No Go With the GoPro in Scuba Diving

You can’t go pro with a GoPro. A friend of mine told me right after his purchase of a GoPro that he was going to be a professional photographer. At the time I didn't think much of it because I had little knowledge of the system and had never used one before. I've still only fiddled with a GoPro once or twice since I had that conversation with him but if he told me that again I would have to concur.

I “DO NOT” claim to be a professional photographer and I would hardly call myself an amateur. Rather I’m an enthusiast of the hobby with only the intention of enjoying myself.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to bash the GoPro system I’m just trying to allude to the fact that by using it it won’t automatically make you a professional. That just sounds obvious but many people believe what’s portrayed on television is what it is like in actuality. For example, chances are you won’t get those stellar video of whitewater kayakers going over a waterfall on your first attempt using this camera.

While the GoPro is advertised as being waterproof and many scuba divers do use them I would recommend if you want those crisp photos with lots of color to upgrade to something better.

The deeper you venture underwater the less color that is visible. The acronym ROYGBIV explains, the first color that is lost is the reds followed by orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. Eventually if you get deep enough the only visible color is black. In order to get those good shots of colorful reefs you need to add color back to the photo by use of a strobe or flashlight.

This was a photo of a Spanish Hogfish, because of the depth at which the photo was taken and the lack of a strobe the  purple and coloration on the fish was dulled.

The reason you shouldn't expect to become a professional when the only gear you own is a GoPro is because you can’t adjust anything with this camera. The camera is very limited with only and on/off and shoot button, this along with how compact is probably why it has received so much cloud. But if you want to take underwater photos that aren't dull and blue then you really need something that you can adjust the settings as well as being able to see the subject.

The GoPro is a plus in how compact the camera is but because it was made so tiny it is very limiting. You’ll notice as opposed to most cameras there isn't a viewfinder which isn't that big of a deal if you’re filming yourself scaling a mountain on a bike. All you have to do is point it in the general direction and hit play but what I've noticed is that you won’t be able to get those pictures that focus on a particular subject. What I mean by this is that without a zoom or focus option chances are many of your photos may become blurred.