I figured as much, but perhaps someone else could have the same question, and well, it's worth answering if it helps someone else..
Which cenotes for training? GoPro?
- Thread starter Lloydm
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Don't write me off that easily - I have been reading all the posts but I don't log in unless I want to post myself (once per decade). Thanks to everyone who offered their opinions - I think it is safe to say there is a 100% agreement on forgetting the GoPro. While I still can not see how a small cube on the forehead contributes in any way to task loading just the idea alone seems to be offensive to the community - so that is reason enough for me to not attach it during a class. But to add for the record... even if I filmed the underwater yeti in perfect 4K HD it would still never end up on facebook seeing that I don't do the social media scene.
I think you still missed the bigger point. ASK YOUR INSTRUCTOR! Every single person on this whole forum could have told you it is perfectly fine and acceptable, but that means zero, zip, zilch if your instructor says no. Likewise, everyone here has said to forget it and not do it, but you might ask YOUR instructor and your instructor is perfectly fine with it. The only TRUE answer you will get will be from YOUR instructor.
lv2dive
Formerly known as KatePNAtl
I don't think there is any way you can 100% forget about the camera, and the point is, you need to focus on class. Period. You are oh-so-reluctantly agreeing to leave it behind after a couple dozen cave divers explained why you should. Believe me, just getting the same opinion on a topic from that many cave divers should be enough! 
At any rate, have fun in your course. Welcome to an amazing addiction!
At any rate, have fun in your course. Welcome to an amazing addiction!
Six Feet Under
Contributor
I agree. Even if it's a helmet mount and you're just using it for review later, you are still going to know it's attached to you and it WILL alter your actions to some degree (went through the same desire before my course myself and was told absolutely not by my instructor during classes). You'll be thinking about what the camera might be capturing instead of thinking about the skills you need to be demonstrating.
The helmet mount (after class) I don't really have a personal issue with, but I've tried to use my GoPro tray and attached light (on a video arm) with mixed, but generally bad, results. Hence why I finally gave up on the idea and put a helmet on my list of things to buy. Haven't used it yet, but I have the mount attached and ready to go for the next time I head up to north Florida.
Belmont
Contributor
I hired Pietro Donnagio and his wife to shoot my daughters first post certification dive in Dos Ojos. The result was very professional and I was proud to put it on Youtube for the family to view. It's very hard to take a decent video in a cave environment. You need all your attention and concentration in this kind of environment. Compare it to texting while driving.
Now that I have been through the program I will answer the question for myself in case someone else winds ends up asking the same question…
I trained at the following Cenotes: Carwash, Cristal, Ponderosa, Mayan Blue, Calavera, and Tajma ha
As for using a gopro on the course… I had decided that the mere idea of it was offensive so I never mentioned it. At one point however we had some discussion about helmets and the gopro topic did come up – the result being that I did end up using the helmet mounted camera towards the end of the course. The instructors did some filming off and on through the whole program, but mostly at the beginning to help refine trim, finning techniques, etc.
Now that I have tried cave diving with no helmet at all, with a helmet mounted camera, and with a small handheld camera / lighting rig (the helmet rig taken off the head and held in front) – here is my opinion: As I was well aware before, using your hands to operate or even simply hold a camera certainly task loads you. Here is what I learned in the caves… You always need to be aware of exactly where the cave line is, and I found it very difficult to be aware of both exactly where the line was (especially in an unfamiliar passage – and when you are a new cave diver all the passages are unfamiliar) and where to point the camera. I was not willing to loose my ‘line awareness’ so my filming was not as good as in open water. I am used to being able to film while constantly gazing in the direction of the camera but have discovered that while cave diving you can’t do that – you need to keep looking back to the line to make sure you don’t end up swimming away from it.
Something else I already knew, was that it was not really a problem to get good footage in a cave given the right passages and lighting – something new I discovered was an appreciation for how hard it is to see light signals when you use bright 100 degree video lighting; it pretty well overwhelms all other lights.
As for wearing a helmet mounted camera – it did not in any way interfere with anything. I would use the texting while driving analogy for handheld video; I would compare helmet mounted cameras more to driving with a dash camera. If you are still thinking of trying to get good footage while wearing it then you are absolutely complicating things, but if you don’t have a problem wearing it and forgetting it is there then there are no problems. In fact I got some pretty nifty footage while wearing it blindfolded – you are not looking around so you get great still footage… mind you my hand is in held up in front of it haha.
Anyway that’s how I feel – feel free to disagree.
I trained at the following Cenotes: Carwash, Cristal, Ponderosa, Mayan Blue, Calavera, and Tajma ha
As for using a gopro on the course… I had decided that the mere idea of it was offensive so I never mentioned it. At one point however we had some discussion about helmets and the gopro topic did come up – the result being that I did end up using the helmet mounted camera towards the end of the course. The instructors did some filming off and on through the whole program, but mostly at the beginning to help refine trim, finning techniques, etc.
Now that I have tried cave diving with no helmet at all, with a helmet mounted camera, and with a small handheld camera / lighting rig (the helmet rig taken off the head and held in front) – here is my opinion: As I was well aware before, using your hands to operate or even simply hold a camera certainly task loads you. Here is what I learned in the caves… You always need to be aware of exactly where the cave line is, and I found it very difficult to be aware of both exactly where the line was (especially in an unfamiliar passage – and when you are a new cave diver all the passages are unfamiliar) and where to point the camera. I was not willing to loose my ‘line awareness’ so my filming was not as good as in open water. I am used to being able to film while constantly gazing in the direction of the camera but have discovered that while cave diving you can’t do that – you need to keep looking back to the line to make sure you don’t end up swimming away from it.
Something else I already knew, was that it was not really a problem to get good footage in a cave given the right passages and lighting – something new I discovered was an appreciation for how hard it is to see light signals when you use bright 100 degree video lighting; it pretty well overwhelms all other lights.
As for wearing a helmet mounted camera – it did not in any way interfere with anything. I would use the texting while driving analogy for handheld video; I would compare helmet mounted cameras more to driving with a dash camera. If you are still thinking of trying to get good footage while wearing it then you are absolutely complicating things, but if you don’t have a problem wearing it and forgetting it is there then there are no problems. In fact I got some pretty nifty footage while wearing it blindfolded – you are not looking around so you get great still footage… mind you my hand is in held up in front of it haha.
Anyway that’s how I feel – feel free to disagree.
So was it worth it having to learn these lessons about the camera while also dealing with the rigors of the course, even if only at the end of it? It seems like you feel it was. To me, the sensible approach--whether we're talking caves, basic open water, spearfishing, or anything else new--is to learn to dive first, THEN learn to photograph it if that's what one wants. One thing at a time. Get good at that thing. Then add something new to it. Heck, I'm not even sure my way of thinking is limited to diving.
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