How To Use A GoPro To Get Great Underwater Videos
Are you new to underwater photography or video? For many beginners, the vast selection of expensive gear to choose from can be daunting and confusing. In my opinion the best value underwater camera for beginners is something every adventure photographer/videographer should have- an action camera. I first dipped my toes into the world of underwater video with a cheap action camera in 2016. Fast forward to today, and action camera technology has come a loooong way, allowing you to get incredibly high quality images out of a device the size and weight of a cricket ball, setting you back a couple hundred pounds (or dollars if you’re not from the UK). I still take my GoPro on nearly every dive, and use it for almost all of my underwater Instagram reels and stories, ID shots for wildlife research, or sharing videos to my guests of exciting wildlife encounters.
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Underwater Video Tips
Why do I use a GoPro for underwater video?
What GoPro model and accessories do I use?
What are the best GoPro settings for underwater video?
How I edit underwater GoPro videos
Underwater Video Tips
Just like photography, taking video is a creative process whether underwater or above the surface, and everyone should embrace their own unique style and preference. There are no rules, and you should try things out and have fun experimenting with different angles, compositions, lighting, subjects and more. That being said, here are a few valuable tips for getting great-looking videos underwater:
The foundation to good underwater video is to be comfortable and stable in the water. Working on skills such as bouyancy control, adapting to currents and surge, apnea for freediving shots etc. will help with all aspects of underwater video, from capturing smooth shots to ensuring that the wildlife is behaving naturally around you (instead of being scared away by your erratic doggy-paddling).
Generally, shooting upwards towards the surface will look nicer than shooting downwards at subjects deeper than you, as it creates contrast in the image and tends to flatter subjects.
Look for amazing natural light- I like taking most of my videos in shallow water as the natural lighting cast by sunlight refracting down through the water movement on the surface can create a beautiful atmosphere. Sunny days tend to give the best lighting but don’t be put off if the weather gods aren’t helping you out- raindrops hitting the surface can make a compelling backdrop to your video.
Photography composition guidelines such as the rule of thirds are also applicable for video. There are no real rules for creating images, but there are methods to composing your image such as framing, leading lines, rule of thirds, creating depth in your image and many more that can be a very useful starting point.
Vertical vs. Horizontal shooting: If you’re shooting videos for social media such as Tiktoks, Instagram Reels or Youtube Shorts, you can turn the GoPro to shoot vertically and your videos will be easy to compose in the correct aspect ratio. Alternatively, shooting horizontally gives more versatility with how you use the footage (you may later want horizontal footage for other projects such as a portfolio), and 4K horizontal footage can be cropped to a 9:16 vertical aspect ratio for use as short form social media content whilst still being 1080p (the quality that videos are displayed at on Instagram and Tiktok). If shooting horizontally for vertical video, it is important to keep the crop in mind while you are shooting to make sure the image will be composed nicely when cropped.
Keeping camera movements smooth makes everything look a thousand times better. A handle or tray can help to reduce shake, but I find that just handholding my GoPro with a steady hand tends to work fine (with the help of the GoPro’s inbuilt stabilisation and sometimes a bit of warp stabiliser in post).
Videos are just photos that move, so I like to make the most of this medium by generally capturing subjects that are moving to make the most of the medium. Megafauna, schools of fish, soft corals… there is so much movement in coral reefs to choose from. That being said, you can play with this concept. For example, a static subject in the middle of a lot of movement can be an interesting idea to experiment with.
Safety should always be a priority. If diving, make sure to keep an eye on your depth, ascent speed, air pressure, and NDL, and maintain an awareness of your buddy. Diving with a camera can be very distracting; I’ve lost track of the number of divers that I’ve had to grab and remind to check their depth because they were about to follow a Mola Mola with their GoPro down to 60m.
Always be environmentally conscious and respectful of the wildlife. Never try to touch, harass, chase, move or influence the wildlife that you are trying to capture, and make sure not to damage coral or other fragile marine life. Keeping all of your movements very slow, smooth, relaxed and natural helps a lot with keeping the wildlife comfortable with your presence, which can help with getting those up close shots.
Avoiding staring at the wildlife can also help- letting your eyes slowly graze over your subject and then looking around at something else lets most wildlife understand that you’re not a threat. It’s a way of saying to the wildlife “I’ve noticed you but I’m not really that interested in you”. I’ll often just casually float over to a school of fish or a turtle and pretend to be looking at something else while I film them (this is amazingly effective)- most animals don’t know what a camera is but they know what eyes are, and if your eyes are locked on them then that’s very easy to perceive as threatening, meaning you won’t get very close and might unnecessarily stress the wildlife.
GoPro’s are built for wide-angle action shots. Whilst you can buy macro lenses to attach to your GoPro, I would recommend another camera such as an Olympus TG-6 or a high-performing camera phone in a Divevolk housing for anyone looking to start their underwater macro photography or video journey.
The best shot is the one you are able to get. If a tiger shark suddenly shows up out of nowhere but it’s not in the perfect position above you with nice lighting or the visibility is awful, get a video anyway! At worst the video can be deleted, or can be a nice personal reminder of a great experience if you don’t feel like it’s up to your personal standards for posting. I often post these videos on Instagram anyway, as I love to share my adventures with my friends, family and followers even if I didn’t capture it as beautifully as I would have liked.
Try not to beat yourself up about missed shots. It happens so often- maybe you forget to charge your GoPro, you hit the wrong button and it doesn’t record, your finger was in the frame blocking the subject… I think it’s important to prioritise your own enjoyment of the experience, and if you get a nice video, that’s a great bonus. Sometimes I purposely don’t use my GoPro for certain encounters because I just want to experience them without the distraction of trying to get the perfect shot.
If you’re shooting with your GoPro in a housing, anti-fog inserts or small silicone packets can help to prevent fogging. Inserting the camera into the housing in a dry environment (avoid humidity) and making sure that the camera is completely dry before sealing the housing will also help to prevent this problem.
Always remember to wash your GoPro with fresh water after taking it in the ocean. This prevents any salt build-up that might otherwise cause irreparable corrosion and damage or discolouration to your GoPro. The best method is to immerse the camera in a freshwater bath for at least a few minutes, and to press each button on the camera or housing whilst under the surface of the freshwater to wash out any salt caught under the buttons.
Why do I use a GoPro for underwater video?
When it comes to capturing stunning underwater content, versatility is key. While I usually rely on my mirrorless Sony A7II with a wide-angle lens in a Seafrogs Housing for dedicated photo or video shoots, the GoPro Hero 10 accompanies me on almost all of my dives because of its convenience or portability. If I’m working with guests, travelling light or diving in particularly hectic conditions then a big, bulky camera setup isn’t often the most practical solution. This is where the GoPro shines- I can clip it to my equipment, dive hands free and the camera housing is so compact that I could forget it’s even there (which has actually happened for several amazing wildlife encounters- whoops). To capture video or photos for online content, scientific data collection or sharing with my dive group,I can unclip it and start filming in a matter of seconds. It takes up almost no space in my bags when travelling, can take an absolute beating, and can shoot up to 5.3k (that’s not far off a cinema quality camera).
What GoPro model and accessories do I use?
I purchased a GoPro Hero 10 in 2021 to replace the Hero 7 I previously had before it was unfortunately robbed in Madagascar (a story for another time). As the latest model at the time, I found that the cheapest place to buy it was actually directly from the GoPro store, where they regularly do special deals and promotions that are insanely good value (I think I paid around $350 for the GoPro and a year’s subscription to GoPro membership which can be easily cancelled if you don’’t want to keep paying for it). I love the waterproofing, hyperstabilisation and insane resolutions available at high framerates with this and newer generations, but anything above a GoPro Hero 6 Black is capable of at least 4K resolution at 60fps. Whilst they dominated the action camera market for years, Gopro has recently seen lots of formidable competition. The DJI Osmo Action series and Insta360 Ace Pro enjoy a lot of great reviews and have very impressive stats- unfortunately I haven’t had the chance to test either so for now I can only heartily recommend my trusty GoPro.
I use a third-party housing for my GoPro when diving as the camera is only waterproof to 10m depth (I’ve seen them survive deeper than this- they start giving warnings and powering off but I definitely wouldn’t recommend taking it any deeper than it’s rated to without a housing). My rationale for a third-party housing was mostly financial- it was 1/4 the price of a GoPro housing, and so far it has held up well for over a thousand dives (many to 30m+, it tends to get a tiny bit of leakage around 40m but that’s not too much of an issue as the GoPro is waterproof). I DIY-ed a wrist strap with an S-clip which I use to attach the GoPro to myself when diving.
For now I forgo a red filter, I might invest in one some time as they can bring a lot of enhancement to deeper footage, but I really don’t think they’re necessary when snorkeling or diving less than 10-12m as long as you have adequate visibility and plenty of light. However it should be noted that I always adjust my GoPro footage colours in post.
My next investment? An underwater video light to restore some of the colours that are lost when shooting at depth. While primarily intended for use with my mirrorless Sony for up close photos of corals/ fish schools (I’d love a strobe setup but video lights are a lot cheaper- that’s a whole other topic) but I can definitely see myself trying it out with my GoPro too. For beginners I’d say this there are probably other accessories that give better value for money than a light (but I might change my tune when I get my hands on one).
What are the best GoPro settings for underwater video?
