Aloha! My name is John Johnson and I am a freedive photographer. My column is called “The Freedive Camera” and will be an exploration of the amazing world that awaits us just under the surface of the water.

“Freedive” refers to diving without the aid of SCUBA tanks. In essence, it is breath-hold diving. For some, freediving is a means to an end, for some it is an end unto itself. I know many people who train rigorously to become better freedivers, to reach deeper depths and to stay down longer.

(Above) Freediving angel complete with halo. (Left) A freediver slowly ascends from a 100-foot dive off the Big Island.

I’m always impressed when I hear about friends and acquaintances that go to depths that you only thought fish would attempt. Hats off and God bless ‘em. That’s not for me. For me freediving is the method by which I pursue my other passion-photography. To the extent that I pursue one of these passions, the other one improves or declines in equal measure. Since getting married and having a baby I’m in better geometric shape (read: circle) than physical shape, so I’m very lucky that most of my subject matter hangs around in the top fifty feet of water or so and doesn’t require a breath-hold of more than a couple minutes.

So why freedive to take pictures? This question has many answers. One is that I love the ocean. If I freedive, I can stay in the water all day. If I was on SCUBA tanks, I’d have a couple hours in the water, separated by a surface interval twiddling my thumbs. The second reason is that freediving is challenging. Shooting nudibranchs in 50 feet of water while holding your breath requires that you have a level of comfort in the water and a familiarity with your camera that allows you to set your aperture and shutter speed and strobe power after figuring out your composition. 

A third reason for freediving is that you get to see more of the reef, both spatially and chronologically. As you dive down and later surface, you see a lot more of your surroundings than you would if you were swimming along linearly on SCUBA. You also get to see more of the reef because you aren’t confined by time (i.e. the amount of air left in your tank). These are just a few of my reasons for freediving, but you get the picture (pardon the pun).

So what do you need to do freedive photography? Well, this varies from person to person and some is based on preference. At the very minimum you would need mask, snorkel, and fins (and finsocks or boots!). Unless you want to bob for apples, a weight belt is required. To protect you from the sun, stings, and accidental abrasion, a wetsuit would be a good investment (if not requirement). A good pair of gloves is essential. Not so you can grab coral—that’s a no-no. The most important reason is that it keeps your wedding ring from falling off and getting you in LOTS of trouble later when you get home. It also provides protection and warmth (you lose your heat mostly from head and hands).

While you are shopping you might as well grab some anti-fog drops just in case your spit and naupaka leaf formula doesn’t quite pan out. You’ll also need a dive flag. Dive flags are important because they mark the spot your expensive camera will be found in case of emergency.

Which brings us to the last piece of equipment—the camera. Cameras come in all shapes, sizes, and megapixels and will cost anywhere between a happy meal (Wal-Mart disposable) and 3-day stay in the hospital of your choice (4-day stay if you get the newer DSLR model). When people ask for advice on getting an underwater rig I usually suggest a drug habit instead. It’s cheaper and doesn’t take up as much of your time. Take up underwater photography and within two years you’ll find yourself trying to put your left kidney on eBay for lens money. It isn’t pretty.

There are generally two routes to go with underwater cameras. You can get the point-and-shoot cameras which are water-resistant (usually for a short period of time down to a meter or two) or water-proof (down to an atmosphere or so) and will run you somewhere in the neighborhood of $300-$500.

The second route is you get a camera and put it in some kind of waterproof housing. This is the only option (realistic) for DSLR cameras now. And it can be painfully expensive. How so? Watch how quickly things can add up:

• Camera $2500
• 15mm lens  $800
• 100mm lens $1000

Expensive, right? But WAIT, there’s more! You want to use it underwater. You need a housing.

• Mid-level housing $3000

Are we done yet? Nope. Each lens needs its own port that attaches to the housing—flat port for macro, dome port for wide-angle.

• 100mm port $500
• 15mm port $700-$1800

Ouch! Painful, right? At least we’re done at this point… oops, we’re not. Let’s say you want to light your subjects properly. You may want to pick up a couple strobes (think flash for underwater). Those will be about $1000 each. A dual synch chord to connect them to your housing will be your cheapest investment at $100. But we also need to get a pair of arms to attach the housing to the strobe heads. Cha-ching. Bye-bye $450.

Now that we have more money invested in our camera than our car, it’s time to get insurance. Taking all this nice shiny electronic equipment and dropping into saltwater should give you pause. I’m not an engineer, but I know water and electricity don’t mix. Insurance is for when they do. A good policy on the above equipment can be had for about 3.5% of the total amount covered plus the cost of basic DAN insurance (I use DAN’s supplemental insurance, but there are others out there). There’s another $300 or $400 per year.

So you’ve made the plunge. You’ve bought the camera and got the insurance and sold off naming rights to your firstborn and put your expendable organs on Ebay and took out a second mortgage on your house. The good news is that this grand investment will keep you happy and thrilled until next year when they come out with Camera 2.0 with even cooler bells and whistles. Think you’ll get your money back when you try to sell it so you can upgrade? Don’t hold your breath…

So welcome to my crazy world—the world of freedive photography. Sit back and enjoy as I bring you images from around the islands and around the world in the upcoming series of articles on “The Freedive Camera.”