A grip in the hand is worth two at the bottom of the ocean. But that doesn’t have to be the case, as long as you have a brightly-coloured grip for your action-cam that’ll dip and sway – and this is important – on the surface of the water. Then you’re going going to have to go diving to retrieve your GoPro, unless you really want to go diving.
We’ve Got A Floater
The GoPole Bobber, despite sounding like a complicated move done by a dancer at one of those men’s entertainment clubs I’ve heard so much about, is a handheld grip designed specifically for use during watersports. So waterskiing, surfing or… diving(?) is where you’re going to be whipping out this large yellow bomber. Whether you’re actually doing the riding or just floating along with your life-jacket and jet-ski is up to you.
Read More: GoPole Grenade Grip
Bobbing For Cameras
The GoPole Bobber has enough flotation to hold a GoPro, which only weighs in at around 200g (if that) with the housing in place, on the surface of the ocean, dam, river or swimming pool you’re mucking around in. The weight of the camera pulls the handle vertical, making it easy to see the yellow against the blue, white and – if you’re extremely unlucky – red surrounding it.
Which is a preferable arrangement to having it sink to the bottom of the sea, which is what you’re sure to have happen with the Grenade Grip from GoPole. But that’s why you don’t take grenades into the sea. For a nominal cost, compared to what you’re shelling out for a GoPro Hero4 Black, you’re not going to be giving your insurance company grey hairs.
Past Experience
I’ll be quite honest, we’ve had a GoPole Bobber at Stuff before. We didn’t do the review back then because it managed to strip the retaining screw right out of the box. At the time this was likely the cause of a manufacturing fault and didn’t happen this go-around. Still, it’s something that would make me hesitant to recommend the Bobber whole-heartedly. First impressions and all that.
Verdict
If you’re venturing into the sea, a Bobber could just save your session. There’s nothing worse than that sinking feeling of watching an expensive piece of equipment sinking to the bottom of the ocean, never to be seen again. That said, this is still a cheaper alternative and the build issues Stuff has seen in the past mean that you should still be careful with your cam.
