Why use a 360 camera underwater? 

If you’ve been on a dive trip recently, you might have noticed some scuba divers carrying a ball-shaped housing on the end of a stick. These are 360-degree cameras, most commonly made by a brand called Insta360. In this article, I’ll explain what they are, how they work, and five reasons you might want to bring one on your next dive adventure.

In this article

• What are 360-degree cameras and how do they work?
  • Introduction to 360 cameras
  • The Insta360 X4
  • The Insta360 X5
  • Other brands
• Five reasons to use a 360 camera underwater
  • 1. Capture everything around you
  • 2. Film yourself throughout the dive
  • 3. Record now, frame later
  • 4. Leave the camera alone — and see what happens
  • 5. Capture unique perspectives
• Conclusion

What are 360-degree cameras and how do they work?

Introduction to 360 cameras

As the name suggests, 360-degree (or omni-directional) cameras capture everything around them — a complete sphere of video or still imagery.

They achieve this using multiple ultra-wide lenses (typically two) pointing in opposite directions. The footage from each lens is then automatically stitched together into a seamless 360-degree image or video, a process that is now handled very well via smartphone or desktop apps.

While 360 cameras have existed for over a decade (the Ricoh Theta dates back to 2013), using them underwater — and getting good footage — has become far more accessible in the past few years. Consumer-priced cameras now offer higher resolution, improved dynamic range, and increasingly clever AI-assisted editing. Two models in particular have driven that shift: the Insta360 X4 and X5.

The Insta360 X4 and X5 side-by-side. If you see someone diving with a 360 camera these days, it’s most likely one of these, inside their “invisible dive case” housing – more on that below.

The Insta360 X4 (2024)

The Insta360 X4 captures 8K/30p 360-degree video, which provides enough resolution to later reframe clean 1080p “flat” videos. It can also shoot 18-megapixel 360 photos, or up to 70 MP using pixel-shift.

Crucially for underwater use, with a combination of AI-driven software and clever housing design, both the housing and the selfie stick effectively disappear during stitching, producing uninterrupted 360-degree footage (Insta360 call their housing the Invisible Dive Case for a reason).

The result is a striking third-person perspective, where it looks as though another diver is filming you throughout the dive — a surprisingly immersive effect.

The Insta 360 X5 (2025)

Announced just a year later, the Insta360 X5’s most important upgrade for underwater shooters is improved low-light performance, thanks to a larger sensor (1/1.28” vs 1/1.8”).

The camera itself is very similar in size and shape to the X4, while the X5’s Invisible Dive Case is slightly larger. Insta360 has also introduced a bulkier Invisible Dive Pro housing, which is the one I now use, for it delivers cleaner, more detailed underwater footage.

Nauticam have recently announced their own X5 housing, which I am looking forward to trying in due course.

What about other brands?

As of January 2026, Insta360 remains the clear market leader in consumer 360 cameras. That said, competitors haven’t stood still: the GoPro Max 2 and DJI Osmo 360 were both released in 2025. At the time of writing though, neither GoPro nor DJI offers an official underwater housing for these models. Third-party housings exist for the Max 2 (which I haven’t tested), but underwater usability is still an area where Insta360 has a clear advantage.Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s look at why you might want to take an X4 or X5 underwater.

Five reasons to use a 360 camera underwater

1. Capture everything around you

Some divers mount a GoPro above their mask to record what they saw during a dive. A 360 camera takes that idea one step further: instead of recording what you were looking at, it records everything — including what you missed.

That dolphin passing behind you, or the seal you only noticed after the fact? With a 360 camera, it’s all there.

2. Film yourself throughout the dive

Let’s be honest — who doesn’t enjoy an underwater video where they’re the hero?

Mounted on an invisible selfie stick, an Insta360 X5 creates a convincing third-person view. Because the stick disappears during stitching, it looks as though another diver was following you purely to film your dive, hands-free and uninterrupted.

3. Record now, frame later

Tracking subjects smoothly underwater isn’t always easy — especially when things happen quickly. With a 360 camera, you don’t need to worry about framing in the moment. Just record everything, and decide how to frame it later.

This is particularly useful if you’re primarily an underwater photographer with a GoPro mounted on your housing. When you’re busy shooting stills, video composition often suffers. A 360 camera solves that problem by capturing every angle.

Reframing footage in the Insta360 iOS/Android app is straightforward:

• Connect your phone wirelessly to the X4 or X5 (even while it’s still in the housing)
• Preview the 360 footage on your phone
• Manually reframe, or let the app automatically track a subject (for example, a passing turtle)
• Export a clean, reframed video ready to share

The below reel is an example of the various angles I used when editing a single 360 video file.

4. Leave the camera alone — and see what happens

Some of the most compelling underwater footage is captured when no divers are present. Marine life behaves very differently once bubbles disappear, and 360 cameras are particularly well suited to this filming this way.

Just off the beach near Kri Eco Resort in Raja Ampat, I spotted a few juvenile blacktip sharks that would immediately scatter whenever I entered the water. I placed my Insta360 X4 in its Invisible Dive Case, attached to the selfie stick (the whole thing sits vertically in the water), press the record button and walked away. With a few fish scraps kindly tossed nearby by the kitchen staff, the result was a series of close, confident swim-bys — footage I would never have captured while holding a camera. See for yourself:

5. Capture unique perspectives

Reframing 360 footage doesn’t mean you’re limited to a traditional action-cam look. You can “zoom out” to create mini-planet perspectives, or flip things the other way with mind-bending tunnel-like views.

You’ll often get the most impressive perspectives by bringing the camera close to your subject, but just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Getting a good shot is no justification for harassing marine life: be mindful the animal’s wellbeing and pull your camera back, if they react negatively.

Conclusion

360 cameras are a fun, surprisingly versatile imaging tool, and relatively affordable compared to most underwater camera gear. I’ve been happily diving with the Insta360 X4 — and now the X5 — for over a year, and they’re regularly attached on top of my housing.

You may have noticed that much underwater 360 footage is shot near the surface or while snorkelling. But what happens when you take a 360 camera deeper on scuba? In the next article in this series, I’ll look at why image quality drops with depth, and what you can do about it through equipment choices and post-processing.

Affiliate disclosure

Some links in this article are affiliate links. If you choose to purchase Insta360 products after clicking them, The Underwater Club may earn a small commission. This comes at no extra cost to you, and helps support our work so we can continue producing in-depth content like this.

If you’d like, you can also use our affiliate code INR0W9E at checkout. In some cases, this may earn you a free accessories as part of Insta360 promotions.

About the reviewer

 Nicolas Remy is an Australia-based pro shooter and founder of online underwater photography school and community, The Underwater Club, with members in 26 countries. He serves as an ambassador for Mares and Nauticam, and chairs the jury of the prestigious DPG Masters photo competition. Nicolas’ images have been widely published in print and digital media, and have won over 40 international photo awards. To see more of Nicolas’ work or browse his upcoming workshops, visit: www.nicolaslenaremy.com.