Ewa-Marine Flexible Housings

Underwater Housings - Performance at Budget Prices

The Ewa-Marine underwater camera housing is the best and also the original flexible housing. They were invented by Ewa-Marine in 1970 and became an immediate hit due to their high quality, triple layered, PVC film construction. Add to this a neutral, hardened, optical grade glass lens, embedded in the front lens port and you have an inexpensive alternative to a hard case which can be very cumbersome as well as extremely expensive.

There are pretenders out there who market their product line so heavily that one would think they are the best, but I've sold them all and they are grossly inferior in "every way" to the Ewa-Marine waterproof camera case for snorkeling, scuba. Above water usage is as good as out of the bag - in picture quality tests. The pretenders or "Ewa - knock offs" use different closures like "plastic closure levers" to seal them, unlike Ewa's dual closure rails of anodized metal, which seal the housing shut via solid locking lugs which thread down and are then hand tightened - sealing off the contents of the bag or pouch.

The Ewa "knock offs" also use PVC in the lens port, not optical grade glass, which becomes slowly nicked and/or cloudy after exposure to the elements, eventually rendering it good for nothing, regarding picture quality. They are to be avoided if at all possible. Why do you think they're so cheap?

During both Middle East campaigns, the Ewa-Marine flexible housing was ordered in bulk by Elite Special Forces squads of the Army, USMC and the Navy due to their high quality and easy portability. They were capable of shooting underwater reconnaissance pictures as well as shooting reconnaissance pictures above water, while offering protection against the water, wind, sand and grit which can take out a digital slr camera in short order.

If you're a snorkeling enthusiast, scuba diver, kayaker or boater, you'll feel much better having your camera in a good waterproof housing. They are no substitute for a hard case with all the bells and whistles but they do fill a niche for those who need 100% waterproof protection and don't have the space or don't care to transport these larger, bulky hard cases. They are without a doubt, very inexpensive by comparison, but capable of shooting similar quality pictures and with the proper care, will transport easily with your luggage and last a very long time. You might just see a housing that is in mint condition and over 20 years old - selling on eBay - I do quite often! That alone is a testimony to their quality.

If you just can't see dropping another $1K to $5K on an Ikelite or Sea and Sea housing for some vacation shots while diving - then check out what an Ewa-Marine housing can do. You will be pleasantly surprised!