Before The Dive
Cover Photo by Alvaro Herrero (Mekan)
Cave diving photography is not just about capturing stunning images—it's about preparation, precision, and an unwavering respect for the underwater world. Every breathtaking shot starts long before the diver submerges, with meticulous planning, gear selection, and an understanding of the unique challenges posed by subterranean environments.
In this two-part guide, we've compiled insights from some of the world's most accomplished cave diving photographers to help enthusiasts navigate the complexities of this exhilarating craft. In Part One, we focus on the critical steps before the dive—from choosing the right equipment to strategizing shot composition. Stay tuned for Part Two, where we delve into the techniques and best practices for capturing and refining images during and after the dive.
Whether you're an aspiring underwater photographer or a seasoned explorer seeking to enhance your visual storytelling, these expert tips will elevate your approach to cave diving photography.
Photo by Natalie Gibb
Plan the dive, dive the plan.
Becky Kagan Schott: Have a good plan in place with your model ahead of time and explain to them how you want them positioned and where you want their light to be pointed. It can be difficult to communicate this once you're already inside the cave. I go in with one or two photos in mind. I'm not cave diving and taking photos along the way. I plan to shoot in a specific area and we stay in that area for most of the dive to capture a really nice image.
Photo by Becky Kagan Schott
Cristina Zenato: Know the cave, learn it well. Best to look at it during a previous dive to recognize interesting places, delicate formations, possible issues like loss of visibility or clarity due to halocline, percolation, or concentrated human activity in one room. Pick a cave and a type of dive suitable for the weakest diver and their skill level. Best to start closer to the entrance and then progress further in.
Communication before, during and after the dive is extremely important. We start at home with a briefing and a review of the locations and images we want to try to capture. Underwater, Kewin and I use ASL, (or sometimes grunts and quick voice sounds through the loop of the rebreather) but some might decide for personal hand signals, light, or a slate, either way, best to learn about it before the dive and be comfortable with them.
It is important that we respect the rules of cave diving and the rules of the game. We decide gear used, time, depth, gas, possible deco. We stick to the plan even if the image is not completed, or things are not working out. We call the dive when the dive needs to be called regardless of the results of the image. There is always another day to come back to repeat it.
Photo by Kewin Lorenzen
Kewin Lorenzen: Know your subject, be comfortable with cave diving together first, then attempt images. With Cristina, I can venture into areas for images that might be far and complex because of our continued diving and knowing the caves together. If someone wishes to have images of themselves taken in a cave, first they complete a couple of regular cave dives with me, in the cave designated for the images, as a buddy team to learn about each other, understand the techniques each uses and to allow me to notice the level of the diver then decide where to take the images.
Discuss the image prior to submerging, envisioning the place, thinking of where to put the lights, the floor and ceiling characteristics, if there is an halocline, who goes in first or second, where the diver in the image waits, and what underwater communication style we will be using to adjust position, depth, movement.
Photo by Alvaro Herrero (Mekan)
Alvaro Herrero (Mekan): Know the cave before you shoot. Whenever possible, dive the cave beforehand without a camera to scout locations. Understanding the structure of the cave, the flow of the water, visibility, and potential hazards will allow you to pre-visualize your images and prepare your lighting and composition strategy. The best shots often come from careful planning and familiarity with the space.
Plan your shoot meticulously. Whenever possible, plan your photo session in advance. Know where, when, how, and who you’re going to photograph. Discuss with your team how the lights should be placed and how the model and assistants should move and behave during the dive. Creating a detailed plan — even sketching it out on a map — helps ensure that everyone is on the same page and that the dive runs smoothly and safely. Good preparation turns a chaotic shoot into a productive and creative dive.
Know Your Gear (Camera, Equipment and Lights)
Photo By Carolina Wells
Carolina Wells: I use a wide-angle lens — recently a new Sony lens of 16-25mm f/4 — paired with a sturdy underwater housing. For my personal style, I prefer continuous lighting over strobes, and I rely heavily on high-quality video lights. As a BigBlue ambassador, I trust their lights completely. Continuous lighting allows me to compose and visualize the scene in real time, giving me a more fluid and creative approach underwater.
