Being a good underwater photographer by its nature requires one to be good diver. The fact is buoyancy is the most important factor. All too often I see experienced divers get lost in the moment when they have a camera in their hand.
One minute they are swimming along looking for a subject, and the next thing you see is them frantically kicking their fins while they adjust camera settings. Little do they realize that while making the adjustments to the camera they either floated up toward the surface or stirred up the visibility on the bottom.
Divers need to master their buoyancy in order to be good underwater photographers. I suggest a minimum of 25 dives before taking up underwater photography. The more bottom time and experience, the more a diver develops a sense of buoyancy.
I say this because underwater water photography while fun does have some in inherent danger. After all people are now scuba diving and taking pictures. Doing two activities at once adds a level of complexity to the sport. Remember a diver has a finite amount of air in the tank and a limited time underwater.
When divers get lost in the moment and hold their breath they could get a headache but its also possible they could float up toward the surface. This is how embolisms happen. When a diver is concentrating on changing camera settings they may stir up the bottom with their fin movement and ruin visibility for themselves and other divers.
When I teach workshops the first dive is all about mastering buoyancy with a camera. I have several skills that show the importance of good buoyancy.
I offer private workshops in Maui, as well as a group workshop in Fiji. Check for tour details and dates.