The best gifts for underwater photographers and scuba divers
Buying a gift for a scuba diver or underwater photographer? Check out this list of ideas.
If you’re an underwater photographer or scuba diver, you probably want to make sure that your photos look as good as possible.
That’s why we’ve put together this list of gifts for the photography-loving underwater enthusiast in your life—so they can get the best shot out of every dive!
Accessories for underwater photography
If the person you are gifting is already interested in underwater photography, chances are, that they already have a camera and an underwater housing.
If not, those are very good gift ideas as well 😉
However, you can never have “too many” accessories for underwater photography.
Here are some additional pieces of equipment you may want to consider.
Underwater Strobes
Underwater photographers often rely on strobes to illuminate their subjects.
Strobes are external flash units that attach to your underwater housing. When triggered, they fire a burst of light at your subject, allowing you to get colorful, sharp images underwater.
Strobes can be used in just about any environment—from shallow water to deep oceans—and they’re invaluable for taking high-quality photos in low-light situations.
If you want to have the most flexibility, you will want to get two strobes.
Especially when it comes to wide-angle photography, a second strobe will allow you to create even lighting on your images. If your dive buddy already owns one strobe, a second strobe (preferably of the same kind) can be a great gift!
Lenses
As an underwater photographer, you might have one camera, but you can always get more lenses!
Different diving environments require different lenses.
If you would like to photograph small critters such as seahorses, nudibranchs, or shrimps, you will want to use a dedicated macro lens.
If you are photographing bigger animals such as turtles, manta rays or sharks, or simply coral reef scenes, a dedicated wide-angle lens will let you capture those subjects in an ideal way.
Flip-Adapters or Lens holders
Does your dive buddy already own several wet lenses? Flip adapters are a great way to easily switch between different wet lenses on the same dive.
Memory cards
It’s a good idea to have plenty of memory on hand since your camera will be shooting a lot of pictures.
Camera bags
An underwater camera set-up can get very bulky very quickly. In order to transport the whole rig during a dive trip, a camera bag can come in handy. It can also serve as a safe place to keep your gear while you’re out on a dive boat.
The gift of learning: “The Secrets of Underwater Photography” online course
Your dive buddy is still relatively new to underwater photography or is always looking for ways to improve their skills?
Why not give them the gift of knowledge?
If it’s been a while since your buddies last dive with a camera, refreshing their knowledge about camera techniques and gear can be helpful, so they can practice their skills before heading out for the next dive trip again.
In my online course “The Secrets of Underwater Photography” we cover all important topics, starting from the basics of light, camera settings, and handling your gear all the way to adopting a photographer’s mindset, creative techniques, and environmentally friendly behavior as a photographer.
The course is divided into 5 modules, each containing bite-sized video clips, graphics, and additional learning materials such as practical assignments.
It will you everything you need to know to create beautiful underwater pictures on every dive!
Learning underwater photography has never been that much fun.
Check out the course right here!
Underwater photography coaching
If your buddy is already a little further with his/her underwater photo skills, 1:1 coaching sessions are the ideal way to further expand their knowledge and skill-set whilst diving deeper into the topics of underwater photography.
Underwater photography editing software
There are many photo editing software options for underwater photographers.
One of the most popular is Adobe Lightroom, which is a paid subscription-based program that allows users to edit photos.
There is a cloud-based version and a Desktop App version of the software. I strongly recommend the Desktop version, even though it comes with less cloud-storage space.
Lightroom has recently implemented some updates and very useful features for underwater photographers, including the new masking tools.
If your underwater photographer buddy is not already using the program, a yearly subscription can be a wonderful gift.
Ocean Art
If your buddy loves photography, they probably also love other ocean art.
There are some incredible artists and artivists out there, incorporating the ocean topic into their work in numerous ways.
How about some fine art prints, a beautiful coffee mug, or even some wearable art in form of a swimsuit or fins?
Some of my favorite artists include Janina Rossiter, Francesca Page, and Janavi Kramer.
What I love most about those incredibly talented artists is that they are all advocates for our oceans, hoping to inspire ocean protection (and they are very successful at that!).
Underwater photography books
Some of the best gifts for underwater photographers and scuba divers are books.
From specific guide books over reef identification encyclopedias to stunning fine art coffee table books: you can never go wrong with a book!
Books by underwater photographers are particularly great because they offer a unique perspective on what it’s like to be immersed in a world below sea level and how to capture that perspective on camera.
Supporting marine conservation organizations
Have you ever considered donating to an ocean conservation organization as a gift?
Did you know that you can “adopt” a manta, turtle, or even coral?
There are some fantastic marine conservation NGOs out there working hard to protect our seas: by donating to them you can contribute to this important goal of preserving the wildlife and habitat within our oceans.
Any ocean lover would love such a gift!
Any underwater photographer would love to have any of these gifts
Whether you’re looking to buy a gift for an underwater photographer or scuba diver, we hope that our list of suggestions has given you some ideas.
If nothing else, it will serve as inspiration for next year’s holiday shopping!
Which of those gifts are you getting this year? And which ones would you love to receive?
Let us know in the comments below!
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