Imagine shooting a fantastic underwater movie of someone's first diving experience - showcasing their interaction with the marine life around Koh Tao.

Having the ability to edit the right shots together with a soundtrack, then screening your movie the same day, for our diving customers!!

Underwater videographers on Koh Tao work shooting marine movies everyday!

You can too, with our 'Underwater Videographer Add On' for your scuba diving gap year internship.

The 'underwater videographer add-on' is a paid working gap year diving internship!

A Day in the life of an Underwater Videographer

Up early, you need to 'prep' your diving and camera equipment and then head down to the dive shop to meet & greet today's customers.

By the last two dives of the Open Water Course people are controlled and comfortable in the water, and are having a good time - this is the perfect opportunity to film them.

An underwater videographer will accompany these two dives, documenting the day out - the transfer to the dive boat and journey out to the dive site. The main part is underwater videography, recording the customers diving, and capturing the marine life they saw on film (stock footage is a bit no-no). Then filming the big smiles when they come up from the dive, and so cheerful group shots on the way back to shore.

During the afternoon, the videographer uploades the raw footage to PC, and spends several hours editing the movie - choosing the right shots and adding a soundtrack.

By early evening the finished version is burned to DVD - you'll then head down to one of the Koh Tao beach bars to re-meet the diving customers and chat over a few beers! You'll screen your movie for them. This will usually be on a projector with big sound system - this draws a big audience, both divers and general public.

Then it's sales time - you give the customers the chance of buying a copy. This is a special product for them - a DVD of them on their first dives showing their adventure into the underwater world! If you make a sale, you'll then burn a copy for them - job done!

Underwater videography is a lot of work - it's a mix of technical ability and people skills, giving the customer what they want.

With the Underwater Videographer internship add-on you'll be trained to do the job, and given a mentored internship as you make your own movies (and get paid!).

The internship includes all the equipment and materials that you need. This includes access to underwater camera equipment, a custom built video editing facility, and experienced videographers who have been doing this for a long time!

The first two weeks involves videographer training. After that, you'll be sent out with real customers (getting paid for your work).

Lets take a look first at the underwater videographer training:

Over two weeks, the areas you'll focus on will include;

- Equipment Assembly

- Skills with the camera [e.g. white balance, zoom control, steady shooting, composition & shot selection, shot duration, 'winning shots']

- Equipment maintenance

- Video editing [Capturing & transfer, cutting & cropping (SC Live software), final production edit (Adobe Premier Pro CS3), fitting a soundtrack, burning onto DVD / converting format and packaging the end product]

- Selling / dealing with tourists


Next you move onto a 6 week working gap year internship. You'll be sent out to do the job, working with real customers, making diving movies to sell.

For each copy that you sell, you'll be paid 500 baht, so you can re-coup your training expenses. This is a great way to spend a working / paid gap year.

We're not throwing you in the deep end on your own! You'll be mentored by experienced underwater videographers, given feedback, improving as you progress.

You'll get a great buzz from showing your movies for appreciative audiences. You'll be trained to make a very high quality product.


Here's a breakdown of the costs and exactly what's included in this paid working internship;