🎥 Which GoPro for diving in Canada?
#1
🤿 The one in stock with its housing
GoPro MISSION 1 PRO
Launched in 2026, the MISSION 1 range doubles the depth of the HERO cameras: 20 m (66 ft) without a housing, just past the 18 m (60 ft) Open Water limit. Its 1-inch sensor is clearly larger than the HERO13 Black's, which matters in Canada, where dives are often green, dim and plankton-rich. The PRO adds 8K at 60 fps and Open Gate recording, which uses the whole sensor and is handy for reframing in the edit. GoPro promotes a Dive mode on this model to improve underwater colour. On Amazon.ca, both the camera and its 60 m housing were in stock and sold by Amazon when we checked.
✅ Pros
- · Waterproof to 20 m (66 ft) bare, 60 m (196 ft) in its housing
- · 1-inch sensor, 50 MP stills: better in low light
- · 8K video at 60 fps and 8K Open Gate at 30 fps
- · Dive mode promoted by GoPro
- · 2150 mAh Enduro 2 battery
❌ Cons
- · Far more expensive than a HERO13 Black
- · 8K drains the battery fast: up to 1.5 hours claimed in 8K30, less in cold water
- · Its housing is specific and does not fit HERO cameras
- · Not to be confused with the MISSION 1 PRO ILS, which is not waterproof
20 m bare60 m housed8K601" sensor207 g
Check price on Amazon.ca →#2
🎬 Cheaper, but check the housing
GoPro HERO13 Black
This is the GoPro you see most on dive boats. Waterproof to 10 m (33 ft) on its own, it needs the Protective Housing for scuba diving, and the pair still costs clearly less than a MISSION 1 PRO. It records 5.3K at 60 fps, takes 27 MP stills and accepts HB-Series lenses, including a macro lens. On 29 October 2026, Amazon.ca had one unit left and showed the official housing as currently unavailable: only buy it for diving once you can get the housing too.
✅ Pros
- · 5.3K video at 60 fps, 27 MP stills
- · 60 m (196 ft) 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 (33 ft) without a housing
- · Official Protective Housing unavailable on Amazon.ca when we checked
- · Smaller sensor: struggles sooner in dark water
10 m bare60 m housed5.3K6027 MP159 g
Check price on Amazon.ca →🧰 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 (196 ft).
To go past 20 m (66 ft) with a MISSION 1
GoPro Protective Housing (MISSION 1 and MISSION 1 PRO)
The 60 m (196 ft) 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. In stock and sold by Amazon.ca when we checked.
Check price on Amazon.ca →Essential to dive with a HERO
GoPro Protective Housing (HERO13 Black)
The official housing, waterproof to 60 m (196 ft), 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. It showed as currently unavailable on Amazon.ca on 29 October 2026: check the button for today's status before ordering a HERO13 for diving.
Check price on Amazon.ca →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, and a bigger handle that is easier to hold in thick gloves. 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.
Check price on Amazon.ca →🥶 Filming in cold Canadian water
Batteries and the cold
Lithium batteries deliver less in cold water, so expect shorter recording times than GoPro's figures, which are measured in normal conditions. Keep spare batteries warm in an inside pocket until you kit up, start each dive with a full battery, and prefer 4K over 8K or 5.3K if you want the camera to last the whole dive.
Gloves and buttons
In 5 to 7 mm gloves or drysuit gloves, small buttons are hard to feel. Set the camera up dry, save a preset, and plan to touch only the shutter button underwater. A grip such as the Handler, or a tray with handles, gives you something big to hold.
Fog in a cold housing
The bigger the temperature gap between the air in the housing and the water, the more the lens fogs. Close the housing indoors in dry air, let the camera cool before closing it rather than right after charging, and slide in anti-fog inserts.
⚙️ 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 stabilization on gives smooth footage without filling the memory card or emptying a cold 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, and this matters even more in low visibility. Hold the camera with both hands and shoot slow clips of ten to fifteen seconds rather than one long tracking shot.
5. After the dive
Rinse the camera or the housing in fresh water with the door closed, then dry it before opening. After a salt-water dive, salt crystallising on a seal or a latch is the first cause of a leak on the next dive.
6. Safety first
A camera grabs your attention just when you need to watch your depth, your gas, your buddy and, in cold water, your own warmth. Your dive computer stays the priority instrument, and it is better to have your buoyancy under control, in a drysuit too, before taking a GoPro down.
❓ Frequently asked questions
How deep can you dive with a GoPro?
Without a housing, 10 m (33 ft) for the HERO13 Black and earlier HERO Black cameras, 20 m (66 ft) for the MISSION 1 and MISSION 1 PRO, and 5 m (16 ft) 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 (196 ft).
Do I need a housing to scuba dive with a GoPro HERO13 Black?
Yes, as soon as the dive goes past 10 m (33 ft), which means almost any scuba dive. The GoPro Protective Housing is waterproof to 60 m (196 ft) and closes with its waterproof backdoor; the skeleton backdoor that comes with it is not meant for immersion.
Does a GoPro battery last in cold water?
Less than in warm water: lithium batteries lose capacity in the cold. Start each dive with a full battery, keep spares warm until you kit up, and film in 4K rather than 8K or 5.3K to stretch recording time.
Do I need a red or a magenta filter in Canada?
In green water, which is the case in most Canadian lakes and coastal sites, the magenta filter is the one to use, from about 4.5 to 23 m (15 to 75 ft) for the PolarPro kit listed by GoPro. The red filter is for blue water. In dark or deep water, only a video light brings the colours back.
Which GoPro is best for scuba diving in Canada?
The MISSION 1 or MISSION 1 PRO copes better with dim, green water thanks to its 1-inch sensor and goes to 20 m (66 ft) without a housing. The HERO13 Black in its Protective Housing remains the cheaper setup, as long as the housing is available.
How do I stop a GoPro housing from fogging?
Close the housing in a cool, dry place with the camera cold, not straight after charging, and slide in anti-fog inserts. The temperature difference with the water is what makes moisture condense on the lens, and it is large in Canadian water.