Kewin Lorenzen: It may sound obvious, but it is important to know your camera, understand the settings, decide on a few of them prior to the dive and experiment with them.
Becky Kagan Schott: Take time to spot check your photos while on the dive to make sure everything is in focus and exposed correctly and then make adjustments.
Photo by Alvaro Herrero (Mekan)
Alvaro Herrero (Mekan): Use the right gear for the job. Choose a camera system that excels in low-light conditions. Full-frame sensors are ideal for capturing detail and minimizing noise. Wide-angle lenses are a must — the wider and brighter the lens, the more scene you can include without losing light quality. Paired with strong video lights, this setup allows you to freeze fast movement and control shadows, even in the darkest corners of the cave. Practice using your camera in total darkness so that your reactions are instinctive and your workflow seamless when you’re in the field.
Photo by Natalie Gibb
Natalie Gibb: Trim your camera. Caves are an advanced diving environment, and total physical control is essential for cave conservation and safety. When shooting photos, I have found it necessary to move through the water with the same level of ease and control that I have without a camera. I need to be able to shoot vertical and horizontal photos, hover in unusual positions, and so forth. It's nearly impossible to be stable and controlled when a camera is not neutrally buoyant and trimmed. I have my camera trimmed and weighted so carefully that I can let go of it, and it will sit in the water in front of me without moving for a few moments before slowly drifting downwards. The freedom of movement and control this gives me allows me to capture the images I create. I've held other photographer's cameras that are not carefully weighted and trimmed, and I don't think I would be able to be stable enough to get the images I do with their cameras.
Photo By Tom St. George
Tom St. George: Know your camera and settings. Cave diving photography is low-light photography, and we often need to push the camera accordingly. Maximize the light hitting the sensor by using as slow a shutter speed as you can, open up the aperture more than you'd prefer (sacrificing some corner sharpness for lower ISO and less noise), and then set the ISO accordingly. Learn the limitations of your camera sensor, lens, and port to know how far you can push each setting. As the images tend to have a lot of dynamic range you will find they need editing to make them shine. Shoot in RAW, and don't be afraid to apply some noise reduction to deal with the high ISO.
Photo by Kewin Lorenzen
Kewin Lorenzen: Decide the style and concept of the image. Light is good, but sometimes I prefer to show the mood of a place by removing the light and creating more shadows and dark effects, after all we are in a cave. By not lighting everything I want to create an expectation of behind the corner, trigger curiosity. Place the lights to highlight the place we want to show but also to create depth in the image, perhaps one of the hardest creative aspect of cave images.
Photo of Mekan by Carolina Wells
Alvaro Herrero (Mekan): Master the Light. Lighting is everything in cave photography. Unlike open-water environments, caves offer zero ambient light, meaning you are entirely responsible for creating the light in your image. The more controlled, directional light you can bring in, the better. Invest in very powerful video lights and learn to use them creatively to sculpt the environment, bring out textures, and guide the viewer’s eye through your composition.
Photo By Tom St. George
Tom St. George: Off-camera lighting is vital. Lighting will make or break any image, and in a cave of course we need to bring the lighting with us. Off-camera lighting is key for producing interesting cave images; if you try to shoot with only on-camera lighting, you will quickly find it produces flat and boring images. Video lights rather than strobes are much easier to work with for off-camera lighting, as you can see the lighting without having to take a test shot; they effectively replace the ambient lighting of more traditional wide-angle underwater photography.
Photo by Becky Kagan Schott
Preparing for the Perfect Shot
Cave diving photography is more than just capturing images—it's about mastery, patience, and preparation. As we've seen from some of the most accomplished underwater photographers, success begins long before you enter the water. From understanding the cave to meticulously planning gear, lighting, and shot composition, every step you take before the dive lays the foundation for an incredible image.
By adhering to expert advice and refining your approach, you can transform the challenges of cave photography into opportunities to create stunning, immersive visuals. But the journey doesn't end here—what happens during and after the dive plays an equally vital role in bringing your vision to life.
Stay tuned for Part Two, where we explore the techniques, positioning, and post-processing strategies that take underwater storytelling to the next level. The dive is only half the adventure—what you do with the camera once you're submerged is where the magic truly happens.
