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Home/ Courses/ Underwater Photography
Beginner Zone · SSI Specialty · 1 Day

SSI Underwater
Photography

Malta sits among the Mediterranean's best underwater photography destinations. Visibility regularly exceeds 20 metres, the wrecks are photogenic and accessible, and the marine life is cooperative. This one-day SSI specialty covers camera settings, composition, lighting and the buoyancy skills that separate good shots from great ones.

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Certified by SSI
Course Fee From
€160+€94SSI eLearning
Total all-inclusive: €254
✓2 open water dives
✓Basic camera hire included
✓Full equipment included
✓Lifetime SSI certification
✓Digital cert card within 24hrs
✓Counts toward SSI Master Diver rating
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10
Min Age
OW
Prerequisite
2
Open Water Dives
1
Duration (Days)
18m
Max Depth
5
Max Students
Course Overview

See it. Frame it. Capture it.

The SSI Underwater Photography specialty teaches you to think like a photographer while you dive. You will learn how light behaves underwater, how to position yourself without disturbing subjects, and how to get technically sharp images in open water conditions.

Malta's combination of high visibility, calm conditions and diverse subjects makes it an ideal place to develop these skills. On a single dive you might shoot a moray eel in a crevice at close range, then turn around and frame a cuttlefish hovering in open water. The wrecks add wide-angle opportunities that few Mediterranean locations can match.

What You Will Learn
  • Camera settings for underwater conditions: white balance, ISO, shutter speed and aperture
  • Composition principles including the rule of thirds, negative space and framing with reef structure
  • Natural lighting techniques at different depths and times of day
  • Artificial lighting: positioning a strobe or video light to reduce backscatter
  • Approaching marine life without disturbing behaviour or damaging the environment
  • Buoyancy control while operating a camera: neutral hover, fin pivot and controlled approach
  • Post-dive image review: identifying what worked and why, and how to improve
SSI

SSI Underwater Photography

Specialty certification, recognised worldwide

Cert Type SSI Specialty Certification
Depth Limit 18m · Beginner Zone
Min Age 10 years
Prerequisite SSI Open Water Diver (or equivalent)
Card Issued Digital within 24 hours of completion
Valid Lifetime. No renewal required.
Next Step SSI Advanced Open Water or Master Diver
Prerequisites and Equipment
SSI Open Water Diver (or equivalent PADI, CMAS, BSAC)
Minimum age: 10
Own underwater camera or housing welcome; basic dive camera hire available from diveshack
Compatible with any underwater camera system including action cameras and phone housings
Full dive equipment included in standard package
What You Will Cover

One-day course structure

Complete the SSI eLearning theory before you arrive. On the day, you get a full equipment briefing with your instructor before heading straight into 2 open water photography dives.

Before You Arrive

SSI eLearning Theory

  • SSI eLearning modules: light, colour and exposure underwater
  • Camera anatomy: sensor size, lens options, housing seals and flood prevention
  • Setting up your camera: custom white balance, shooting modes
  • Strobe and video light positioning: angle, distance and backscatter control
  • Composition theory adapted for underwater environments
Morning

Open Water Photography Dive 1

  • Equipment check and camera setup with your instructor
  • Dive briefing: site plan, subject targets, depth and gas management
  • Wide-angle wreck or reef photography up to 18m
  • Shooting moving subjects: amberjack, bream and grouper
  • Framing technique: natural arches, hull lines and reef edges
  • Instructor-guided composition feedback during the dive
Afternoon

Open Water Photography Dive 2

  • Macro focus: nudibranchs, seahorses (seasonal), moray eels and cleaner shrimp
  • Close-focus wide-angle technique for reef structure and marine life together
  • Natural light dive: shooting without artificial light at shallow depth
  • Final image review: selecting best shots and identifying improvement areas
  • Certification submission and SSI digital card issued
Where You Will Dive

Malta's best photography sites

Your instructor selects sites based on conditions and the subjects that suit your skill level. These are the most photogenic locations regularly used for the course.

14–16m max

HMS Maori

A compact WWII destroyer wreck in Valletta's Grand Harbour. The shallow depth allows long bottom time and excellent natural light for wreck frames. Grouper, moray eels and bream use the structure regularly.

18m course limit

Cirkewwa Arch

The arch at Malta's northern tip is one of the most photographed structures in the Mediterranean. Sunlight passes through the opening in the morning, creating strong light shafts. Abundant amberjack and bream at depth.

Shallow reef

Reef Macro Sites

Malta's rocky reefs hold nudibranchs, seahorses (seasonal), cuttlefish and octopus at accessible depths. Ideal for close-up and macro work. Your instructor guides you to subjects based on what's present on the day.

