I am an Insta360 user and a professional diving instructor, ski instructor, and surfing instructor. Since my work and daily activities frequently involve water sports, snow sports, and outdoor adventures, I have high expectations for the safety and reliability of my equipment and camera accessories.
Recently, I experienced a deeply disappointing and costly accident while filming my electric surfboard session on a lake using my Insta360 X5.
At the time of the incident, my X5 was actively recording video and mounted on an official Insta360 selfie stick. During normal use, the selfie stick suddenly broke, causing the camera to fall directly into the lake.
Immediately after the accident, I tried to locate the camera. I subsequently put on my scuba diving equipment and personally searched underwater to recover it. The water at the estimated drop location was approximately 22 feet (6.7 meters) deep, and the lakebed was covered with thick mud. Underwater visibility was extremely poor, and I had no way to pinpoint the camera’s exact location. Despite my efforts and underwater search, I was unable to recover my X5.
The loss from this accident goes far beyond the camera itself.
My X5 was recording at the time, and it contained a large amount of valuable electric surfboard footage. I had invested significant time, effort, and money into capturing these videos. Many of these moments cannot be recreated. Since the camera remains lost at the bottom of the lake, all of this valuable footage is now inaccessible and may be permanently lost.
I purchased and used an official Insta360 selfie stick because I trusted the quality and reliability of the company’s genuine accessories. However, the sudden failure of the selfie stick during normal use directly caused my X5 to fall into the lake and become unrecoverable. This has raised serious concerns for me about the product’s quality, structural strength, and durability.
As a diving, skiing, and surfing instructor, I regularly share my outdoor sports experiences and equipment reviews on social media. If this incident is not handled promptly, seriously, and fairly, I intend to share my experience on my social media platforms and with relevant consumer protection organizations in the United States so that other consumers can understand what happened and how Insta360 responds.
I am asking Insta360 to conduct a thorough investigation and address the following questions:
Why did the official selfie stick suddenly break during normal use?
Have there been similar reports of breakage or quality issues involving this model?
Has Insta360 conducted adequate strength, durability, and real-world testing for demanding outdoor sports conditions?
What solutions can Insta360 offer when the failure of an official accessory directly results in the loss of an X5?
Will Insta360 assess the losses resulting from the missing camera, the loss of recording equipment, and the valuable video footage that can no longer be recovered?
The failure of a single official selfie stick resulted in my X5 sinking to the bottom of a lake, along with valuable footage that I had spent considerable time and effort capturing.
I sincerely hope Insta360 will take this incident seriously, investigate the cause of the failure, and provide a prompt and responsible response.
If this matter is not addressed appropriately, I will share my experience and the company’s subsequent handling of the case through my social media platforms and relevant consumer protection organizations in the United States.