Shooting photos and video allows me to share some of the coolest activities that my friends and I do in our spare time. As fun and engaging as underwater photography is, it's easy to get caught up in shooting, and that can quickly makes the the dive a bit less enjoyable. It's so refreshing to dive without cameras after a few dives in a row behind your photography equipment.
Even strapping a GoPro to your head can be a distraction. It's important to continually check to ensure that a camera is still securely attached, especially when it's not in your hands or otherwise safely clipped to your BC. Additionally - even with hands free cameras - it takes a lot of work and focus to keep your head still to avoid shaky shots and jerking pans. I can't stand shaky video, or movies that rapidly jump around from one view to the next, with no real intent or structure.
It would be nice to have a camera in the water, passively capturing photos and video from a dive without having to worry about setting up a shot or any other equipment responsibilities.
Below is an illustration of the rig in the water. I didn't make a bolt snap for this model, but the rig will be clipped to a bolt snap that is tied into the down line. The bolt snap will clip to the D-rings/U-bolts that run through the body of the device. It will probably need an adjustable counter weight on the inside that can be adjusted to keep the rig horizontally balanced with a threaded rod assembly.
Attaching the device to a down line from the middle of the body keeps the line out of the view at all times. Any current or movement in the water will keep the surface marker buoy trailing behind divers. The forward facing camera will generally keep the divers more or less the focus of the shot throughout a dive.
Here is a closeup of an attachment idea. Screwing a GoPro with a tripod mount to an end cap with a 1/4-20 bolt stickout out of a PVC end cap (similar to my previous "GoPro pointing stick").
A view looking down into the water:
And finally, from behind:
