Underwater GoPro Video Workshop at El Galleon Scuba Dive Resort
Located on the vibrant shores of Puerto Galera, Philippines, El Galleon Scuba Dive Resort served as the perfect base for our recent Bluewater Travel underwater GoPro video workshop. Surrounded by the world-renowned marine biodiversity of the Coral Triangle, the waters here offered an extraordinary setting for capturing the vibrant beauty of the underwater world. With over 30 dive sites just minutes away by boat, our participants had ample opportunities to film a stunning variety of marine life using their GoPro cameras.
The large and well-equipped dive center at El Galleon Scuba Dive Resort played a key role in making our underwater video workshop smooth and efficient from start to finish. With ample space for storing gear, setting up cameras, and organizing dive groups, the facility made it easy for participants to focus on preparing for their dives without feeling rushed or cramped. The dive center staff were friendly, knowledgeable, and always available to assist with gear handling or answer questions about site conditions and marine life.
One of the greatest advantages of El Galleon is its location: nearly all the dive sites are just a few minutes away by boat. Most of the sites are between a 2 and 8-minute boat ride from shore. This meant short, comfortable rides to vibrant reefs, wrecks, and drift sites, allowing us to maximize our time underwater and film in a variety of environments each day. The convenience of diving right from the resort, combined with top-notch facilities, created a relaxed, professional atmosphere ideal for learning, shooting video, and diving. It truly set the stage for an immersive and productive workshop experience.
El Galleon provided unlimited diving. We were typically doing 4 dives a day. 8am, 10:30am, 4:00pm, and a night dive at 6:00pm. The ambient light was perfect on the 4pm dive as the sun was low. The balance between ambient light and video light is perfect at that time. At night, our video lights took over, providing incredible colors from the reef without the overpowering ambient light to compete with. The colors and life at night created an opportunity for some amazing video.
Throughout the workshop, divers learned essential underwater videography techniques for underwater filming, including GoPro camera settings, how to use QR codes to shoot underwater video, the difference between ambient light and video light, types of shot that are simple to shoot and easy to edit, how to shoot macro with a GoPro, and editing for social media. The GoPro QR codes make changing settings underwater very simple. Just point your camera at the QR codes and your GoPro changes to those settings instantly. Letting you focus on your dive, not your settings. All the best settings for underwater video are programmed into the QR codes. You don’t need to worry about any camera settings. The underwater video skills and techniques the divers learned on this GoPro video workshop are knowledge they can take with them for many years to come on all their future dive adventures.
Puerto Galera’s marine life did not disappoint. From graceful sea turtles gliding past coral gardens to bustling schools of fish, and from tiny, colorful nudibranchs to curious octopuses displaying fascinating behaviors, every dive revealed something new to capture on video. The rich biodiversity provided countless moments of opportunity to capture some amazing underwater video. Just minutes away from the El Galion docks were dive sites full of diversity that provided excellent coral reef structures, muck diving, wide-angle shots, macro critters, night diving, wrecks, soft and hard corals, and many types of colorful and interesting kinds of fish.
For another great macro destination, check out Macro Heaven in Anilao.
Diving at Verde Island, often called the "center of the center of marine biodiversity," was a highlight of our workshop. The reefs were alive with color and movement—schools of triggerfish swirled around us, darting through dense coral formations teeming with marine life. The dramatic underwater topography made every dive feel like an exploration.
Between dives, we relaxed on a pristine white-sand beach, enjoying the sun, refreshments, and calm waters. The beach interval offered a perfect break to recharge, review footage, and take in the stunning scenery before heading back for another dive into Verde’s breathtaking underwater world.
Puerto Galera is part of several Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), and many dive centers collaborate with organizations like the Verde Island Passage Conservation Project. Diving responsibly ensures the reef remains a vibrant habitat for future generations—and future videographers.
This workshop not only enhanced participants’ GoPro videography skills but also deepened their appreciation for marine ecosystems and the importance of documenting them responsibly. We all carry a responsibility as divers to capture the underwater world and share it online for the world to see. It’s very important that we share this incredible underwater world to help protect and secure the life in our oceans for future generations. There is no better way than to capture video and share on social media. For anyone passionate about diving, storytelling, and ocean conservation, a GoPro video workshop can truly be an unforgettable adventure.
Check out this amazing video by Trip Leader Todd Kortte!
Interested in Puerto Galera? Check out our guide on How to Travel to Puerto Galera from Manila.
