[#2] UW Photography: Before your dive

So you've got your camera. Now what?

Understand your equipment. I would encourage you to first read the manual. Get to know your camera in its underwater housing. Underwater, you would not have time to figure out which button does what. Besides you might press the wrong button, and you might re-format your memory card. That would be a bummer. Go out and use your camera (with the housing and all its accessories, of course) and take photos. Get used to the camera. You should be able to change setting (at least basic ones) before you go diving. Nowadays there are countless how to Youtube videos for different cameras. You might want to check them out. You can also practice in the pool. The camera setting you will be using may be different but it will help you get to know your camera.


Always prepare your camera before you go out. Make sure your batteries are fully charged. Check if your memory card is in its slot. Also, if it still has space. It is frustrating when you see something interesting, say a Mola Mola and your camera ran out of batteries or even if your memory card is full. I had instances where the Dive Master showed me a nudibranch or three that I have never seen before and right at the moment I pressed the shutter, it shuts off. Prepare your underwater setup in your room where it is more comfortable and more convenient. Wake up earlier to start setting up. You would not want to rush when preparing your underwater photography equipment. Things that could go wrong would go wrong. Usually.

Check your o ring. Test in a bucket full of water. Typically dive centers provides containers filled with fresh water for their customers' underwater photography set up. Utilize fully your camera's functions. Olympus TG-5 has some added functions compared to its predecessor, TG-4. The users can save their favorite functions and move from one favorite functions to another at the twist of the knob. Use this advantage. 

Know your camera, and press the right button. 
This nudi won't forever stay this way.

I was in Tulamben looking for its macros. My favorite subject. We were about 10 meters from the shore, at about 10 meters deep. Eda, my Dive Master was showing me, I think a nudibranch. The day I arrived I told him, I need at least 40 very good photos of different subjects. Suddenly it was really dark; I thought it was raining. So I looked up. There was a whaleshark overlooking us. Unfortunately my camera was on macro setting, and I failed to learn the favorite functions before going to Bali. I snapped a photo of the whale shark and there's only its silhouette. The whale shark actually came back, but I could not change the functions in time, so only a 4 second video of 1 second appearance of the whale shark was shot. Don't ask me how I got to video mode. The moral of the story is, learn your camera thoroughly. Learn and learn again. Practice with it before you go anywhere with it.

Safety. This, though the third point, is most important. Whatever you wish to do, safety comes first. Know your dive site. Understand the obstacle. How's the current? How's the visibility like? Will there be anything that may harm you in any way at that dive site. Read up on the dive site. Ask around. If necessary leave your camera. I sometimes, purposely leave my camera at the room, during the first dive or even first day of diving. I would like to get used to the rented equipment. I know I could always repeat any of the dive sites. You also will need good control of buoyancy when taking a photo. Practice your buoyancy. You don't want to damage the corals or harm the corals when taking photos. Again, practice, practice, and practice again.

I believe these are three major ones. Hopefully with these tips, you will be able to avoid the mistakes I made.

Next one, will be on...... taking the photos. 😈