Which monopod for sea water use?

Gary Kinghorn

Gary Kinghorn

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Periodically when I go to Cornwall I enjoy shooting surfers. I use a 300mm 2.8 and a x2 so quite a fair sized set up. Up until now I have been using a manfrotto with the neotec lock. I find it easy to use and adjust. Often I'm stood in the sea so the monopod is burying itself. So constant adjustment is required. The perfect set up for a good while, but it's starting to fail. Some times it won't hold and gradually migrates down.

Knowing the horrendous things salt water gets up to I don't doubt it's down to that.

So what would you be using? It needs to hold a good weight, feel study like it's not on the limit, not be phased by salt water and very easily adjusted, constantly....

Anything out there?
 
How about getting a length of plastic waste pipe of suitable diameter to take the monopod and slightly longer than the depth of water expected and put a blanking cap on the lower end. Put monopod in waste pipe and stand waste pipe on sea bed. Being of a larger diameter that the foot of the monopod it shouldn't sink in too quickly.

Or a cheap and cheerful monopod which could be classed as disposable when it fails!
 
You could look for Benbo monopod,the top section goes inside the bottom one,this should mean only the exterior getting salt water on it,i have their tripod bought it a lot of years ago and its been in mud and sea water and i have never had to strip it for cleaning.
 
2nd hand Manfrotto tripod (actually, any brand will do!) Remove 2 of the legs and save for when the first suffers the almost inevitable fate of 'pods in salt water environments.
 
First off it sounds like you need a sturdy one for the rig ,once you have sourced one take it with you to a builders merchants / plumbers supply shop and find some plastic tubing that will be a snug fit over the bottom two sections ,if possible also get a blanking plate for the tube and some plastic solvent .
You will then need a 2 inch stainless 1/4 inch bolt and a couple of s/s nuts and washers ,next on the list is a plastic kiddies tea plate .

Start by drilling a quarter inch hole in centre of end cap and tea plate ,fit nut and bolt assembly through cap and plate .plate curved side down ,ensure tight waterproof fit and seal with silicone as well ,fix cap to pipe with solvent .

You now have a waterproof tube to fit your monopod in ,the plate will spread the load to stop it sinking into the sand ,in use I would suggest fitting to monopod with gaffer tape or similar
 
How about using a bum bag..?? Its a method that is popular with a few aviation photographers.. So you wear the bum bag round the front, then the monopod goes in that.. Adjusted to the correct height obviously. I used to use this method but now have a gitzo pouch that I use..
 
Which monopod is best for seawater?
:thinking:

A cheap one!!!

The leg covers linked above are £24, an Amazon basics monopod is £12 and it will last a lot longer than a plastic bag. OK the basics one might not support the weight but it, or one like it, has to be worth a try, after all It's just a stick with a camera on top.
 
I use a manfrotto for the same thing- could try cutting a hole in a tennis ball and putting it on the end to reduce the " sinking time" - personally I find the sinking bit makes me move around a bit- the sun is on the move plus the surfers / tides so it's not a bad idea to adjust your position every few minutes? Usually rinse the monopod off in fresh water and occasionally apply a bit of wd40 plus a drop of Vaseline to the clamp screws- had mine about 10 years and going strong ( handy piece of kit if anybody ever tries to steal your gear too...!)
 
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