh just over 1kg ( excluding camera gear inside). The Housings are exactly what I use day in , day out and have held up to any conditions I have thrown at them.
My housings are home made and is based for the person who wants to get into the surf and shoot but doesn't have the budget for an expensive overseas housing.
Below are some simple Q&A's you might want to ask, so I've saved you the hassle :)

Couldn't be more stoked with my Thurtell shell, being in the water and so close to nature while capturing photos is amazing. I've tested it in a range of conditions already and it has exceeded my expectations by a long way, I love how versatile it is as I can fit a number of my lenses without having to change ports, the large port also allows for those rad over\under shots. Shooting in the water is so much fun and super rewarding, i get the same stoke nailing a great water shot as i do after a really good surf. Cant thank Ian enough for providing an amazing, affordable and quality south african housing. Cant wait for winter to really kick in. Tyerell Jordaan.

" I have been shooting surf for a couple years now from the beach or rocks and as fun as that is to me it's not challenging enough and you are really limited to the shots that you can get."
"So I was frothing my face off to get my hands on a housing and actually get into the action and to use the ocean as a canvas. I the housing that I got was not a insanely over the top priced housing it was actually quite the opposite in price but spot on in quality and really easy to use. Also compared to other local and international housings it's extremely light yet solid. I'm extremely stoked with the housing that Ian has made for me and I'd recommend it to everyone keen on getting one". - Brendan Pieterse
check out his gallery on Zigzag here:
http://www.zigzag.co.za/multimedia/sharp-shooter-brendan-pieterse/

"Having only swum twice with my new Thurtell Shell, I am already very pleased with the quality of the housing as well as its photographic capabilities. The housing's are affordable, versatile in nature as they can fit a range of camera bodies/lenses due to their shape and size. An added bonus is that they are also nice and buoyant in the water, meaning one can rest more as they keep you more afloat. The positioning of the handle and trigger also help in capturing more accurate images. Overall, the shells are neat and simple in design, catering for anyone who's interested to take photos in the surf. - Ryan Collins.
https://www.instagram.com/ryancollinsphoto/

Why is the housing bigger than other housings and why is it square in shape? The housings are bigger than other housings so that any camera can fit inside. This makes it easier for me to make and if you ever replace your current setup, the new one will fit inside. The square shape allows for all camera bodies to fit.
Are there any drawbacks or advantages of the housing being bigger? Yes, there are. Your setup might look abit small in the housing depending on what lens you are using but there are some positive advantages. Firstly, there will be positive buoyancy, meaning that it will actually help float you (if only a little bit) while you are in the surf treading water. Some other housings are neutral in buoyancy which means you have to keep working on holding the housing up.
I see that there is no lens port, instead the camera and lens fit inside the whole housing. why? In the past I used to make shorter housings and then get a port made up for a lens the customer would be using but this made things more tricky as the cost of making the port would make the whole package become expensive. This, along with a fact that you normally want to shoot with different lens's depending on the conditions so I decided to make the body of the housing longer to accommodate different lens's. Again, the drawback is a bigger housing but an added benefit is that you will be able to easily shoot those "half under, half over" shots while using a wider lens. Special ports usually have to be made to capture these shots
What controls if any are on the housing? A simple 2 stage shutter release button is mounted onto the top right corner to focus and shoot, just as on a normal camera. A back viewing window is in the housing so that you can look through the viewfinder as well as the LCD screen.
What lens's can fit in the housing? Pretty much any standard lens's. the distance between camera mount to front port is 12.7 cm. For example I have 3 different lens's that fit in my housing. 50mm, 24-85mm and a 10-17 Fisheye, Yup a fisheye. Moving the camera right foward it is completely possible to shoot at full 10mm fisheye!
What colour is the housing? When you order a housing you can pick any colour that you would like. See below for the colour chart.
Is there any guarantee on the housing? Unfortunately not. In fact no companies give a guarantee on their housings. As with the nature of surf photography, camera insurance is advised.
And now, the big question. What is the price? A complete housing will cost R6800 ( increase due to supplier price increase)
How do I order one? Easy. Email me at ianthurtell@gmail.com

Terms and Conditions

Any software and or limitations for wired remote to be used is not my responsibility. Please make sure before ordering that your camera allows for a wired remote to plug into your camera. Any housing manufacturer needs this.
The deposit paid is a deal of intent to buy the housing once complete. If, by no fault of mine you do not want the housing after ordering and paying the deposit, no refund of deposit will be allowed. Apon Housing hand over, the rest of the balance is paid.
Any alterations or after sale repairs are not included into the price and will be charged for.
If staying outside the Cape Town area, courier or postage of the housing to you is at your cost.