Two Carriers Used to Suspend an Underwater Video Camera from a Boat

Abstract Two underwater video camera carriers were designed by modifying hydraulic sounding weights and suspension equipment normally used for stream gaging. Both carriers were suspended from the bow of a boat and were used in a river up to 13 m deep with velocities to 3 m/s. One carrier consisted of an aluminum casing mounted on a single hydraulic sounding weight. This carrier provided a moderate degree of camera protection and created little drag, but it wobbled at water velocities greater than 1 m/s. The other carrier consisted of an aluminum frame attached between two hydraulic sounding weights. This carrier provided greater camera protection and wobbled less, but it was subjected to considerable drag in deep (>3 m), high velocity (>1 m/s) waters. Both carriers have been used successfully to search for spawning grounds and redds of chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha in a large river and to collect video images for surficial substrate classification.