Meadow Hot Springs and the GoPro Hero 2 Underwater Test

[CaverStretch]

For many years I've been visiting the Meadow Hot Springs located just outside of Meadow Utah. The warm, beautiful, sulfur free springs have always been an enjoyment of mine. I've always wanted to take an underwater camera and really capture some of the beauty of the spring.

Now I'm not a scuba diver (need to work on that) and was trying to find a relatively cheap and reliant system for filming some footage underwater. I'd heard of GoPro, but didn't really know anything about it. Then I went to the Holi Festival of Colors to do some photography and I think every one there had a GoPro. So I started thinking about it, what makes this camera so special. Why does everyone have one.

Next day I'm in Best Buy and I see the GoPro shelf, fully stocked with the new Hero 2. I read the box, looked at the camera, studied the accessories and thought hey this camera might be worth a look at filming in Meadow. So on a whim I purchased two cameras, and headed down to Meadow on a lovely Sunday Morning.

We spent the day filming the spring, not really knowing what to expect. I didn't know anything about filming underwater, or the GoPro. I spent about 3 hours filming different angles, outside the spring, inside the spring. The coolest idea I had was the lower the camera down on a rope to film the bottom. And we had some willing free divers to help take photos from below the surface.

Everything seemed pretty sweet, till I got home. I uploaded the footage onto my laptop and started gazing. And they were all out of focus. What? Did I have an option turned off on the camera? Did I not see the focus dial? What is going on.

After a little research I found out that GoPro Here 2 has a small glitch. It can't film underwater. Ohhh, it's waterproof. But it can't film underwater. Because in the external protective housing there is a small gap between the lens of the camera and the housing lens, and this causing the focal point to change when underwater. Thus, your image is slightly out of focus.

Well dang (I said a lot more than that). What do I do.

Here is the video I took with housing that comes standard with the Hero 2.



So, I started looking around and found a company that makes an after market housing that is Scuba certified to 200' for one hour. So I picked up two of them and headed back down the next weekend.

www.eyeofmine.com

They sells all sorts of accessories and gadgets for the GoPro. Check it out.

So the next trip we actually spent three days at Meadow. I did a lot of filming. And in the process learned a lot about what works and what doesn't. It wasn't until the end of the shoot that I finally figured out something that would help with the footage very much. It was just a last minute idea and it worked great. Can't wait to go back and try it again.

So here is the second video I made, using the after market housing from Eye of Mine.



Looking forward to the next trip. I think this time we will bring some scuba divers. Should be fun.

Robert

[mattandersao]

Im a diver and this is something to look into! Thanks for sharing!!

[jman]

There was a thread here a year or two back about the guys exploration of the cave. I recall something like another underwater room that's about 20ft or so and that's it.

[CaverStretch]

If you look at the video when the camera is on the floor, you can see a passage just to the left. I've heard that's where the water is coming out, but is just a small passage. I have some friends that want to go back down and dive it just for fun. And of course drag the GoPro's with us and see if we can get more detailed footage. Lots of fun though.

[jman]

If you look at the video when the camera is on the floor, you can see a passage just to the left. I've heard that's where the water is coming out, but is just a small passage. I have some friends that want to go back down and dive it just for fun. And of course drag the GoPro's with us and see if we can get more detailed footage. Lots of fun though.

of course! That's the most important part!

Depending on where you live - you could attempt Rick's Spring (logan canyon) underwater cave. Wendell Nope and his gang a few years back explored it and have mapped over 2200+ ft in it. It has many rooms and with air pockets which also includes a 15ft waterfall in the cave. But you need a drysuit and have to side-mount to fit through the passageways.

If you google his name or rick's spring cave, there is another forum where he frequents and has pics and vids, if you want to see more of it.

EDIT: here's a direct link: http://www.wendellnope.com/rickspic.htm