4 Best GoPro Mounts for Snorkeling

In my mind, the Handler Floating Grip is the most iconic GoPro mount of all time. With one glimpse of the orange butt, you instantly know what’s attached on the other end.

And it’s iconic for a reason: it works wonderfully. The durable bungee wrist strap, GoPro locking mechanism on top, and floating capabilities make it the perfect mount for snorkeling. Just point and shoot!

I’d say I use this mount the majority of the time I’m snorkeling. On occasion, I may switch it out for one of the options below depending on the situation. However, this should suffice as a quality GoPro mount in most snorkeling situations.

Pros:

• Cost-effective
• Floats
• Easy to use
• Durable bungee wrist strap

Cons:

• Floats (may float away in strong currents)
• Single handed makes it not stable – footage may be shaky

Using a tray is beneficial for a variety of reasons. First, it provides much more stabilization than a single-handed mount. By using two hands and attaching the GoPro between the two points of contact, the GoPro is much less likely to be jerked around – thus producing stable footage.

Secondly, a dual hand tray provides all sorts of attachment sites for lights, strobes, lanyards, clips, and more. Essentially, it’s the starter piece for those seeking to dive into the world of underwater photography and video.

Although I will use this time to time while snorkeling, I primarily use it as my mount while scuba diving.

👉 Recommended attachment: Depending on the tray, it will likely be negatively buoyant. Meaning, if you drop it, it will sink. So if using a tray, I recommend securing GoPro’s Floaty attachment on your camera before snorkeling.

Smatree makes some of the best accessory equipment for GoPro’s on the market – their extendable floating handle is no exception. The carbon pole creates a positively buoyant mount that’s comfortable in your hand and easy to extend.

The benefits of this handle as opposed to the smaller floating grip are its extendable capabilities. This allows the camera to get closer to marine life that would normally be spooked if you were using a shorter mount like the Handler.

However, the longer lever arm makes subtle movements in the wrist large changes at the camera.

Pros:

• Extendable
• Floating
• Durable carbon material

Cons:

• Shaky footage if hand isn’t steady
• More expensive than other options

Some people would rather go hands-free while snorkeling and not hold the GoPro at all. In this case, a GoPro mounted mask is your best option.

I know a lot of people who use this mask, particularly while freediving, but it works with snorkeling too. The only downside is you need to be cognizant of where the GoPro is pointing. At times, you think it’s pointed one way while being tilted above the water.

Pros:

• Hands free GoPro mount for snorkeling

Cons:

• Pointing in right direction may be difficult

GoPro Hero 9 is rated for depths of 30 feet (10 m) so you actually don’t need this for snorkeling. But I always think it doesn’t hurt for an extra layer of protection.

The first color to disappear underwater is red. That’s why red filters are used with underwater cameras. These red filters ONLY work with the previously listed housing for GoPro Hero 9.

If using underwater housing, anti-fog inserts are always a good idea to reduce any fogginess in the housing.

Nothing is worse than going to film an epic shot only to realize your storage is full. On a limited-time basis, going through and deleting old footage isn’t always ideal. Having an extra memory card is!