If you’re heading underwater soon then taking your GoPro scuba diving is one of the easiest ways to capture your journey into the big blue.

So to help you make the most of your next scuba diving trip here’s a full rundown of everything you need to know about taking your GoPro underwater, from dive housing and filters to the best photo and video settings…

 

GoPro Scuba Diving Setup – Gear, Settings & Tips

Which GoPro For Diving?

So which GoPro is best for scuba diving?

Well as per my GoPro for vlogging rundown – the Hero 8 and GoPro Hero 9 and GoPro Hero 10 are going to be the main contenders.

Personally though the GoPro Hero 9 is by far the best option, with vastly improved white balance, colours and of course the improved Hypersmooth stabilisation, or if you have the extra cash to splash to new GoPro Hero 10 packs the biggest punch of the current GoPro range.

Bottom line is – if you’re buying your first GoPro and have the money to splurge, get the Hero 10 – and check out the official GoPro site for some awesome bundle deals.

 

 

Underwater Housing

Since the Hero 7 GoPros have been waterproof without a housing – but only to 10m. This is obviously fine for stuff like surfing and even snorkelling – but if you’re taking your GoPro diving you’ll need a dedicated GoPro dive housing.

The official GoPro Supersuit is my preferred option – it’s well built and allows you to take your GoPro scuba diving up to 40m, which is more than enough for the average scuba diver!

Just make sure you get the correct Supersuit option for your GoPro, as changes in the lenses and body of the camera mean the Hero 7, 8 and 9 and 10 all needed different housings.
 

 

GoPro Dive Filters

As a diver I’m sure you’ll be aware that colours change the deeper you go – and from 5m downwards the colour red quickly fades away, which is why things start appearing more green and blue and also why a lot of early GoPro dive footage looks very colour cast,.

The latest GoPro (especially the GoPro Hero 9) have massively improved the auto white balance, which reduces this colour cast a lot – however a dedicated GoPro dive filter is still something I’d recommend investing in to help make the most of your footage.

There are a whole bunch of option on Amazon – but I’ve found the Polar Pro ones are really reliable and well built.

Just clip them on once you get past 5m and you’re all good to go!

For those diving in fresh water or cooler water with more greenish hues there’s also a Magneta filter too – so you can tailor your filters to where you’re diving.
 

 

Best Dive Handle

When it comes to the best GoPro poles/selfie sticks/handles for diving I swear by my 19″ Extendable Pole that I grabbed off of Amazon.

I’ve gone through a lot of GoPro poles over the years – many have broken or succumbed to rust due to salt water, but this surprisingly cheap option has handles everything I’ve thrown at it and it’s still going strong.

It even got chomped on by a curious reef shark and survived, albeit with a few scratches!

One of the biggest advantages it has is the fact it can extend to 19″ – allowing me to get in a bit closer with the GoPro and also snap some selfies, and for jumping in or getting out of the water it folds down really nicely and can easily be stored in your BCD pocket.

 

 

Best Settings For Video

• Video Resolution = 2.7K or 4K (depending on your preference)
• Frame Rate = 60FPS (which allows slow mo and good quality screen grabs too)
• Field of Vision = Wide
• Hypersmooth = On

ProTune Settings:

• EV Comp = -0.5
• Max ISO = 100
• Max ISO = 400
• Sharpness = High

Top Tip: Remember that once your GoPro is inside your GoPro dive housing you no longer have the ability to change any of your settings! So with this in mind make sure you have your photo, dive and timelapse settings all sorted before you hit the water!

Best Setting For Photos

Photo

• Zoom = Linear Angle
• EV Comp = -0.5
• Max ISO = 100
• Max ISO = 400
• Sharpness = High

Timelapse:

• 0.5 second
• Zoom = Wide Angle
• EV Comp = -0.5
• Max ISO = 100
• Max ISO = 400
• Sharpness = High

 

5 Easy Tips For Better GoPro Footage

And of course even the bets GoPro accessories aren’t necessarily going to make your footage heaps better – so here are my 5 easy tips for getting the most out of your video footage and taking your style to the next level!

1) Add movement

This is by far the best trick you can start using to really up your videography game. Adding movement to your shots not only adds a new dynamic it will make easy editing much more easy and effective too. Experiment with moving towards your subject, slowly backing away to reveal a scene or panning either sideways or up/down across your subject matter. It’s so simply but really effective

2) Use reveals

Ah the good old reveal! Whether it’s removing your hand from the lens to join to shots together or set the scene, panning from behind an object (such as a tree or lamppost) to reveal what you’re focusing on or even lifting the camera from below to above the water level – reveals are another great tool to use.

3) Shoot at the right time of day

Another simple, but well overlooked tip is to make sure you’re shooting at the right time of day. Hate how blown out and harsh everything looks in your shot? Chance are you’re shooting right in the middle of the day. Sunrise and sunset are known as golden hour – where the light is warm, soft and lights a scene much better than during the peak of the day. Get up early to catch the early light (and also miss the crowds) and you’ll get waaaay better footage, or aim for just before sunset.

4) Get creative with the inbuilt modes

the Hero 9 comes with some super fun and creative inbuilt modes which can make your edits really pop. TimeWarp is my personal favourite and is great for capturing journeys and moving through longer scenes – such as crossing bridges or wandering through a city.

So play around and get creative!

5) Make the most of frame rates

My final tip would be to play around and make the most of the range of frame rates your GoPro has to offer. Basically the larger the frame rate, the more you can slow down the footage – which is awesome for some powerful slow mo section in your edit. The higher the frame rate the slower you can go, so for fast action sports (like surfing or motocross) shooting in 120FPS or even 240FPS can be super effective.