Nick,

That mental image made me cringe. However, not all is lost.

The good news is that glass is pretty tough stuff. Some UD and high-index glasses can be soft (not really a problem) and absorb water. However, let's think positively tonight. The other good news is that absent your camera body there are no electrons flowing in the AF motors or circuitry.

Yes, you'l want to keep your lens submerged until you talk to Canon repair but that does not mean that you want to keep bathing it in the nasty Florida swamp water it's sitting in. Start with buckets of distilled water. As I recall the 100-400 extends as you zoom so SLOWLY pump the nasty water out, put the lens in the fresh water and SLOWLY draw distilled water in. You can slowly switch over to other fluids that aren't corrosive to circuit boards but not knowing the chemistry of the lens coatings I'd be hesitant to suggest anything.

Obviously, Canon repair is going to have to disassemble and clean each lens. They may decide the AF motors and circuitry need replacing. These are all expensive propositions. However, we can hope that the total charge will be less than a new lens.

Good luck and keep us posted!

Chad

p.s. Whereabouts in Florida? Is that home? I live in Palm City - north of West Palm. I wouldn't jump into a wetlands area either...