According to its 2019 datasheet, the FFESSM level 1 underwater photographer certification opens after 10 validated dives in a natural environment. And all its practical exercises are done without an external flash. This detail says a lot about how underwater photography is taught.
Imagine a hypothetical scene. You have just obtained your level 1 certification, you have a brand new camera in a housing, and the desire to bring back images from your next dive. Where to start?
This guide summarizes what the federation and an SSI center near Toulouse require, what DAN observes among divers who take photos, and the questions to ask before paying for a course.
Is it necessary to take a course to start underwater photography?
Nothing obliges you to take a course to bring a camera on a dive. However, a short training prevents you from discovering everything on your own at the wrong moment, with a housing in your hands and a buddy drifting away. It teaches you the basic settings, lighting, and composition, but above all how to maintain your depth while framing.
The trap is well known. Absorbed by the screen, you forget everything else. In 2022, DAN published the case of a diver equipped with a camera who had planned a maximum depth of 30 meters and found himself at 53 meters while filming, without realizing it. He experienced vertigo, panicked, then ascended quickly. He came out with blood in his ear canal. DAN talks about task overload: shooting replaced monitoring depth and the buddy.
But this risk is addressed in training, well before the first beautiful shot.
A supervised course provides a simple framework: a site where depth remains limited, an instructor who watches while you adjust, short exercises that you repeat until they become automatic. It is less thrilling than a free dive with your camera. It is also much safer.
What diving level should you have before taking a camera?
For the FFESSM level 1 underwater photographer certification, you must be licensed, have a valid medical check, hold level 1 or the gold diver certification, and have at least 10 validated dives in a natural environment recorded in your logbook. The minimum age follows that of the technical level. These thresholds remain administrative minimums.
Why 10 dives? Because the camera adds a task to all those you already manage. Your stabilization, your air, your depth, and your buddy’s position still require a lot of attention at this stage, and each camera adjustment draws from the same concentration reserve. DAN recommends adding tasks gradually enough to master the new one without ever compromising safety. In short, buoyancy comes before framing. A stable beginner brings back better images than an over-equipped diver who struggles.
Thus, a well-adjusted jacket counts more than the lens, and our guide to properly adjusting your buoyancy compensator covers these basics.
The certification does not say everything about your ease. It is your instructor, on site, who sees if you can let go of the inflator for a few seconds to aim.
What does a first photography course include?
The level 1 federal curriculum includes four modules: camera basics and safety in underwater photography, natural light, composition with histogram and white balance, then handling for close-up photography, moving fauna, and ambiance. Everything is done without an external flash. The fixed course lasts at least 3 days, with 5 photo dives including 3 in a natural environment.
The choice to work without flash makes sense. You first learn to read daylight, its color which changes with depth and white balance, before adding lighting that multiplies settings and arms to manage around the housing. Evaluation is continuous. It focuses on photo quality and respect for the environment. Level 2, later, requires the level 2 diver certification and the external lighting qualification.
However, the format varies greatly depending on the agency and the center.
At Argonaute, in Ramonville-Saint-Agne near Toulouse, the SSI digital photography specialty displayed in early October 2026 includes 3 dives and one hour of theory, for €209.90, from age 10 with an Open Water Diver or equivalent. You work there on the camera’s operation and macro subjects like blennies or shrimps. Ask where these dives take place.
What equipment to prepare for a first course?
The federal level 1 sheet does not specify any brand and is practiced without an external flash. Your starting equipment can therefore remain simple: a camera you already know how to handle on land, a waterproof housing designed for the depth of your dives, and a wrist strap. Ask the center if they lend equipment, and under what conditions, before buying anything.
The housing deserves all your attention. A poorly cleaned seal or a grain of sand is enough to cause a leak. Check it on land, then in a freshwater tank before the dive if the center has one. And test all the controls with gloves if you wear them. An inaccessible button at depth causes you to lose the photo and occupies a hand that should stay near the inflator. Only then, frame.
For lighting, later, our article on choosing a dive light details the useful criteria, and our selection of dive cameras helps to see how good the video housings are.
Keep a simple rule for your first purchases. The equipment can evolve, your buoyancy must be there from the start.
How to photograph without damaging marine life?
The basic rule is summed up in one sentence: nothing touches the bottom, neither your hand nor your camera. The federal level 1 sheet actually evaluates environmental respect on the same level as image quality. A photo taken at the cost of broken coral costs more than it brings in.
The risk comes from framing. To fill the image with a blenny, you get closer, go down, and look for support. This is the moment when a fin strikes the reef or stirs up a cloud of sediment that spoils the next image, while the housing sometimes scrapes a gorgonian without you feeling anything. Our article on the rules for observing without disturbing marine life details the distances and gestures to adopt with wildlife, photographers included. Yet, the simplest solution remains to give up when your position is not stable. Another opportunity will come.
Some damage remains invisible at the moment, as our article on why you should never touch marine life reminds.
The same goes for animals. Do not chase a fish to frame it and do not move anything to compose the image (the setting remains as you found it). If the subject leaves, let it go.
How to choose your photo course without making a mistake?
Look at four points before paying: the curriculum followed, federal or agency, the number of dives in natural environments, the number of trainees per instructor, and what is lent. At level 1, the FFESSM recommends one instructor for three trainees. A page that gives none of these elements remains incomplete, even with beautiful photos on display.
Also ask about the location. A pit allows you to adjust the camera calmly, the sea brings natural light and wildlife, but also current and cold. The two complement each other. Ask at what depth the photo dives are done, who supervises the group while you frame, and if the briefing specifies what to do if the housing leaks or if you lose sight of your buddy. Which format will suit you best? Impossible to decide from here.
However, the displayed price does not say everything: also count the housing and sea dives, which quickly add to the course fee.
A short course gives you the basics. The rest is played out on each photo dive, where you pay in air, attention, and time spent redoing your settings before really enjoying the image.
FAQ
Can you start underwater photography with a smartphone?
Yes, if the housing is guaranteed for the intended depth and the center accepts it. The FFESSM level 1 card is practiced without an external flash and does not specify any brand. Test the housing empty before taking it diving.
How many dives are needed before a photography course?
For the FFESSM level 1 underwater photographer certification, at least 10 validated dives in a natural environment and a level 1 or gold diver are required. Agencies set their own prerequisites: Argonaute requires an Open Water Diver for its SSI specialty. Your instructor remains the judge of your comfort level.
How much does an underwater photography training cost?
Prices vary depending on the center and the format. For example, at the beginning of October 2026, Argonaute listed its SSI photography specialty at €209.90 for 3 dives and one hour of theory. Check what is included, equipment and sea dives included.
Does underwater photography increase risks?
It adds a task to diving. DAN describes the case of a diver who was filming and descended to 53 meters instead of the planned 30. Add tasks gradually and keep visual contact with your buddy.
Sources
- Level 1 underwater photographer certification sheet (FFESSM, photo video commission, seminar version 2019)
- Distraction, Unplanned Exposure, and a Lucky Outcome (Divers Alert Network, 2022)
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