Underwater Camera Hire – 6 Reasons to let the Kids take the Photos

Great Barrier Reef

Mar 12

As I stood at the counter signing away several hundreds of dollars I wondered at the sanity of passing over expensive gear to my children...

Fortunately my kids rose to the challenge and took good care of the underwater cameras I was hiring out for the day. They both came back with loads of good footage and stunning memories of our time spent on the Great Barrier Reef.

SO, here’s 6 reasons why you should consider hiring underwater cameras for your kids…

6 Reasons to hire your kids an underwater camera.jpg

1. They can be Responsible!!

Teaching responsibility to your kids is always a tricky one – particularly if it’s not your gear that’s on the line. If we had lost or flooded one of these underwater cameras, the form that I had signed declared that I would pay for a new one - Eeeek!!

Charlie couldn’t resist taking a selfie straight away

Josh was keen to document every part of his day

Sometimes though it’s just the pressure a kid needs. Knowing this was something special that belonged to another person, and that they were fortunate enough to ‘play’ with it in the underwater environment, made them take really good care of it.

2. They become Mini-Explorers.

Suddenly the kids not only had the chance to experience the Great Barrier Reef but they also had the chance to document it. Everything (and I mean EVERYTHING!!) they saw was officially recorded. Can you imagine how cool that is for a kid.

“Mum! Mum!! I saw a turtle!!!”

“Yes Dear. That’s lovely……”

“No Mum!! I really DID see a turtle and I was THIS close!!!”

“Oh really, then that is very special….[mum actually looks at the camera] HOLY!! Did you use a Zoom?!?!?”

**Josh got some great close ups of this Green Turtle**

This time your child will have photographic evidence so that ‘everyone’ will have to acknowledge how cool their time on the reef actually was.

**Josh captured a great selection of underwater critters**

Taking their own photos also helps later if they want to search up what the name of the fish, coral, or unusual marine life was that they saw. It helped impart more knowledge on my kids than a whole weekend of watching David Attenborough documentaries would have done.

**We could identify this little Butterfly fish later for Josh**

3. Nothing beats a Kids Perspective

My view of a journey is often nothing like that of my kids point of view. What stands out for them is often not what I saw as a critical part of my experience. It’s always nice to see their angle and get a better understanding on how they enjoyed their day.

**Charlie’s angle of the day on Quicksilver (not a pic I would normally take of myself!!)**

My children managed to capture stuff on the day that I didn’t really notice at the time BUT in hindsight I now realize that it was pretty special. The kids had no preconceived ideas as to what they should take photos of either – they were completely spontaneous and took photos of things that I would have happily overlooked.

**Josh nailed this shot of a turtle on the Reef**

They also didn’t worry about composition or light or whether the subject was in the right position – they just shot, and shot, and shot even more (thank god for digital!!) - and thanks to this attitude they nailed some amazing shots.

4. It helps their Confidence in the Water

OK. So I wouldn’t be entrusting an underwater camera to a first time snorkeler, particularly when they are a kid. BUT if your child is very confident in the water AND has mastered the art of using a mask, snorkel and fins, then an underwater camera will only add to their confidence.

**Charlie shooting with her Underwater Camera**

For my kids the snorkelling gear became a secondary consideration thanks to being so intent on capturing everything on their camera. Often we’ll have a few pit stops to help with water in the mask or snorkel, problems with their fins rubbing etc etc but NOT this time. They were so engrossed with the task at hand that all those little things became exactly what they are, minor inconveniences (phew!!)

**Josh in the Zone taking his underwater photos**

Armed with a camera they managed to scour the reef for all sorts of interesting things to capture and thankfully they became extra vigilant with their fins because they didn’t want to damage any of the beautiful corals they were photographing. It was a Win-Win situation all round for me.

**Charlie was right in amongst the fish feed taking pictures**

5. The Underwater Cameras are very Robust

I’m not a huge fan of leaving children in complete control of hi-tech equipment, particularly if it can be easily broken. Thankfully these cameras come encased in their own super-strong waterproof housing (with nice BIG control Buttons) and also come with a handy Pelican Case to carry them around in (have you ever seen anyone try and run over a Pelican Case!!).

**I Loves the big wrist lanyard and the robust camera housings**

At the shop they also secured the housing latch with a cable tie to ensure the camera wouldn’t be opened accidentally. This definitely helped my peace of mind when the kids were out in the water exploring with their new ‘toy’.

6. They might even WIN a prize

OK. So the last reason is a bit flaky BUT it happened for both my kids! They were over the moon to have a certificate confirming that they were great photographers – particularly as it was the first time they had ever used these cameras.

Thanks to being able to take photos in a completely different environment to all their friends their photos really did stand out amongst the crowd. It showed them that they had a good ‘eye’ for a winning shot and that to me (and them) was everything.

So, not only do we have a mountain of amazing images from our Great Barrier Reef experience I’m now excited to have 2 budding underwater photographers in the family. The next time we go to the Great Barrier Reef I’ll have no qualms about handing over an underwater camera to them. In fact, I might just let them take all the footage. ;)

**It might be time to let the kids take all the photos underwater now……**

Good Things to Know (if you HIRE from Calypso Cameras)

The cameras are extremely easy to use and are already preset for underwater usage.
They are great for both snorkelling and Scuba Diving.
The cameras are generally designed to float (make sure you check first), so if it does come of your wrist then look on the surface, not down below.
Camera hire includes free tuition and an SD card.

Have you used Underwater Camera Hire before? Would you be willing to let your child use an underwater camera?

We received complimentary Underwater Camera Hire for the day BUT all views, opinions and photos in this article are my own.If you would like more info on hiring from Calypso Cameras Click HERE - Calypso Underwater Camera Hire