Australia has some of the best underwater photography locations on the planet. The Great Barrier Reef gets all the headlines, but there are remarkable dive and snorkel sites along almost every stretch of our coastline — from the kelp forests of Tasmania to the whale shark encounters off Ningaloo to the seahorse colonies in Sydney Harbour.

I’ve been shooting underwater for about six years now, and the most common question I get from other photographers is: “What do I need to get started, and how much is it going to cost?” The honest answer is that it depends on how deep you want to go — both literally and financially.

The Entry-Level Path: Action Cameras

If you’re just testing the waters (sorry, had to), a GoPro Hero 13 or DJI Osmo Action 5 is the easiest way to start. Both are waterproof without a housing down to 10 metres, which covers snorkelling and shallow freediving.

The image quality won’t match a dedicated camera, but it’s good enough to learn composition, understand how light behaves underwater, and figure out whether you actually enjoy the process. A new GoPro Hero 13 runs about $550 AUD. The DJI Osmo Action 5 is around $500.

Pros of starting with an action camera:

• Waterproof out of the box
• Incredibly compact and easy to handle while swimming
• Wide-angle lens suits reef and marine life scenes
• Video capabilities are genuinely excellent

Cons:

• Small sensor means limited performance in low light (which is most underwater situations)
• No manual controls over aperture or shutter speed
• Limited zoom capability
• RAW shooting is possible but limited

If you already own a GoPro, use it. Don’t buy new gear until you’ve done at least ten underwater sessions and confirmed that this is something you want to pursue seriously.

Mid-Range: Compact Cameras in Housings

This is where most serious underwater photographers start. A quality compact camera paired with a dedicated underwater housing gives you manual controls, better image quality, and room to grow.

The two cameras I recommend most for underwater beginners are:

Olympus (OM System) TG-7 — Around $650 AUD for the camera. It’s waterproof to 15m without a housing, but adding the dedicated PT-059 housing ($450) takes you to 45m and gives you better ergonomics. The TG-7 has a great macro mode that’s perfect for nudibranchs, pygmy seahorses, and coral detail.

Sony RX100 VII — More expensive at around $1,600 for the camera, plus $350-500 for a third-party housing from brands like Meikon or SeaFrogs. But the 1-inch sensor delivers noticeably better image quality, particularly in the challenging light conditions you’ll encounter underwater.

At this level, your total investment is somewhere between $1,100 and $2,500. That’s not nothing, but it’s a fraction of what a full mirrorless underwater setup costs.

The Full Setup: Mirrorless Cameras Underwater

Once you’re committed, the standard path is to put your existing mirrorless camera (or buy one specifically for underwater use) into a dedicated housing.

Housings from manufacturers like Nauticam, Ikelite, and Isotta are precision-engineered aluminium or polycarbonate enclosures that give you access to your camera’s full controls while keeping everything dry at depth. They’re beautiful pieces of engineering. They’re also expensive.

A Nauticam housing for a Sony A7 IV runs about $4,500-5,500 AUD. An Ikelite housing for the same camera is around $2,200-2,800. Add a port for your lens ($500-1,500), strobes or video lights ($800-3,000), and arms and clamps to mount everything ($300-600), and you’re looking at a total system cost of $5,000 to $12,000 on top of the camera and lens.

This is why I always tell people: start cheap, prove to yourself you love it, then invest.

The Stuff Nobody Tells You

Buoyancy matters more than gear. The single biggest factor in underwater photo quality isn’t your camera — it’s your ability to position yourself in the water. Good buoyancy control means you can hold steady for the shot without kicking up sediment or crashing into coral. If you’re diving, invest in buoyancy skills before investing in camera gear.

Light disappears fast underwater. Water absorbs colour starting with red, then orange, then yellow. Below about five metres, everything looks blue-green. This is why underwater photographers use strobes or video lights — not just for brightness, but to restore colour. Even a cheap LED dive light can dramatically improve your photos.

Backscatter is your enemy. Those floating white specks in underwater photos? That’s backscatter — particles in the water reflecting your light source. The fix is to position your lights away from the camera axis, angling them inward. This lights the subject without illuminating the particles directly in front of the lens.

Shoot upward when you can. Shooting at the same level as your subject or slightly below it creates much more dramatic images than shooting down. Get low, aim slightly up, and try to include some natural light from the surface in your frame.

Get close, then get closer. Water reduces contrast and sharpness. The less water between your lens and your subject, the better your image will be. This is the golden rule of underwater photography, and it holds true regardless of what camera you’re using.

Best Places to Practice in Australia

You don’t need to fly to the Great Barrier Reef to practice underwater photography. Some of my favourite learning spots:

• Shelly Beach, Manly (NSW) — Easy entry, calm conditions, blue gropers that practically pose for you
• Blairgowrie Pier (VIC) — Incredible macro subjects, particularly weedy sea dragons
• Rapid Bay Jetty (SA) — Leafy sea dragons and fantastic reef structure
• Busselton Jetty (WA) — Australia’s longest wooden jetty with an artificial reef underneath
• Julian Rocks, Byron Bay (NSW) — Turtles, rays, and leopard sharks in clear water

Start shallow, start close to home, and focus on getting comfortable with your gear before chasing bucket-list dive sites. The best underwater photo is the one you actually take.