Traveling to Philippines with UW video gear

Hello!
I am just getting into underwater video and will be taking a new video rig to the Philippines for the first time:

- Light & Motion Stingray housing
- Light & Motion Sunray 2000 lights
- Sony HDR-SR-11 camera
- Fathom WP-25 wide angle port

I purchased the "travel kit", which includes a fitted Pelican 1520 case, but clearly L&M intended that case for the smaller Sunray 1000 light system, since the 2000s and batteries won't fit.

So that means fitting the whole thing into a Pelican 1600, which will have to be checked in. My question: Do you all typically just pack stuff into the case and check it in? Or does it make sense to maybe carry some of the smaller more valuable components in your carry-on bag (for example, the lights).

And for those of you who travel to the Philippines, what has been your experience? Should I be worried about theft en route? I will insure everything through DAN, but that doesn't help you when you arrive at your destination and find that your gear didn't make it.

Next question is regulators. In the past, my family and I have hand carried ours, but this time we are thinking of checking them in as well. Is this advisable or not?

We are traveling Seattle -> Taipei -> Manila -> Cebu.

Thanks for any insight!

--Jim

Welcome to the SMN Community Jim.

I travel to the Phils all the time. Regulators are not a problem as carry-on, carry-on weight though is becoming more of a problem.

In 6 trips I have had bags get lost once and it arrived on the next plane 2.5 hours later.

I would trust my camera bags much quicker to Philippine baggage handlers than American baggage handlers.

The guys who stand guard leaving Aquino airport are weight fascists, lol, but I deploy countermeasures to it all:

Airline luggage weight strategies - ScubaMagazine.net Forum

Great thread on countermeasures! Made me laugh because I've been doing the same thing for years. I do a lot of traveling to do photography, and I learned long ago, that while there are restrictions on your carry on bags, there is no restriction on how much your clothes can weigh.

The carry-on restrictions are ridiculous these days. If I pack a Canon EOS 1Ds, 70-200 2.8L, 16-35 2.8L and 24-105 4L and a 550EX flash in the smallest LowePro backpack, I am over the carry-on limit by 5kg in most of Asia. And you're right, the guys at Aquino airport in Manila are fanatics.

Once I saw them weighing everyone at a PAL gate, so I simply pulled out my 70-200 and 16-35 and put each into a pocket. Then, I simply put the camera on my shoulder with the 24-105. When I walked up to the counter, they weighed my backpack and voila - well within limits. Got onto the plane, packed everything back into the backpack...

It's a forgone conclusion that I will have to check in most of my gear. But I wanted to hear people's experiences with theft. I'm pretty sure that the Peli cases will make it to Manila ok, but I worry about Manila to Cebu - mostly the Manila side as Cebu is generally pretty cool.

--Jim

Jim, you ought to get a Philippines Department of Tourism sticker and slap it on your Pelican case. It would put troublemakers on notice.

I agree, the whole carry-on thing is silly when it is ok to weigh 300 lbs. I bought a pro photographers vest and I can put my underwater video dual Li-Ion battery housing with batteries in the rear giant pouch, 2 complete regulators in each of inside front pouches, 3 spare huge Li-Ion video light batteries in my military BDU's, etc. Then once past the people who would weigh anything, it all comes right back out and into my dual backpack.

I haven't been to the Cebu area yet....so can't tell you.....Why not put medical blood donor supplies stickers on your Pelican case? Or a sticker that says "veterinarian animal fecal samples-do not subject to excess temperatures"?

;)

Cebu?
Try to make time for going to Bohol, Panglao Is. spend time diving Balicasag. Youu will not be dissapointed.

Thanks h20dragon1. Based on your recommendation, I started checking out options in Bohol. We are staying in Cebu, so Bohol is an easy destination for us. I booked at the Ananyana Resort, which looks just fantastic and has an on-premises dive shop.

http://www.ananyana.com/

Try to visit Malapascua Island in Cebu my friends told me it's a good dive site.

I was there in February. I always carry my cam in the handluggage, but I had a business class flight, so this was no problem. I always put regulators in the regular luggage and never take it to the cabin and cannot see why I should. I agree to what the other people wrote about the airport, etc. With regards to where-to-go, if you are already in Cebu, you MUST go to Malapascua. It is a 3 h car trip from Cebu city, but it's one of the best dive sites within 1000 km. One week will do, then it becomes boring. Then, leave Cebu Island and go to one of the other islands. Best g.