Review: Proporta BeachBuoy waterproof case on site in St. Thomas

A few months ago Proporta sent me the BeachBuoy waterproof case to check out, but it wasn't until we took a family cruise vacation in February that I had a chance to put it through a real life test. You can check out some photos of the BeachBuoy in my image gallery and also see lots of underwater video shot with my Flip MinoHD placed inside the BeachBuoy as I snorkeled in St. Thomas.

	Image Gallery:Check out product photos of the Proporta BeachBuoy in action in St. Thomas.

I opened up the packaging and read the directions that clearly showed how to test out the seal before placing your valuable electronics inside the case. I placed some tissue paper inside the opening between the two clear plastic windows. You are then instructed to seal up the four seals (in two groups of two) that work similar to a heavy duty Ziploc bag. Next you roll the top down to match the red dot to red dot and roll until the green dots are revealed. Finally, you lower the Velcro flap onto the Velcro strip and press to seal it closed. There is a sturdy piece of string that lets you carry the BeachBuoy around your neck as you snorkel or swim in the water with your electronics. After taking the tissue paper out for a swim and seeing that it was completely dry, it was time to move on to a real piece of gear.

I placed my Flip MinoHD into the BeachBuoy and sealed it up nice and tight. I put on my snorkel gear and headed out into the waters of St. Thomas to shoot some underwater video. I was able to fully operate the Flip MinoHD and as you can see in my video the quality was actually quite good while recording through the clear plastic window of the BeachBuoy.

Back on the cruise ship I attached the BeachBuoy to my neck and took a ride down the waterslide. This is shown in the second part of my YouTube video embedded above. Everyone who saw the BeachBuoy in action was impressed and asked about it. I won't travel to the beach or pool without the BeachBuoy again and highly recommend it for anyone looking to seal up their camera or phone and use it in the elements.