Underwater Photography Settings: What I Adjust Before Every Dive

It took me a lot of failed dives to understand one thing: underwater, automatic settings don't work. Not because the technology is bad. Because water changes the physical rules of light, and no smartphone or camera algorithm was designed for that.

The good news: once you understand why each setting exists, you never have to think about it again. You set up before diving, forget the menu, and focus on what matters: the approach and the light.

Here's exactly what I adjust, in the order I do it, with the values I use.

On the surface, your camera or phone handles the situation well. It measures light, adjusts exposure, white balance, and produces something acceptable automatically.

Underwater, three things break this system.

First, colours physically disappear. Water absorbs wavelengths in a precise order: red goes from 3 metres, orange at 5 metres, yellow at 10 metres. Your camera can't recover what no longer exists in the light. Auto white balance tries to compensate, but it chooses different parameters on every photo, making your series inconsistent and often too cold.

Second, water reduces available light even in full sun. What looks bright at 8 metres depth often represents less than 20% of surface light. Your sensor compensates by raising ISO, which creates digital noise.

Third, subjects move. A fish, a ray, an octopus: they don't pose. Shutter speed needs to be fast enough to freeze them, which further limits available light.

These three constraints combine. That's why automatic underwater photography produces disappointing results, even with good equipment.

It's the one most divers ignore. And it's the first thing I adjust.

Auto white balance (AWB) is unstable underwater. It changes between each shot based on ambient light, creating colour inconsistency from one photo to the next. Over a series of 50 images taken during a dive, you end up with different tints on every image. Impossible to edit efficiently.

The value I use: 5000K fixed.

5000K corresponds to slightly warm midday light. It's the most reliable starting point in the vast majority of underwater situations: tropical water, Mediterranean, temperate water between 3 and 15 metres. You'll get files with a blue or green cast depending on depth, but that cast will be consistent across your entire series and easy to correct in post-production.

How to set white balance to 5000K: - On GoPro: Video Menu > White Balance > 5000K. If your housing doesn't give access to this menu, set to "Native" rather than Auto. - On iPhone in DiveVolk: use the DiveVolk app or Lightroom Mobile in manual mode. Sun icon > slide to 5000K. - On compact or mirrorless: Menu White Balance > Kelvin > 5000K.

One thing not to do: use red or orange filters to try to correct colour at capture. These filters darken the image, block autofocus, create an artificial colour cast that post-production doesn't properly correct, and give different results at every depth. Colour correction belongs in post-production, not on a plastic accessory in front of the lens.

The second setting that changes everything: the colour profile or picture profile.

Most cameras offer several profiles: Standard, Vivid (saturated), Portrait, Flat (neutral), and sometimes Log.

Underwater, systematically use Flat or Log.

Why? Because these profiles compress highlights and shadows, preserving maximum information in the extreme zones of the image. When you edit in post-production to recover missing colours, you'll have much more to work with.

On GoPro, the corresponding setting is called "Flat" in the colour options. In the video settings, you choose "Flat" and your image will look grey and lifeless on screen. That's exactly right. The beauty is hidden in that grey file. It will emerge in post-production.

On iPhone, it's the ProRes format with "Log" profile (available on iPhone 15 Pro and 16 Pro). For other iPhones, ProRAW with Lightroom Mobile in manual mode is the equivalent for stills.

The common mistake: choosing the "Vivid" profile because colours look better on screen. On the surface, in a shop, that's true. Underwater, this profile saturates tones that don't physically exist and blocks any coherent post-production correction.

If you need to remember a hierarchy, here it is, in priority order:

1. Shutter speed: this determines whether your subject is sharp or blurry. Underwater, nothing stays still: plankton, suspended particles, you yourself breathing and drifting slightly. Minimum 1/125s for any static or quasi-static subject. 1/250 to 1/500s for actively swimming species. 1/1000s for fast action (sharks, bonito, trevallies). Below 1/125s, count on blur.

2. ISO: keep them as low as possible. ISO 100 or 200 if light permits. The acceptable maximum is 1600 on most sensors before digital noise becomes distracting. If you need to go beyond 1600, that's the signal you're short on light: ascend, dive earlier in the day, or get closer to your subject.

3. Aperture: generally, work with the widest aperture your lens offers (f/2.8, f/4, even f/1.8 if you have a suitable port). Underwater, you're chasing light. Stopped-down aperture (f/8, f/11) is only justified in macro for greater depth of field.

These three settings form what's called the exposure triangle. Underwater, you willingly sacrifice depth of field (wide aperture) and limit ISO to preserve sharpness (fast speed).

You'll often find this rule mentioned in general photography courses. It concerns astrophotography: to prevent stars from being blurry on a long exposure, you divide 500 by the focal length to get the maximum time (500 / 50mm = 10 seconds maximum).

Underwater, this rule has no direct application. You're not doing long exposures. You're working in (relative) full light, and your subjects move. The rule that replaces the rule of 500 in the underwater context is simpler: never go below 1/125s, regardless of circumstances. Full stop.

If you encounter the question "what is the rule of 500 in photography?", here's the short answer: it's a formula for calculating maximum shutter time in astrophotography before the Earth's rotation creates star trails. It doesn't apply to underwater photography.

This one, however, is directly useful, and I use it intuitively on every dive.

The principle: during an underwater photo outing, 20% of the time passes before you're truly operational (equalising buoyancy, adapting your eyes to the light, identifying interesting areas). 60% of the time is the active working window. The final 20% sees your concentration drop (air, fatigue, cold).