This is probably is one of the questions that pops up in my Instagram inbox most regularly. Many people are even unaware that the videos I share are captured on a GoPro. When diving with the GoPro in a housing it’s not possible to access the settings menu, so I set everything up before closing the housing, and can’t change my settings mid-dive. Here’s a quick run-through of the settings that I personally prefer, to help you unlock the full potential of your GoPro underwater:
Resolution / Frame Rate: 5.3k / 60fps - I like shooting at maximum resolution because you can always compress your video but you can’t add resolution if it’s not there. I tend to shoot at 60fps, this means I can slow my footage down to 1/2 speed which tends to look great with most underwater subjects and smooths out a lot of shake. If you want to slow your footage down even more you can push the Gopro Hero 10 to 120fps at 4K resolution. Most underwater scenarios probably don’t require 240fps but if needed you can capture this super slow-mo and still retain a FHD resolution of 2.7k.
Stabilisation: Hypersmooth 4.0 Boost - one of the things that has kept GoPro as one of the best performing action cameras for years is their stabilisation software. I shoot with maximum stabilisation enabled to keep my footage nice and smooth (and I will often stabilise even more in post), but it should be noted that this does crop the image slightly.
Field of View (FOV): Wide - I usually shoot on wide mode- this is equivalent to a wide angle (16-34mm) lens on a traditional full-frame camera, and is perfect for capturing epic shots with lots of action as long as you are close to your subject. I don’t tend to use the Superview mode because this is so wide that it causes a bit of a fisheye effect, which isn’t usually what I go for in my videos.
Hindsight Off - this can be a useful trick if you don’t know when the action is going to happen, as it records for 15 or 30 seconds before you even press the shutter button., but I tend to leave my GoPro off when I’m not filming to save battery life.
Protune - turning on protune gives you more control over your GoPro’s settings, similar to manual mode on a traditional digitsl camera. If you’re not fluent in camera settings it can be best to start off with Protune off and let the camera take care of everything for you, before building up to a level of knowledge where you know what all of these settings mean. I personally do use Protune with the following settings: High Bitrate for best quality. Shutter speed is auto by necessity- you can’t adjust this when you’re underwater. I usually set an Exposure Value compensation of -0.5 or -1 (to make sure that the highlights don’t get clipped if I’m shooting upwards towards the surface on a sunny day). The auto White Balance on the GoPro is usually pretty good so I leave it on auto and tend to make a few adjustments in post. I set a minimum ISO of 100 and a maximum of 1200 (sometimes I’m in a cave or the visibility and lighting are terrible but I still want to get videos of the cool sharks). Sharpness I leave on medium, I’ve played around with high sharpness but I find that it gives a less natural, slightly harsh sharpness. I mostly shoot in a flat colour profile to give myself more to work with in colour correction, but honestly the “GoPro Color” colour profile on the GoPro Hero 10 is pretty good and I’ll frequently use it if I’m feeling a bit lazy and only want to do minor colour correction, and don’t want to worry too much about how the video will look when its compressed if uploading to social media.
Quikcapture On - this is such a great option for the way I use my GoPro- I can turn on and start filming with a single button press which is perfect if my GoPro is off but a whale shark suddenly shows up and I want to capture the moment. The camera also turns itself off when you press the shutter button again to finish filming, making the whole process super simple and easy to do on autopilot (which is important when I’m diving in difficult conditions or looking after other divers).
How do I edit my GoPro videos?
If you’re new to making and editing videos, the GoPro Quik app is a super easy and intuitive app for basic editing; this is what I usually use if I’m in the field and want to quickly edit and post a video to my Instagram stories. I quickly trim the clip down to the required length (if nothing else I remove a fraction of a second at the beginning and end to avoid the jerky movement from me pressing the shutter button), crop it if needed (or rotate if I shot at some wonky angles), slap on a filter (the dive or snorkel filters are good for most underwater footage but I wouldn’t usually recommend anything more than around 80% strength- less is more when it comes to filters), slow it down (I put a lot of my clips at half speed as standard but the Quik app actually allows you to change the speeds of different parts of the clip which can be quite fun and creative), and then make a couple of minor final adjustments (again I tend to adjust very sparingly to keep things looking natural).
For those more comfortable with video editing, I use DaVinci Resolve to edit my videos if I want to put in a bit more time and care. Without going into too much detail, for the majority of videos I just trim, do any cropping, stabilise (the stabilisation algorithms are pretty great but the settings often need a bit of playing around with to get the best results), and then colour correct (I mostly use curves for my colour correction and will often play around with a few creative LUTs) and the clip is ready to export, or use as part of a longer sequence. The options for editing with DaVinci Resolve are pretty limitless and I can definitely recommend watching some Youtube tutorials and getting creative with your edits.
