This is a topic particularly close to my heart because it touches on the safety of each and every one of us and, at times, can make the difference between a memorable dive and a tragedy: the importance of ALWAYS having your GoPro secured to your gear. This isn’t just simple advice to avoid losing your camera and footage, but a fundamental safety rule. Unfortunately, I still see too many divers simply holding their GoPro in hand, without any strap connecting it to their BCD. Why is it so crucial? Recent news has unfortunately provided a terrible example. On May 3rd, Chinese diver Zhang Xiao Han, 30 years old, lost her life in Indonesia. During her safety stop at 5 meters, her GoPro slipped from her grasp and, despite the guide’s attempts to stop her, she dove back down towards the bottom to retrieve it and never resurfaced. Her body was later found at over eighty meters. She sacrificed her life for a camera that wasn’t secured: an immense tragedy, avoidable with a simple action. Read the article here.

Furthermore, during dives, countless situations can arise where it’s essential to have both hands free. I think of times on the surface, in very rough seas, when I’ve had to hold firmly onto a line while the boat towed us towards a calmer area: with a GoPro in hand, it would have been very difficult, if not impossible, to maintain a secure grip. And what if a buddy had a problem? If there was a need to assist them or manage gear in an emergency? A loose GoPro would become a hindrance, a risk. In conclusion, no matter how accustomed we may be to handling our gear or thinking “it won’t happen to me,” the reality is that the unexpected is always around the corner. A GoPro can be replaced; our lives cannot. It only takes a few seconds before each dive to connect the camera to your BCD with a lanyard and a carabiner: that small gesture can truly make the difference.