Between snorkelling and diving trips, a lot of visitors want reasonable underwater photos without carrying professional gear — a few practical tips make a real difference with a GoPro or waterproof phone case.
Lighting basics
Colour (particularly red) disappears quickly with depth — shooting closer to the surface, or using a red filter for deeper shots, keeps colours looking more natural than the blue-green cast that develops a few metres down.
Getting close
Water reduces clarity and contrast compared to shooting in air — getting physically closer to your subject rather than relying on zoom produces a noticeably sharper result.
Protecting your gear
Confirm your camera or phone case's actual depth rating before diving or snorkelling with it, and check the seal is properly closed each time — a surprising number of ruined trips come down to a housing that wasn't sealed correctly rather than genuine equipment failure.
Where to shoot
The clearer water at spots like Racha Yai and Ya Nui gives noticeably better underwater photo conditions than murkier, more sediment-affected areas — worth factoring into where you snorkel if photos are a priority.