United Nations of Lowepro

The climate of Somalia is hardly ideal for camera gear: hot, dusty and for U.N. Peace Keepers sometimes quite dangerous. When he served in Africa, Sean Willard added salt water to the list of hazards facing camera equipment. Willard took a weeks leave in Mombasa, Kenya scuba diving and shooting. Realizing that a diving boat was ideal for photography, he took his camera gear aboard and stowed it safely in a dry area at the back of the boat.

The diving was memorable and Willard was fascinated by African marine life. After an hour and a half in the water, he returned to the boat and found his camera bag awash in water. He had forgotten that when the stern is lowered to form a diving platform the boat is open to the ocean waves. Salt water was half way up his Lowepro Mini Mag AW. Willard knew his equipment was ruined. But the dives had been so exciting, he didn't want to open the camera bag and face the damage just yet.

Back at his hotel, Willard finally opened the bag. To his amazement, he found the interior bone dry and the equipment, a brand new Nikon 801S, two lenses and expensive accessories completely unharmed. A little dishwashing detergent took the salt out of the bag. According to his dad, who had given him the Mini Mag AW, the bag looked like it had just come off the shelf. Willard himself says simply," I'm a believer!" When we designed our All-Weather cover (AW) bags for extreme climates, we didn't anticipate undersea adventures like Sean Willard's. But we're glad to be part of his happy ending. And our hat's off to U.N. peace keepers of all nationalities for their dedicated efforts.