2 week videography training and internship

Train to become a BSAC Professional HD Underwater Videographer on Koh Tao, Thailand

Underwater videography course Thailand

2 Week BSAC Pro HD Underwater Video Training

Become an underwater videographer in one of Asia's top dive destinations! While you are living on the beautiful island of Koh Tao, you will be trained to capture the stunning underwater world. Oceans Below will provide you with all of the skills and equipment needed to produce professional HD underwater videos. Your training will include the use of high-quality HD video cameras, Gates and Aquatica Underwater Housings, and Adobe software. Join our highly experienced team of professionals for the 2-week BSAC Pro HD Underwater Video Training program.

You must be a certified PADI Rescue Diver (or equivalent) with 50+ logged dives It is possible to add on the scuba training courses before the start of the Pro HD Underwater Videographer Training if you have no prior dive experience. Oceans Below can organize your dive training and accommodation through Koh Tao’s Premiere 5-Star IDC Center.

2 week video training

Get hands-on experience in the making of top-quality underwater movies. Learn to shoot everything from the biggest fish in the world, to the smallest shrimp, using full manual camera controls for that perfect image(white balance, focus, exposure, lighting, and zoom) edit your movies on Adobe Premiere Pro.

Instructor and student with the HD cameras

Available Dates

The Pro HD Underwater videographer Training Course is available year-round. We only take 2 people per course to ensure that each trainee gets lots of personalized attention throughout the course. We begin a course at the start and at the middle of each month. These courses usually are booked at least a few months in advance, so make sure you check in with us prior to traveling to check the availability.

The best time of year for a chance to see Whalesharks is close to the monsoon period, so April/May and September/October/November are the best months. However, they can turn up anytime. May to February are the best months to get close encounters with the Bull Sharks. April, May and June are the easiest months to spot Green and Hawksbill turtles. Throughout the year you’ll see Moray Eels, Stingrays, Scorpion Fish, Octopus, Sea Snakes, Boxfish, Jacks, Groupers, etc...

Health Requirements for underwater videographers

If you are looking to participate in this program you need to ensure that you are reasonably fit and free from any conditions that may prevent from or be a danger to you while diving. Before coming to Thailand, it is best to consult your doctor and get a signed Medical Statement.

Underwater videographer training Thailand

2 Week Underwater Video Internship (only available after the 2 week BSAC Pro course)

Once you have completed your training, you will have the option to follow one, or both of the following:

-learning to produce souvenir videos for divers. Film and edit a movie to music telling the story of the diver's day trip. By the end of this internship you'll have gained all the skills and knowledge to be successfully employed in the field.

-continued Education and skill development. Quite simply, diving and filming to produce your own short documentary. Diving away from the main student dive sites and so avoiding the crowds, spending 45 minutes filming a seahorse to get that perfect shot. Or head out to the dive sites that the big student boats can't reach, Sam Ran pinnacle, Sail Rock, Hot spots to shoot the big stuff.For this course we will be using the Goodtime Adventures speedboat so we have no time restrictions and can get to any dive site in a matter of minutes.

Goodtime Adventures speedboat

You must be a certified BSAC Sports diver or PADI Rescue Diver (or equivalent) with 50+ logged dives. Being a competent scuba diver is critical as you will be filming PADI Instructors with students in training and you will be expected to look after yourself underwater. It is possible to add on the BSAC Dive Leader or PADI Divemaster Training Course or even the BSAC Open Water Instructor Course or PADI Instructor Development Course (IDC) before or after the Underwater Videographer Internship.

Available Dates

The Video Internship is available year-round. You may begin any time after your 2-week Video Training Course. The length of the internship is 2 weeks. Oceans Below will give you as many opportunities as possible to gain experience.

Koh Tao Oceans Below- Pro Videographer Course Update...

Written by Aidy

Friday, 23 July 2010 07:16

The two new Pro HD Underwater Video Trainees are shaping up nicely and the coral is quickly recovering!

Katie, from England, who's been diving in the lakes of the UK to get her PADI Rescue certification so that she could enroll in our course, is settling in well. She's proving to be a great diver which is helping her camera work come along in leaps and bounds in her first week on the course. Jason is a very experienced PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor from Canada and has also taken to the camera well. His shots are very smooth at this point in the course.

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Katie and Jason, on their Pro video internship...

We've been out diving a few times lately and it's been great fun with these two. We've had a bit of wind come through the Gulf of Thailand recently which has stirred up the sea and reduced the visibility in the water. But July- October are usually our best diving months, so I'm sure it won't be long until we see the return of our usual crystal clear flat seas, beautiful fish and the colourful corals which are typical of Koh Tao's waters.

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Nudibranchs out at Twins...

Just as with all areas of Asia and Australia, Koh Tao did have a few weeks of unseasonably warm waters a few months ago resulting in some coral bleaching on our shallower dive sites. Thankfully, we're seeing a very quick recovery as the temperatures have dropped back to the usual 29-30C. On the upside, we're now able to get some fantastic photos with otherwise, unseen effects!

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Anemonefish- Thriving despite the coral bleaching....

We're now at the point on the BSAC Video course where we focus on macro shooting. Jason and Katie have been able to film some really cool stuff lately, such as a tiny nudibranch out in the sand at Japanese Gardens, a really cute filefish and some Headshield Slugs at twins- which are quite rare on Koh Tao. Today we'll be heading out again to practice camerawork for macro filming. That is unless, we happen upon the whaleshark which has been spotted a few times over the last couple of days...!
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Tiny filefish...