Supercharge Your Underwater GoPro Video With The Best Techniques & Gear

Are you a diver who just wants to capture a few cool moments underwater? Or maybe you’re all about getting the best video possible from every dive. Or perhaps you're already using a big camera rig and want to add a GoPro for quick clips. No matter your style or experience level, the right gear and tips will help you make the most of your GoPro underwater video. To help you figure out what type of shooter you are, we’ve broken things down into three main types of underwater GoPro user, each with different needs, goals, and gear setups. Casual Shooters are only using their GoPro to pick up a few clips here and there during their dives. They are doing minimal editing, and are looking for the simplest, most streamlined gear possible. Dedicated Videographers are GoPro users that spend their entire dive capturing video, with the goal of creating the best video clips possible. These shooters will want the best gear and will shoot to edit a larger project. Big System Shooters are already using more advanced camera systems, but are looking for an easy way to pick up clips, typically for social media. These shooters will attach their GoPro to their larger system as a means to capture convenient video. Whatever your GoPro goals are, understanding your shooting style and choosing the right gear is the first step to getting the best results from your footage. Watch our video covering the best tips and gear for GoPro, so you can capture professional-level footage.Be sure to check out our GoPro Best Settings Guide and GoPro HERO13 Review as well.THE CASUAL SHOOTER If you’re using a simple GoPro setup and just want to grab a few clips during your dive, and only plan on sharing your footage with friends and family with minimal editing—this section is for you. Here's how to improve your shots while keeping your setup simple. Protect Your GoPro & Add Accessories With A Housing A sturdy underwater housing is essential. GoPros are waterproof on their own, but a housing will increase the depth limit from 33 feet to 197 feet and deeper depending on the option. Housings also make it easier to mount and operate your GoPro underwater. The standard GoPro Protective Housing is our go-to choice due to its low cost and compatibility with the most accessories. There are other, tougher, aluminum housings available such as the Isotta GoPro Housing, with its deeper depth limit of 646ft (200m). The Isotta GoPro Housing is also directly compatible with FLIP Filters and the Backscatter Sharp Wide Lens Pro using an optional Isotta GoPro Housing Mount. The AOI UH-GPX housing is a more advanced option, with a built-in monitor screen for ease of viewing, with features as a vacuum system, focus peaking, and internal battery for longer run-times. Starting with a good housing will not only keep your GoPro safe, it makes it easier to use underwater, and allows for accessories to be used. Use FLIP Filters For Vibrant Color If you’re snorkeling or diving shallow at 20 feet or less, modern GoPros do a good job using auto white balance. However, for deeper dives or when using older GoPro models, using color correction filters becomes a must. As you dive deeper, reds, oranges, and yellows start to disappear, leaving your footage looking washed out and cyan. The FLIP Filter system is modular, allowing you to easily swap out filters and lenses depending on your shooting needs. FLIP Filters are a simple and effective solution. The FLIP Filter Frame attaches to the outside of your GoPro housing, allowing you to flip different filters and lenses based on your shooting needs. FLIP Filters are specifically formulated to work at different depths. Flip in the DIVE filter at 20–45 feet and the DEEP filter for 45–80 feet. If you are diving deeper than 80 feet, or are in a darker environment, we recommend using video lights for the best color and exposure. Video lights and filters can also be used together with some GoPro cameras, such as the GoPro HERO13, resulting in punchier color. FLIP Filters can turn cyan, washed out looking footage into eye-grabbing, colorful clips.Get Razor Sharp Macro Footage With The +15 MACROMATE MINI GoPros can't focus on close subjects on their own. The +15 MACROMATE MINI lens allows your GoPro to focus on smaller, macro subjects. It integrates seamlessly with the FLIP Filter system, making it easy to switch between filters and lenses. The +15 MACROMATE MINI will work best with a video light and a tripod, for better exposed, stable footage.Using the +15 MACROMATE MINI, you can now get closer to small subjects for tack-sharp, macro video. Stability—Key To Pro Looking Footage Even with GoPro’s incredible Hypersmooth stabilization, nothing can replace good buoyancy and trim when diving. Though you can use a selfie stick or single handle tray, the Backscatter Double Handle and Tray offers superior stability, creating more smooth, cinematic shots. Stability is everything for professional looking footage, and without a tray your footage can be super-shaky and difficult to watch.THE DEDICATED VIDEOGRAPHER If your focus is capturing the best underwater video, congrats, you’ve