Pricing

SSI Underwater Photography options

All packages include the €94 SSI eLearning licence and full scuba equipment.

Most Popular
Standard
€160+€94SSI eLearning
Total: €254
  • ✓SSI eLearning licence (€94)
  • ✓Full dive equipment included
  • ✓Basic camera hire included
  • ✓2 open water dives
  • ✓SSI certification card
  • ✓diveshack instructor
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Private Instruction
€320+€94SSI eLearning
Total: €414
  • ✓SSI eLearning licence (€94)
  • ✓Everything in standard course
  • ✓Dedicated one-on-one instructor
  • ✓Flexible scheduling
  • ✓Priority site selection
  • ✓Personalised debrief
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Group Booking
POA

3 or more divers. Contact us for a group rate and flexible scheduling.

  • ✓All equipment included
  • ✓Dedicated instructor
  • ✓Flexible dates
  • ✓SSI certification card
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All prices include VAT · Deposit of 50% required to book your place · Balance due on Day 1

FAQ

Common questions

Any underwater camera system works with this course. A dedicated compact dive camera (such as a Sea & Sea or Olympus TG series in a housing) gives you full manual controls and strobe compatibility, which helps you get the most from the course. If you already own a mirrorless or DSLR in an underwater housing, bring it. If you have no camera, diveshack can hire you a basic point-and-shoot dive camera. Let us know when you book so we can make sure it is ready.
Yes. The SSI Underwater Photography course is designed to work with any camera system, and a modern smartphone in a quality housing can produce strong results, particularly in shallow, well-lit conditions. The course covers settings, composition and technique that apply regardless of camera type. The main limitation with phone housings is the absence of strobe sync ports, so you will rely on the phone's built-in light or a compatible video light rather than a dedicated strobe. Your instructor will work with whatever system you bring.
The only prerequisite is an Open Water Diver certification, which means you have completed your basic scuba training. You do not need a high number of logged dives, but you should be comfortable in the water and able to control your buoyancy at a basic level. The course includes buoyancy drills specifically aimed at improving your control while holding a camera. If you completed your Open Water course recently and feel you want a refresher first, let us know and we can arrange one before the photography course starts.
Malta's rocky reefs and wrecks support a broad range of photogenic marine life. Regular subjects include octopus (one of the most cooperative subjects for close-up work), moray eels in rocky crevices, cuttlefish, nudibranchs, grouper, bream and amberjack. Seahorses are seen seasonally at certain sites. The wrecks add wreck-specific subjects: lionfish in sheltered spots, conger eels in the hull, and wide framing opportunities against the steel structure. Your instructor plans dives around what is currently present and will guide you to subjects during the dive.
Malta regularly sees horizontal visibility between 15 and 30 metres, with some sites exceeding that in calm conditions. This is among the best in the Mediterranean and makes a significant difference for underwater photography: you can shoot wide-angle subjects with a clean water column behind them and use natural light at shallower depths without the green or brown cast common in lower-visibility waters. The stable, calm sea state means photographers can concentrate on technique rather than managing current or surge.
Malta has a low rate of dive cancellations due to its sheltered coastline, but surface conditions can occasionally affect specific sites. If your planned site is not accessible, your instructor will choose an alternative that still meets the course objectives. In the rare case that conditions prevent open water diving entirely, we will rearrange the affected dives for the next suitable day at no additional cost to you.
Yes. The €94 SSI eLearning fee covers your access to the official SSI digital learning platform where you complete the theory component of the course at your own pace before arriving. This is an SSI platform fee paid directly to SSI through diveshack and is separate from the diveshack course fee. Both charges are shown clearly on every pricing option. Your total for the standard package is €254: €160 diveshack course fee plus €94 SSI eLearning.
What Comes Next

Continue your dive training

Underwater Photography counts as one of the five specialties required for the SSI Master Diver rating. These are the natural next steps.

18–30m · Advanced Zone

SSI Advanced Open Water Diver

Earn your Advanced certification by completing five specialties to 30m. Requires 24 logged dives. Underwater Photography counts as one of the five.

VIEW COURSE ›
0–18m · Beginner Zone

SSI Perfect Buoyancy

Precision buoyancy is the foundation of good underwater photography. This specialty improves your control and is a natural companion to this course.

VIEW COURSE ›
18–30m · Advanced Zone

SSI Night and Limited Visibility Diver

Shoot subjects that only appear after dark. Night diving opens a completely different set of photographic opportunities on the same sites you already know.

VIEW COURSE ›
Enrol

Book Underwater Photography

Locationdiveshack, Sliema, Malta
Duration1 day, 2 open water dives
Group SizeMax 5 per instructor
Price from€160 course + €94 eLearning
Deposit50% to book your place
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