How do I fly with an underwater camera and housing?

Carry the camera bodies, lenses, housing ports and all batteries in hand luggage. Check the housing body, strobes, arms and tray in padded luggage, and keep watt-hour ratings handy.

A full underwater rig is expensive, fragile and awkward to fly with, and the split between carry-on and checked is what protects it.

Carry on, always: camera bodies, lenses, dome and macro ports, vacuum pumps, and every lithium battery you own. Airlines prohibit loose lithium batteries in checked baggage, and batteries above 100Wh need airline approval. Print your battery watt-hour ratings and keep them with you — security staff ask, and being able to show the number ends the conversation quickly.

Check, with padding: the housing body, strobes, arms and clamps, tray, chargers and cables. A hard case with custom foam is ideal, but many divers use a padded soft bag inside a duffel to keep weight down. Wrap ports in neoprene and pack them so nothing can shift.

Practical tips: photograph your gear and serial numbers before you travel and keep receipts accessible for customs and insurance; declare high-value gear on arrival where required; carry spare o-rings, silicone grease and a small toolkit in hand luggage since they are impossible to source at sea; and add specific camera cover to your travel insurance, because standard baggage limits will not come close to replacing a housing.

Finally, assemble and vacuum-test the housing before your first dive day, not five minutes before the first briefing.