SSI Photo & Video — capture Goa's underwater world
There's plenty to shoot at Grandé Island: soft coral on the British wrecks, eagle rays past the coral gardens, moray eels peering out of crevices. It deserves better than a shaky phone photo through a generic case. The SSI Photo & Video specialty teaches you to actually capture it.
The course covers camera operation underwater, lighting techniques to avoid backscatter, how to approach marine life without disturbing it, and composition principles that produce images worth keeping. You do not need to own a camera — we have underwater cameras available.
Good buoyancy is essential for underwater photography. When both hands are on the camera, buoyancy must be automatic. We strongly recommend the SSI Perfect Buoyancy course before or alongside this specialty.
SSI Photo & Video — course content
Camera Handling UnderwaterOperating camera controls with gloves on, managing buoyancy simultaneously, preventing accidental contact with marine life or reef while shooting.
Lighting and BackscatterWhy underwater images turn blue-green without artificial light. Strobe and video light positioning to illuminate the subject without lighting suspended particles (backscatter).
Camera Settings for UnderwaterAperture, shutter speed and ISO trade-offs at depth. White balance and colour correction for the blue water spectrum. Shooting in RAW vs JPEG.
Marine Life Approach TechniqueDescending slowly, moving deliberately, positioning below subjects, waiting rather than chasing. How to get close without disturbing behaviour.
Composition PrinciplesRule of thirds applied underwater, using coral as foreground, filling the frame with the subject, shooting toward light sources rather than away from them.
Post-Processing BasicsColour correction for the blue shift in underwater images, basic cropping and contrast adjustment, reviewing images to understand what to do differently on the next dive.
What you need before you start
SSI Open Water Diver (or equivalent)
Age 10 or older
Own or rented underwater camera system
Good buoyancy strongly recommended — consider Perfect Buoyancy first
No prior photography experience required
You do not need photography experience. Basic smartphone camera understanding is helpful but not required. We explain camera operation from scratch for underwater conditions.
Where your photography dives take place
Two photography dives at Grandé Island — site selection based on your goals (wide-angle reef, macro, or wreck photography).
Site selection for photography students: Grandé Reef and Bounty Bay for wide-angle reef photography — parrotfish, angelfish, and groupers are approachable subjects. Shelter Cove for macro work — nudibranchs, pipefish, and moray eels. Suzy's Wreck for dramatic wreck photography if conditions allow.
Marine life at Grandé Island during the Oct–May dive season: angelfish, parrotfish, snappers, groupers, eagle rays, blue-spotted stingrays, moray eels, barracuda schools, hawksbill turtles (occasional), nudibranchs, crinoids, pipefish.
What's included in this course
Theory sessions on underwater photography techniques
2 photography practice dives at Grandé Island
Full ScubaPro diving equipment rental
SSI Photo & Video certification card
Not included
- Underwater camera equipment rental (ask us about availability)
- Personal expenses
- Post-processing software
Certification: Your digital certification card is issued immediately upon successful completion. You are certified before you leave Goa and can dive anywhere in the world.
After your SSI Photo & Video certification
Document every future dive with compelling images
Share citizen science photographs with reef monitoring programs
Contribute to FlyingFish's social media archives and win dive credits
Combine with SSI Marine Ecology for identification of photographed species
Counts toward SSI Master Diver
Basis for underwater videography progression
The skills from this course — particularly the buoyancy requirements and marine life approach technique — also make you a better diver overall, not just a better photographer.
Why take your course with FlyingFish in Goa
Here's what actually sets us apart.
ScubaPro gear, serviced on schedule
Pro-grade gear serviced every 100 dives or 6 months, not when it fails. MK25/S620 regulator, Hydros Pro BCD, Aladin Sport dive computer. You train on the same equipment working instructors use.
A 4:1 diver-to-instructor ratio, max
Your instructor knows where you are underwater at all times. No crowded groups. If a skill needs more practice, you get the time — not the time left over after 8 other students.
Both SSI and PADI at one centre
We teach both agencies at the same location. You choose which certification fits your future dive plans. We give you honest advice, not a push toward whichever we sell more of.
A proper base at the 5-star Novotel Candolim
Proper briefing rooms, clean equipment rinsing stations, structured course schedule. The difference between a dive school and a beach shack matters when you are doing a multi-day certification course.
Grandé Island is packed with subjects to shoot
The waters around Grandé Island have consistently high fish density relative to Goa's other dive sites. On most photography dives, you will encounter 10–15 species worth photographing within the first 15 minutes. The soft coral on Suzy's Wreck provides natural studio backdrops. We know where the resident morays, rays, and groupers rest.
Frequently Asked Questions
No — we have underwater camera systems available for rental. If you own an action camera (GoPro etc.) with an underwater housing, bring it. If you have a dedicated compact underwater camera, even better. We will help you configure the settings for Goa's conditions before your dive.
For beginners, a compact underwater camera with a wide-angle lens is the most practical starting point — it handles both reef overview shots and medium-close portraits. GoPro-style action cameras work but have limitations for still photography. If you want to invest in a camera specifically for this course, ask us for a current recommendation.
Yes — genuinely essential. When both hands are on the camera, you cannot use them to manage position. Buoyancy must be automatic. Divers with poor buoyancy either crash into the reef while shooting or are so distracted managing position that they cannot compose a shot. If your buoyancy is uncertain, complete SSI Perfect Buoyancy first.
Backscatter — the white spots in underwater images caused by particles in the water reflecting your strobe light back at the camera — is reduced by positioning your light source far to the side and slightly behind the plane of the lens, not directly above it. The course covers strobe positioning specifically. In Goa's waters, early morning dives before boat traffic disturbs particles also help significantly.
Reliable photography subjects at Grandé Island: blue-spotted stingrays resting under coral overhangs (close-approach possible when approached slowly from the side), large moray eels in crevices (patient waiting gets head-on shots), parrotfish (colorful and moderately approachable), barracuda in schools (dramatic wide-angle shots), and soft coral on Suzy's Wreck as backdrop.
Yes. The course is designed for divers, not photographers — we start from the basics of how underwater cameras work and why standard photography rules behave differently underwater. No photography background is assumed.
