🎥 Which GoPro for diving in Australia?
#1
🎬 Best kit for the money
GoPro HERO13 Black
This is the GoPro you see most on reef boats. Waterproof to 10 m on its own, it needs the Protective Housing for scuba diving, but the pair still costs clearly less than a MISSION 1. It records 5.3K at 60 fps, takes 27 MP stills and accepts HB-Series lenses, including a macro lens. The listing we link is the Polar White colour, which was in stock and sold by Amazon AU, as was the housing, when we checked.
✅ Pros
- · 5.3K video at 60 fps, 27 MP stills
- · 60 m with the Protective Housing
- · Removable 1900 mAh Enduro battery
- · Compatible with the MISSION 1's Enduro 2 battery
- · Very wide choice of mounts and accessories
❌ Cons
- · Waterproof to only 10 m without a housing
- · Protective Housing sold separately
10 m bare60 m housed5.3K6027 MP159 g
Check price on Amazon.com.au →#2
🤿 20 m without a housing
GoPro MISSION 1
Launched in 2026, the MISSION 1 range doubles the depth of the HERO cameras: 20 m without a housing, just past the 18 m Open Water limit, which covers most reef dives. Its 1-inch sensor is clearly larger than the HERO13 Black's, which helps as light drops on a wall or a wreck. It records 8K at 30 fps; the MISSION 1 PRO shares the same body, sensor and depth rating and adds 8K at 60 fps. On Amazon.com.au it was offered by a third-party seller, with one unit left, at a price well above the HERO13 Black: compare before you buy.
✅ Pros
- · Waterproof to 20 m bare, 60 m in its housing
- · 1-inch sensor, 50 MP stills
- · 8K video at 30 fps
- · 2150 mAh Enduro 2 battery
❌ Cons
- · Far more expensive than a HERO13 Black
- · Third-party seller and low stock on Amazon.com.au when we checked
- · Its housing is specific and does not fit HERO cameras
20 m bare60 m housed8K301" sensor
Check price on Amazon.com.au →🧰 The housings and a useful grip
For scuba diving, the housing matters more than the camera: it is what takes a GoPro from snorkelling depth to 60 m.
Essential to dive with a HERO
GoPro Protective Housing (HERO13 Black)
The official housing, waterproof to 60 m, with a flat glass lens and a front screen that stays readable. GoPro lists it as compatible with the HERO13, HERO12, HERO11 and HERO10 Black; the Amazon listing adds the HERO9 Black. It ships with a skeleton backdoor, to be kept for use out of the water. In stock and sold by Amazon AU when we checked.
Check price on Amazon.com.au →To go past 20 m with a MISSION 1
GoPro Protective Housing (MISSION 1 and MISSION 1 PRO)
The 60 m housing made for the MISSION 1 range: it does not fit HERO cameras, and vice versa. Flat glass lens, visible front screen and mounting fingers that let you fit the camera horizontally or vertically.
Check price on Amazon.com.au →For snorkelling and arm's-length shots
GoPro The Handler (floating hand grip)
A non-slip grip with a wrist strap that keeps the camera at the surface if you let go: very useful when snorkelling the reef. On scuba, keep the strap on your wrist: a floating grip released at depth goes up on its own, and you must never chase it. Offered by a third-party seller on Amazon.com.au when we checked.
Check price on Amazon.com.au →⚙️ Preparing and setting up your GoPro
1. Set everything up dry
The touchscreen does not respond underwater. GoPro advises locking the screen from the dashboard (swipe down, then Screen Lock) and navigating with the buttons. So choose resolution, frame rate and field of view before closing the housing, and save them as a preset.
2. Keep the settings simple
To start, 4K at 60 fps with a wide field of view and stabilisation on gives smooth footage without filling the memory card. 5.3K or 8K are mostly useful if you reframe in the edit, and they use more battery. Leave white balance on auto as long as you use neither a filter nor a light.
3. Close the housing properly
Check that the seal is clean, with no hair or grain of sand, fit the waterproof backdoor and not the skeleton one, then close everything in a cool, dry place with an anti-fog insert. Before the first outing, test the empty housing in a tub of water.
4. Filming underwater
Get close: the less water between the camera and the subject, the sharper and more colourful the image. Keep the sun behind you, as GoPro recommends, hold the camera with both hands and shoot slow clips of ten to fifteen seconds rather than one long tracking shot.
5. Safety first
A camera grabs your attention just when you need to watch your depth, your gas and your buddy. Your dive computer stays the priority instrument, and it is better to have your buoyancy under control before taking a GoPro down.
❓ Frequently asked questions
How deep can you dive with a GoPro?
Without a housing, 10 m for the HERO13 Black and earlier HERO Black cameras, 20 m for the MISSION 1 and MISSION 1 PRO, and 5 m for the LIT HERO. With the GoPro Protective Housing made for the model, the HERO13 Black and the MISSION 1 cameras go to 60 m.
Do I need a housing to dive the Great Barrier Reef with a GoPro HERO13 Black?
For snorkelling and the shallowest reef tops, no: the HERO13 Black is waterproof to 10 m. For scuba diving, yes, as most reef dives go deeper than 10 m. The GoPro Protective Housing is waterproof to 60 m and closes with its waterproof backdoor; the skeleton backdoor is not meant for immersion.
Does a GoPro touchscreen work underwater?
No. GoPro recommends locking the touchscreen before getting in the water and navigating with the camera's buttons. The simplest approach is to set the camera up dry and only touch the shutter button during the dive.
Red or magenta filter in Australia?
Red for blue water, which covers the Great Barrier Reef, the Coral Sea and Ningaloo most of the time. Magenta for green water, more common at some southern sites. GoPro indicates that a filter becomes useful beyond about 10 m, and the PolarPro kit it lists works from about 4.5 to 23 m. Deeper down, only a light brings the colours back.
Which GoPro is best for scuba diving in Australia?
The HERO13 Black in its Protective Housing remains the most common and least expensive setup, and both were in stock on Amazon.com.au when we checked. The MISSION 1 costs more but is waterproof to 20 m without a housing and uses a 1-inch sensor, which copes better as the light fades.
How do I stop a GoPro housing from fogging on a reef trip?
Close the housing in a cool, dry place, keep it out of the sun on the boat, and slide in anti-fog inserts. The temperature difference between a hot housing and the water is what makes moisture condense on the lens.