Divevolk Saves the Day: A Phone's 3-Day Ocean Odyssey

By Ricky Jehen • Published July 26, 2025 • Updated July 26, 2025
Waterproof Case Test: Phone Lost in Ocean for 72 Hours

This is a true story from DIVEVOLK user and passionate adventurer, Weiyang Toh.

For Weiyang, a Singaporean expat living in Brisbane, life is all about the water. Whether he's diving, fishing, or kayaking, he's always seeking his next coastal adventure. And like many modern explorers, his smartphone—a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra—is his essential companion, safely sealed in his DIVEVOLK housing. It's his camera, his navigation tool, and his emergency lifeline, all in one.

On a recent dive trip off the Brisbane coast, that lifeline was put to the ultimate, unexpected test.

The Gut-Wrenching Moment of Loss

The dive was fantastic—a routine, enjoyable session exploring the local underwater scenery. As the sun began to set, Weiyang and his friends returned to the beach to pack up their gear. It was in the fading light, amidst the usual post-dive hustle of rinsing equipment and loading the car, that the gut-punch moment hit.

"Where's my phone?"

It was gone. The DIVEVOLK housing, with his Samsung phone inside, had vanished. A frantic search began. With torches cutting through the growing darkness, they scoured the vast beach, retracing every step from the water's edge to the car park. Nothing. The reality began to sink in: his phone, with all its precious photos, contacts, and connections, was likely lost forever, either buried in the sand or, worse, claimed by the incoming tide.

A Slim Hope and a Tense Wait

Though feeling defeated, Weiyang made one last smart move. Using a friend's phone, he remotely activated Samsung's "Lost Mode" (similar to Find My iPhone). This locked the device, preventing anyone from accessing it, and displayed a custom message on the screen with a contact number. It was a slim hope, a digital message in a bottle cast out to the universe.

For two long, tense days, there was silence. The hope faded with each passing hour.

Then, a glimmer of hope. A message came through to his friend's phone. A stranger, walking on a completely different beach miles away, had found the phone and housing washed up on the shore!

The Moment of Truth

Weiyang arranged to meet the kind stranger and retrieve his gear. Externally, the housing had clearly been through the wringer. It was scuffed, covered in sand, and had endured three days of being tossed by the saltwater tides. The real question was, how had the inside fared?

"I was nervous opening it," Weiyang admits. "I was fully expecting to find a phone ruined by saltwater."

He carefully unlatched the housing, broke the seal, and opened it up. What he saw was unbelievable. Inside, his Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra was perfectly dry and pristine. He held the power button, and the screen lit up instantly, fully functional, with no signs of water damage whatsoever.

The Ultimate Proof of a Perfect Seal

If the perfectly working phone wasn't proof enough, Weiyang discovered something else that confirmed the housing's incredible seal. When he opened the small, separate compartment of the grip handle, he found tiny, dry inhabitants inside—small insects or dust bunnies that had been there before the dive. This was undeniable proof: after three days in the ocean, zero water had penetrated the housing, not even into the smallest, non-critical crevices.

Why Reliable Protection is Non-Negotiable

Weiyang's story is a powerful reminder of why we build our housings the way we do. For adventurers, your phone is more than just a camera. It's your:

  • Underwater Navigator: The ability to use your phone's Compass is essential for maintaining orientation and preventing disorientation during a dive.
  • Lifeline: Knowing you have access to GPS and satellite phone capability at the surface provides immense peace of mind. In a true emergency, this feature could be a lifesaver.
  • Creative Tool: And of course, the full touchscreen control allows for professional-grade photography, videography, and access to any app you need, from fish ID guides to entertainment during deco stops.

For adventurers whose gear faces water, sand, drops, and the unexpected, reliable protection isn't a luxury—it's essential. We're incredibly proud that in this real-world, multi-day ordeal, DIVEVOLK delivered beyond expectations.


A huge thank you to Weiyang for sharing his incredible story and video with our community! You can follow more of his adventures on his Instagram (@tohthetoaster) and YouTube channel.

Ricky Jehen

Ricky Jehen

Ricky is a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer with more than 20 years of diving adventures around the world — from colorful coral reefs to historic shipwrecks. Based in Bali, Indonesia, he’s passionate about underwater photography and marine conservation. At DivevolkDiving.com, Ricky shares hands-on gear reviews, safety tips, and personal stories from beneath the waves, inspiring others to dive deeper and capture the ocean’s beauty with Divevolk’s smartphone housings and accessories.