Four months ago, I lost my DJI Osmo Action 4 while canyoning. It landed in a pool roughly 2–3 meters (6–10 feet) deep, and I couldn't recover it at the time. When I returned recently, the water level had dropped to about 50 cm (20 inches), and after moving some rocks around, I actually found the camera.
It's dirty but looks surprisingly intact. The battery isn't visibly swollen, and all the doors appear to have stayed closed. I haven't turned it on, opened anything, or tried charging it yet.
Is there any realistic chance it still works? What should I do next, and—most importantly—what should I avoid doing? I'm willing to keep it as a souvenir if it's beyond repair, but it would be amazing if it could be brought back to life.
3 Answers
Don’t try to turn it on or charge it yet. If the battery can be safely removed, take it out, then have the camera opened and inspected for trapped moisture or corrosion. A repair technician can clean the internals with distilled or deionized water if necessary. After that, let everything dry thoroughly—ideally for a couple of weeks with silica-gel desiccant—before testing it. Avoid relying on rice, and don’t use external power until you know there’s no moisture or corrosion inside.
If you’re comfortable opening electronics, remove the battery and open the covers so air can reach the inside. Put the camera and parts in a sealed container with plenty of desiccant for several days or longer. Testing with a known-good power source after a complete inspection is safer than immediately charging the old battery, since a battery that has spent months submerged may be damaged even if it doesn’t look swollen.
There’s definitely a chance it survived, especially since the seals stayed closed, but four months underwater means corrosion may have started even if the outside looks fine. The best first step is careful cleaning and professional disassembly rather than simply plugging it in. At minimum, remove surface dirt without forcing water into the ports, dry it slowly, and treat the old battery as suspect.
That makes sense. I’ll leave it completely unpowered and get it inspected before trying anything.