Comments about Aqua Pac Aquapac Waterproof Barrel Camcorder Case With Hard Lens (Aqua 465):

I thought it would be cool to take my new Canon VIXIA HF S100 video camera and put it in a waterproof case so I could shoot some video of my family while snorkeling in Hawaii. The first place I looked was Canon's web site and I was excited when I saw the "WP-V1 Waterproof Case" but was disappointed to see it only works with the Canon VIXIA HF20 and VIXIA HF200 (not the VIXIA HF S100 that I have).After doing some research on the web I found the "Aquapac Model 465 100% Waterproof Camcorder Case" and then did further research on this case and most of the reviews were positive so ordered it from leisurepro.com. After we got to Hawaii I did the leak test as indicated in the instruction book from Aquapac and there were no leaks. The first day I used the Model 465 case with my Canon VIXIA HF S100 while snorkeling all went well and I captured some incredible underwater video!After the first day I carefully removed the camera from the case, washed the case with fresh water, and did another leak test and all was well. I followed all the instructions and set everything up exactly as I did the first day, but the second day I used the Aquapac it almost cost me my life.On that second day of our Hawaiian vacation, Saturday August 8th 2009 to be exact, my family and I headed to Hookena Beach Park to swim with dolphins. I had gained confidence in the Aquapac case as it had worked perfectly the day before. After cleaning the case, setting up the camcorder inside the case exactly like I did the day before, we took our precious Canon VIXIA HF S100 inside the Aquapac 465 Waterproof Case and started swimming out.Unfortunately, we swam out pretty far (about 150 yards) before I noticed a problem with the case, it was leaking! I told my wife and daughter that the case was leaking and that they should keep swimming while I take the camera/case to shore. I started swimming as fast as I could while holding the camera/case out of the water. This made swimming harder than usual and I started getting tired fast. About half way in I'd had it. Too bad I've been exercising like crazy the last several months and got rid of most of my excess body fat, combined with the fact that I did not have any flotation device with me, I was non buoyant, exhausted and could barely keep my head above water.Thank god another snorkeler came swimming by. Instead of saying Help! I'm drowning! I said, "I'm in trouble, this case I bought for my $1,000 Canon video camera is leaking, and I'm exhausted!" He said "stay calm, you're alright, you're only about 50 yards from shore".He helped calm me down and towed me to where I could stand up. I was still completely exhausted and handed the camera/case to a kid on a boogey board and asked him to take it to shore as I was washed up onto the beach by the pounding waves. I didn't feel so well, and the color didn't return to my face until after lunch several hours later!Of course, the camera stopped working. What's really cool is Canon fixed it for a reasonable flat rate ([$]), and I got it back in like new condition! Canon has the best support!Aquapac was also very kind after they heard my story. They refunded me the cost of the case, and also reimbursed me the [$] for the repair cost. I can't complain about that.All is well that ends well. But I'm hoping before I go snorkeling with my Canon Vixia HF S100 again I'll be able to buy a waterproof case for it that's made by Canon!Although I am not happy with the performance of the Aquapac 465, the company stood behind thier product, are nice people and pleasant to work with.Also, I've learned it's a good idea to wear a PFD (Personal Flotation Device) while snorkeling...