advanced from diver to underwater videographer! The key to great footage is preparation, capturing a variety of shots, and using the best gear for the job. Here we will outline our favorite gear and how it falls into place when capturing a sequence to tell a story, from wide establishing scenes to tight macro shots. Plan Your Dives Creating a plan will help you get the most out of your time underwater, allowing you to get the best shots possible. Be sure to research your dive sites ahead of time and talk to local dive guides about what marine life you might encounter at your destination and specific dive sites. Build a shot list and put together a story. This will help keep you on task during your dives, so you’re not wasting time underwater wondering what to shoot. Doing your research ahead of time will go a long way to creating a more comprehensive and interesting story. Shoot Different Perspectives To Tell The Story To create a comprehensive story plan on capturing many different perspectives in order to make it dynamic and interesting to view. Shoot wide establishing shots to create context and show the environment of your subject. Then capture medium shots to display your specific subject. Next, shoot tight, close up shots to highlight specific features to bring it all home. To make shooting this easy, use the right gear that will give you the edge in capturing each perspective. Here is an example of capturing different perspectives using the lenses available to your GoPro in order to tell a complete story. The first shot on the left was captured using the Backscatter Sharp Wide Lens Pro, for a wide, establishing shot. The middle shot was used with the standard GoPro lens, for a slightly tighter point of view, focusing on the subject. For an even tighter close-up, the +15 MACROMATE MINI was used to highlight the subject only.For Wide Angle & Establishing Shots, Use The Sharp Wide Lens Pro The Backscatter Sharp Wide Lens Pro is the perfect piece of gear for capturing sweeping establishing shots, large subjects, and all around more epic footage. The Backscatter Sharp Wide Lens Pro expands your field of view to 140 degrees and delivers sharper footage while also allowing you to focus closer to your subject for close ups. The Backscatter Sharp Wide Lens Pro is critical to capturing the best wide angle footage, thanks to its wide field of view and sharp image quality. It can also use color correction filters for vibrant colors on your dive, with Dive and Deep filters covering 20-45 feet and 45-80 feet, just like the FLIP FIlters. The Backscatter Sharp Wide Lens Pro uses a quick release mount, so you can easily remove it during the dive to change from wide to tighter shots, or even use other lenses. Overall, the Backscatter Sharp Wide Lens Pro makes such a big impact on your footage, we can’t imagine diving without it. Check out the Backscatter Sharp Wide Lens Pro in action and see the boost to image quality it provides.Switch To Macro Instantly Want to go from wide to macro on the same dive? Using the 55mm Lens QRS-02 Mount Adapter, the +15 MACROMATE MINI now fits on the same mount as the Sharp Wide Lens Pro. You can now easily swap from wide angle to macro on the same dive, allowing you to take full advantage of the GoPro’s versatility. Using the +15 MACROMATE MINI, you can capture tight, close-ups, filling the frame with golf ball sized subjects, giving you a completely different perspective for your video. Using the 55mm Lens QRS-02 Mount Adapter, you can now use the +15 MACROMATE MINI on the same mount as your Backscatter Sharp Wide Lens Pro, making switching between wide and macro seamless.Use Lights For Better Color & Exposure Lighting is essential for macro video, since filters aren’t effective at super-close, macro shooting distances. Lights also help with wide angle shots in low light or deeper environments, by boosting color and exposure. The Backscatter Macro Wide 4300 pairs well with GoPro cameras since they offer both a wide beam for bigger scenes and subjects and a spot beam for macro subjects, matching the versatility of your GoPro. The Backscatter Macro Wide 4300 also has a compact build, and uses swappable batteries so you’ll always have lighting ready between dives. With solid video lights, you can now capture pro-looking GoPro video in a variety of different environments, and expose darker and macro scenes. Lights are invaluable for macro video or darker, deeper environments where filters are less effective. The Backscatter Hybrid Flash doubles as a 5,000 lumen video light and lets you shoot both photos and videos with your primary camera or a GoPro mounted on top.Use A Tray To Create A Stable, Modular Video Rig The Backscatter Double Handle Tray and Arch Package brings all the gear together. The two-handle design also allows you to stabilize your footage and provides mounting points for arms, video lights, tripods, and other accessories. The Arch can serve as a carry handle or to mount additional accessories like ball mounts and a lens holder. The lens holder in particular is a game-changing piece of gear, providing safe and convenient lens storage while you swap from wide to macro. The Double