Investing on a Go Pro Hero 9 for my Freediving Adventures.

As some of you know, another hobby that I love is Freediving. If I'm not mistaken, it has been 7 months since I started doing it. From the very beginning, I would only borrow the Go Pro Hero 5 from my sister-in-law so that I can take videos underwater. Until I and @ybanezkim26 then went freediving together and we would bring both our Go Pro with us.

However earlier this year, my sister-in-law's Hero 5 was no longer working and Kim's Hero 9 was still for replacement. With our weeklong freediving activity last February, I was in a dilemma as to how we would be able to document our underwater adventure. And so I impulsively decided to purchase a go pro just a few days before our trip. I already had plans to buy one but I wasn't expecting it to be too soon.

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WHERE TO PURCHASE ONE IN CEBU?

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Another dilemma came - indecisiveness as to whether to choose Go Pro Hero 9 or the newest model - Go Pro Hero 10. After weighing considerable comparisons and reviews written all over the internet, I ended up choosing GO PRO HERO 9. Couldn't take the risk of Hero 10 overheating (as what most negative reviews say) underwater. On the day of our trip to Malapascua, I went to PRG Photo Shop to purchase the Hero 9. Also, the reason I was delayed on our meetup time at the bus station.

Why PRG Photo Shop? They were the only store that responded to my inquiry on FB a day before and reserved their last unit of the Go Pro Hero 9 for me! So once I got to the store, I happily picked out all other accessories that I needed. I had some issues with the payment method but everything worked out in the end.

PRG Photo Shop is located in Raintree Mall near Fuente Osmeña Circle, Cebu City. They have complete gears, accessories, and other photography stuff. Besides that, the staff was accommodating and helpful. They would also work with the budget that you have.

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GO PRO HERO 9 & WHAT ACCESSORIES TO BUY?

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Why I'm writing this? Well, hopefully someone might find this useful when he or she decides to buy one for their underwater videos too. Anyways, here are the individual items I have which I can say were essential for my underwater videography.

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1. GO PRO HERO 9

Compared to the Hero 5 I previously used, Hero 9 is way far better in video quality and stability. I'm still exploring its capacities and other features but Hero 9 is handy and easy to use underwater. I like that I was able to make some custom settings for different themes. And the front camera helps the subject see how they look on the video. The only challenge I had was recording in 4k resolution! Well, the video is way to heavy to process on my 10 year old i7 Asus laptop. 😂 So I had to convert the videos at a smaller size and quality for it to play smoothly. But overall, Go Pro Hero 9 is overall great for our freediving videos.

_{PRICE AS OF FEB 2022: PHP 23,990 OR USD 470}

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2. PROTECTIVE HOUSING

If you plan on diving more than 10 meters (the maximum depth the hero 9 can go without a housing), then it would be wise to invest on a protective housing. I'd rather not risk getting some water into my GO PRO HERO 9 as it is a hassle to have it repaired here in my country.

_{PRICE AS OF FEB 2022: PHP 2,990 OR USD 60}

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3. SD CARD

I would have wanted to get the one with the bigger GB size unfortunately I would go beyond my budget at that time. The 128 GB San Disk was already enough to hold 2 days worth of freediving videos. It would be better to carry extra SD cards especially for long days of traveling.

_{PRICE AS OF FEB 2022: PHP 1,700 OR USD 34}

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4. FLOATING POLE

I was given the option to purchase a short floaty that only costs 2 dollars or this SMATREE Smapole S3 Detachable and Extendable Floating Pole for a higher price. There are pros and cons with using a floating pole. Pros include being able to film the fishes and corals at a considerable distance without disturbing them. Also being able to use either the photo or video setting. Cons include unsteady recording of videos (on my part). The ultimate reason for purchasing the latter was because of the flexibility of using it on land as well.

_{PRICE AS OF FEB 2022: PHP 2000 OR USD 40}

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5.DOME PORT

Honestly, compared to the stick type, this is way better! Because I was able to grip the SHOOT DOME PORT using my two hands, it helped me steadily maneuver the Go Pro underwater. Comparing the videos I took using this dome port vs the floatable pole, my videos with the dome port were better and more stabilized. I also like the - Shutter Trigger - feature which helps take photos and videos with just a finger. However, you cannot switch from video to photo and vise versa on this.

However, we must talk about water leakage. By the looks of it, it does seem sturdy. I did notice water seeping into the sides of the dome where there are screws. Initially, I would expect for water to leak inside once I swim deeper but somehow it didn't happened yet. Another thing, I was so careless on the first day of using the dome that I already managed to scratch it big time. 😅 So yeah, better not put it on rough surfaces. And to capture clear videos underwater, it's highly recommended to coat the dome with any shampoo prior to swimming! 😉

Purchased this one on Shopee. If you want to buy one too, click here.

_{PRICE AS OF FEB 2022: PHP 1,980 OR USD 40}

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RPG Photo Shop gave me a CASEY bag worth PHP 3000 or USD 60 as a freebie so hurray for that! However, if only I had more money at that time, I would have also bought some extra batteries! Good thing @ybanezkim26 had 3 spare ones that he brought along during our freediving trip.

So the total investment was around PHP 32,200 or or USD 644.

WAS IT WORTH IT?

HELL, YESS!

More freediving content for you guys! So stay tuned and watch out for our underwater adventure in Malapascua! And if you haven't subscribed to our Freediving Community, I would love for you to hop on it now and spread the word to my fellow mermaids around the world.