How do you keep water drops off dome ports 2025

Firstly make sure you check out the GDome anti-water-droplet gel. 

"It is the first water-droplet preventer built specifically for the lens element of your housing. Our solution differs from a hydrophobic solution such as Rain-X, which does not prevent smaller water droplets from adhering to your dome port or flat lens element. The chemical formula in GDome's solution causes water to attach to the lens element, forming a flawless thin layer of water across the entire lens. Both salt and fresh water work perfectly with our solution. The GDome Anti Water Droplet Gel is an environmentally friendly and completely safe way to keep your dive mask from fogging up."

Shooting high quality images or videos with your housing requires keeping water drops off your ports. A single water drop will ruin the photo, so it's crucial to use the right techniques to keep your dome or flat port clear of water droplets.

"Wet port" and "dry port" are the two most widely used techniques for water drop-free photos.

Wet Port

The simplest method, known as "wet port," involves maintaining a thin, even layer of water on the acrylic port piece. The GDome Anti Water Droplet Gel or spit method is the most effective way to do this.

Prior to going into the water:

Make sure your port is clean and clear of junk.


Anti water Droplet Gel Technique: 

- Apply a few sprays to your dome or flat port and rub them in carefully with a clean hand (free of oils like sunscreen!).
- Wash the gel from the GDome by submerging it in water. As needed, repeat two or three times more.
- Apply another application to the lens and let it dry.
- When you arrive at the location where you wish to shoot, rinse the lens element without touching it.
- Completely submerge the lens in water and remove it; there should be a thin coating of water covering the lens with no water droplets.
- To attain the best effects, add more sprays as needed. 


The Lick Technique: 
- Lick your port after you spit on it to disperse the spit throughout the entire acrylic component.
- Before getting into the water, let the spit partially dry. In general, this takes 5 to 10 minutes.
- To get rid of any significant spit stains on the port, submerge the housing in water and then lick it. 
- Your port ought to now be clear.
- Hold your housing underwater until you are about to fire your weapon. A thin film of water will be stuck to the front of the port as you remove the housing out of the water.
Wait for the following opportunity to take a shot before returning the housing under the water.

Pro Tips: 

What you eat or drink before you shot will affect how well the spit technique works. It will assist to give your spit the correct consistency for effective results if you eat an apple or chew a mint. One of the photographers I know keeps Mentos mints in a separate pocket in his camera bag.
Before putting on your wetsuit and inserting your camera into the housing, spit and lick your port. This will give the spit enough time to dry before you're prepared to get in the water.
You shouldn't need to lick the port repeatedly throughout your session if you semi-dried the spit before getting in the water.
Use a spoon instead of your fingers to spread the spit about to avoid getting unwelcome skin oils on the port.

Dry Port Technique:

Maintaining a dry port means keeping the lens port entirely dry.

If you are swimming in water, how are you expected to keep your port dry? In any case, it is a really laborious task, especially if you are continuously dodging waves. But after a few attempts, you'll get the hang of it and the outcomes will speak for themselves.

Prior to going into the water- 
- Use a clean, dry cloth to buff a small amount of unscented candle wax into the acrylic. 
- You want to buff it well enough to prevent candle wax from appearing as a haze. -  The port ought should appear clean.
- Squeegee any remaining water from the port after you lift it out of the water.

PRO TIP: 
We use a 3M Squeegee, which is available from Amazon at the following link: 

You can also use a basic window cleaner-style squeegee, which is typically sold at your neighbourhood hardware or grocery store.

To prevent losing the squeegee in the water, make a hole in it and connect it to your housing leash or your free hand.

So, which approach should you employ?

It is best to try both approaches and see which produces the greatest and most consistent results.

The general principle is:

When photographing with focal lengths under 55mm, use the wet port technique for dome ports and flat ports.

When photographing with focal lengths more than 55mm, use the dry port technique.

You should Simply utilize these suggestions as a starting point, then experiment to determine what suits your needs with the lenses and lighting you employ.