Handle Tray and Arch Package is home-base for all your accessories, all while providing extra grip and stability for smoother video clips. THE BIG SYSTEM SHOOTERMount Your GoPro To Any Big Rig If you're already using a full underwater camera system but want to add a GoPro for quick clips for social media, it’s super easy to integrate one into your rig. There are two main options for mounting a GoPro to your camera system. The first option involves using a GoPro Ball Mount, which combines a standard ball-style mount with a GoPro adapter. It attaches to your system using an accessory ball mount and clamp. Mounting the GoPro to a GoPro Ball Mount offers flexibility, giving you plenty of options on positioning and aiming it for the perfect shot. Another common mount are GoPro Cold Shoe Mounts. These attach to the cold shoe of housings and ports. They are simple, inexpensive and streamlined, but restrict how the GoPro can be aimed, only allowing the camera to be aimed upwards or downwards. There are a variety of different mounting solutions for GoPros on bigger rigs, making it easy to capture video on the go. Shoot Vertical & Horizontal on the Same Dive With The L-Bracket If your primary goal is to share content on platforms like Instagram using Reels or Stories, shoot vertical video in-camera. If you shoot horizontally and crop later, you end up losing 68% of the image, making it difficult to fit and frame larger subjects. Shooting vertically for social media to begin with will make for better composition, image quality and more natural looking video for your social media feed. This tip applies to all shooters, from casual to pros. If you plan on shooting both vertical and horizontal video, pick up an AOI L-Bracket. Using the AOI L-Bracket, you can easily switch from horizontal to vertical with a click of a button, no fiddling or fuss required. It can be mounted to a larger camera rig using a GoPro Ball Mount or directly to trays like the Backscatter Double Handle and Tray & The Arch. The AOI L-Bracket makes the switch from vertical social media shooting, to more traditional horizontal video quick and simple, making it easy to shoot for both formats on the same dive. START FILMING YOUR BEST VIDEO YET Whether you're capturing a few clips to share with friends and family or creating cinematic underwater stories, the right GoPro gear and techniques make all the difference. Using the tips and equipment from this guide, you'll be ready to shoot vibrant, stable, and professional-looking footage on every dive. The next step is to get in the water and start filming, your next epic clip could be just one dive away. Check out all the gear in the article listed below. If you have any questions give us a call or send us an email, and our knowledgeable staff will be happy to help out. WHY BUY FROM BACKSCATTER?Free lifetime tech support with every purchase. We will beat any advertised price. 20+ years of in-house warranty service and repair. Free shipping to USA and Canada and low-cost international shipping.Learn more!GOPRO HERO13The GoPro HERO13 CameraGoPro HERO13 Black Camera $399.99ORDER NOWThe GoPro HERO 13 Underwater HousingsGoPro Protective Housing for HERO9, HERO10, HERO11, HERO12, & HERO13 $49.99ORDER NOWIsotta GoPro Housing for HERO9, HERO10, HERO11, HERO12, & HERO13 $514.80ORDER NOWRecsea SVH-HERO9-M Housing for HERO9, HERO10, HERO11, HERO12, & HERO13 $750.00ORDER NOWAnglerfish AFCL-GP9 Housing for HERO9, HERO10, HERO11, HERO12, & HERO13 $850.00ORDER NOWAnglerfish AFCL-GP9-F570 Housing for HERO9, HERO10, HERO11, HERO12, & HERO13 $1,399.00ORDER NOWAOI UH-GPX Housing for HERO9, HERO10, HERO11, HERO12, & HERO13 $3,379.00ORDER NOWOutfit Your GoPro With Our Popular PackagesBackscatter Sharp Wide Lens Pro $229.00ORDER NOWBackscatter Sharp Wide Lens Pro Kit Regular Price: $358.00 Sale Price: $329.00You Save: $29.00ORDER NOWBackscatter Sharp Wide Lens Pro Package Regular Price: $397.95 Sale Price: $349.00You Save: $48.95ORDER NOWFLIP12 One Filter Kit Color Correction System with DIVE Filter $69.00ORDER NOWFLIP13 Two Filter Kit with DIVE & DEEP Color Correction Filters $119.00ORDER NOWFLIP13 Pro Package with DIVE & DEEP Filters and +15 MACROMATE Mini Regular Price: $288.00 Sale Price: $249.00You Save: $39.00ORDER NOWFLIP Wide Angle Blue Water PackageORDER NOWFLIP Wide and Macro PackageORDER NOWFLIP Macro Addict PackageORDER NOWFLIP Color Corrections Filters FLIP DIVE filter Bluewater Color Correction Red Filter $24.95ORDER NOW FLIP DEEP filter Bluewater Color Correction Red Filter $24.95ORDER NOW FLIP FLUORESCENCE Filter $24.95ORDER NOWFLIP5 55MM Threaded DIVE Color Correction Filter $26.95ORDER NOWFLIP5 55MM Threaded DEEP Color Correction Filter $26.95ORDER NOWClose Focus and Macro Correction Lenses FLIP 55MM +10 Close-Up Lens $26.95ORDER NOW +15 MACROMATE MINI Macro Lens & FLIP 55mm Adaptor $169.00ORDER NOW Backscatter 55mm Lens QRS-02 Mount Adapter +15 MACROMATE MINI Lens $59.00ORDER NOWFLIP Adapters & Accessories FLIP 55MM Filter Holder $32.95ORDER NOWFLIP FILTERS Neoprene Protective Pouch $8.95ORDER NOWFLIP FILTERS Neoprene Protective Wallet for Filters $9.95ORDER NOW

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