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Thank you for the contributions by these world-class divers and photographers:
Alvaro Herrero (Mekan)
Álvaro Herrero aka Mekan, originally from Spain, has had a deep connection with the ocean since his grandfather gifted him a mask at the age of 5. By age 8, he began experimenting with photography using his father's old camera. With over nineteen years and 5,000 dives, he has worked as a diving instructor, commercial diver, dive equipment repair technician, boat skipper and underwater photographer, teaching courses and masterclasses worldwide. His technical training includes the JJ-CCR rebreather for depths of over 100m, as well as the Kiss Sidewinder and DPV for cave diving. He has won awards in prestigious contests, including the grand title of Underwater Photographer of the Year 2025, Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Red Bull Photo Illume and the Siena International Photo Awards, among others.
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Becky Kagan Schott
Becky is a 5 time Emmy-Award winning underwater cameraman and photographer whose work can be seen on major networks including National Geographic, Discovery Channel, and the Smithsonian Channel. She is co-owner of Liquid Productions, Inc, specializing in capturing images in extreme underwater environments from caves, under ice, deep shipwrecks and wildlife. Her projects have taken her all over the world from the Arctic to Antarctic and many exciting locations in between. She’s been actively diving for 29 years, 24 of which have been technical diving. Becky is on the US Antarctic Program’s Scientific Diving Control Board She is a Fellow in the Explorers Club and in 2013 she was inducted into the Women Divers Hall of Fame. She leads expeditions all over the world to capture unique images that inspire others to explore our planet.
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Carolina Wells
Cave photography has become one of my biggest passions. Exploring and capturing the underwater cave systems of Mexico has allowed me to combine adventure, precision, and storytelling in a unique way. Shooting in caves is always a challenge — the conditions are demanding, and there's little room for error. But with the right preparation, a strong and committed team, and a deep respect for the environment, it becomes a very rewarding experience. These are some of the principles I follow when photographing caves. They’re not just about gear or technique — they’re about mindset, teamwork, and honoring the incredible places we’re lucky enough to visit.
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Cristina Zenato
A professional diver since 1994, Cristina is an ocean and cave explorer, shark behaviorist and ecologist, photographer, speaker, writer and conservationist. She is a NSS-CDS Advanced cave diving instructor, KISS rebreather instructor, TDI mixed gas instructor and PADI Course Director. Cristina works with sharks in the wild and has conducted the exploration and surveys of numerous new cave systems. Her work can be summarized in three words: Exploration, Education, Conservation. A member of the Women Divers Hall of Fame and The Explorers Club, she is a firm believer in the power of education and spends her time teaching below and above the water. Cristina is the founder of the nonprofit People of the Water, organized to widen the distribution of training, education, research related to ocean and environmental issues.
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Kewin Lorenzen
A professional diver with an engineering background, Kewin works in The Bahamas, combining his passion for cave exploration, sharks and technical diving with underwater photography and videography. Kewin has filmed shark TV programs as well as explored and completed advanced survey projects to create 3D, interactive and digital maps of numerous cave systems. As the board of director of the nonprofit People of the Water he utilizes his skills to document the science behind his work.
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Natalie Gibb
Natalie Gibb lives in Mexico, where she spends every spare moment exploring caves with her exploration partner, Vincent Roquette-Cathala. When she's not exploring, she's hanging around her dive center, Under the Jungle, teaching cave courses and mentoring past students. Natalie is an amateur videographer, photographer, and a published author, and loves to share her adventures with others at dive shows and public speaking engagements.
https://www.underthejungle.com
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Tom St. George
Tom is an award winning underwater photographer based in Tulum, Mexico. He loves to teach underwater photography and to shoot cave photos for visiting cave divers. Tom also undertakes commercial work with underwater and topside photo and video-shoots. Originally from the UK, he discovered his passion for scuba diving and the underwater world when he emigrated to New Zealand in 2001. In 2010, he quit his full-time job as a senior web-developer in Wellington, NZ to see the world, spend more time underwater and ultimately to combine his two passions; diving and photography.