What this changes in practice: don't start shooting immediately on descent. Take time to stabilise, observe, scout. The best images rarely come from a dive's first few minutes.

This rule connects to a central position in the AquaExposure approach: observe before acting. Before pulling out the camera, you read the scene. You identify the light, animal behaviours, the positions to hold. Only then do you shoot.

Underwater light changes according to two variables you control: the time of your dive and your depth.

Time: the optimal light window is between 10am and 2pm. The sun is high enough that its rays penetrate the water vertically with minimal loss. Outside this window, light arrives at a raking angle, is filtered through a longer water distance, and colours degrade faster.

Direct consequence on settings: if you dive at 8am or 4pm, you'll need either higher ISO (digital noise), slower shutter speed (blur risk), or to accept generally darker images.

Depth: every additional metre removes light and cuts a wavelength. Between 0 and 5 metres, you can work with few adjustments. Between 5 and 15 metres, reds and oranges have vanished and the image will be green or blue. Beyond 15 metres, post-production colour correction becomes complex and sharpness suffers from the lack of light.

The golden rule: get closer to your subject. 50 to 80 centimetres for fixed elements (corals, rocks, wrecks). Minimum 2 metres for animals, out of respect for their personal space. The closer you are, the less water sits between you and your subject, and the less colours are absorbed.

Here's what I systematically adjust on the edge of the boat or at the changing room exit, before putting the equipment in the water.

1. 1White balance: 5000K fixed.
2. 2Colour profile: Flat or Log.
3. 3Recording format: RAW for stills, H.265 at maximum quality for video.
4. 4ISO: 100 to 200 as starting point.
5. 5Shutter speed: 1/250s as initial value - I'll adjust based on the situation.
6. 6Aperture: widest available value.
7. 7O-ring or vacuum pump check on the housing.
8. 8Dry trigger test before immersion.

This isn't a perfectionist's checklist. It's the difference between coming back with usable images and coming back with 300 blue and blurry photos.

I list them here because I've made every single one.

Leaving white balance on auto. I explained it above, but it's the most widespread and most costly mistake in post-production. Set to 5000K. Period.

Filming in Vivid or Standard profile. Your colours look beautiful on screen during the dive. You get home, open the files in post-production, and you have no room to work. Film flat, edit later.

Not checking shutter speed. Many divers set to auto mode and let the camera choose. Underwater, the camera often chooses too slow a speed to compensate for low light, which blurs everything that moves. Manual mode or shutter priority, and 1/125s minimum.

Diving outside the 10am-2pm window without adjusting. Early morning dives are wonderful for tranquillity, animal behaviour, visibility. They're difficult for photography without adapting settings accordingly.

Touching the camera settings on every dive. The goal is to stop thinking about it underwater. Settings are done on the surface. Underwater, you focus on approach, light and composition.

What are the three most important photo settings underwater?

Shutter speed (minimum 1/125s to freeze motion), white balance (5000K fixed to correct the blue cast), and colour profile (Flat or Log to maximise flexibility in post-production). These three settings together make the difference between a usable image and an unusable file.

What is the best white balance setting for underwater photography?

5000K fixed. It's the most stable and consistent starting point in the vast majority of situations (tropical water, Mediterranean, temperate water between 3 and 15 metres). Auto (AWB) is unstable and produces different tints on every image, making editing inconsistent. On some expert cameras, custom manual white balance on a grey card or white slate at working depth is even more precise, but 5000K fixed remains the recommended default value.

How do I set up my iPhone for underwater photography?

In the DiveVolk app (if you use a DiveVolk housing) or in Lightroom Mobile in manual mode: white balance at 5000K, ProRAW format enabled, ISO between 100 and 800 depending on depth, shutter speed at 1/250s or faster. On Pro models, enable ProRes for video with the Log profile. Leave nothing on auto.

Should I use a red filter to correct colours underwater?

No. Red filters darken the image, block autofocus on many cameras, and don't adapt to depth or brightness changes. They create an approximate correction at capture where post-production allows precise and reversible correction. The right method: white balance at 5000K, Flat profile, and colour correction in post-production (Snapseed, Lightroom, DaVinci Resolve).

What is the rule of thirds in underwater photography?

The rule of thirds divides the image into 9 equal zones with two horizontal and two vertical lines, placing important elements on these lines or at their intersections rather than in the centre of the frame. Underwater, it applies with a nuance: the animal should always have space in front of it in the direction it's looking (what's called "looking room"). A fish framed on the right of the frame should be looking left. An animal framed on the left should be looking right. This principle makes composition more dynamic and natural.

Want to go further with underwater photography technique? Module 5 of the AquaExposure training covers complete settings protocols by environment (tropical water, Mediterranean, cold water, wreck, low visibility). Accessible from 24.50 euros per month.

Want a practical summary to take on your next dive? The free AquaExposure guide "The 7 Essential Underwater Photography Settings" is available as a downloadable PDF. White balance, exposure, focus, distance, angles, pre-water checklist and natural light: the basics you can apply on your very next outing, with no equipment purchase. Download the guide for free

• Why your underwater photos are blurry and blue - The 5 causes and 5 fixes: the logical continuation of this settings guide.
• Mastering natural light underwater - When the settings are right, light does the rest. How to read and use it.
• Why I stopped using red filters - The colour correction that truly replaces filters in post-production.
• DaVinci Resolve for video colour correction - The complete post-dive colour grading workflow.
• Access the full AquaExposure training
• Underwater photography training in Belgium
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