Best GoPro Surfing Accessories (HANDS DOWN!)
GoPro actually began as a way for creator Nick Woodman to document his adventures surfing with his friends. Fast forward nearly 20 years and GoPro is the name in action sports cameras, taking just about every extreme sport by storm, including surfing.
Although, GoPros have many uses they are ideal for surfers to capture their sessions and every wave out in the surf.
But sometimes, having a GoPro camera alone is not enough to film the perfect surfing video. Some accessories on the market can dramatically improve the quality of the videos, make your camera more secure or just save you time and hassle.
Here are some of the best GoPro surfing accessories that we’ve come across that will maximize your fun getting those epic GoPro clips!
Buyer’s Tip: Although you can see all the individual items linked to below, I’d recommend buying a GoPro accessory kit bag from Amazon as these contain most of the items listed below but work out much cheaper. It’s what I did when buying them as a gift for my wife, and the quality is great, too. Just be sure to look for “Amazon’s Choice” and you can’t go far wrong. You will likely need to look on Amazon for a GoPro mouth mount as an extra, though as these seem to come separately.
GoPro Mouth Mount for Supreme Footage
This mouth mount for surfing lets you safely grip your GoPro action camera through your teeth using a standard grip for snorkels. The mount is perfectly designed to allow you to breathe and at the same time get a totally stable shot.
It also captures your rides in a way that few would have imagined to be possible just a few years ago – from your eye view, which is a pretty special thing to have!
This GoPro surfing accessory features a comfortable rubber mouthpiece, bite supports to ensure stable footage, an air channel for unrestricted breathing, and a low profile lanyard to keep your camera close to you.
Get the Right Memory Card for Smooth Clips
Despite their generic looks, not all memory cards are created equal, which is something my wife and I found out the hard way!
When I first gave her a GoPro, she was capturing footage using a memory card we’d had previously for a digital camera. We didn’t realize that it would be any different when used in a GoPro, which was a big mistake!
Watching the footage from the first few sessions my wife went out in the surf with her GoPro was a bit of a let down because the clips came out jerky and quite jarring to watch.
After some research, we found out that this was because we did not have the right SD memory card for the high-intensity act of capturing good quality, HD GoPro footage.
With this lesson in mind, I can tell you that you need to get a SanDisk Extreme memory card (Amazon) to make sure that you are getting the best quality footage without having the same frustrating experience that we went through!
You can also check out my video on this topic below for this and more!
Hand, Wrist or Leg Strap for Maximum Flexibility
The combination of the hand and wrist strap allows you to wear your GoPro camera like a watch. This should
make the camera easy to access when capturing footage last minute, especially if you’re already up and riding.
When not recording, you’ll have full use of both hands. You can even rotate the camera so it’s at the right angle and hold it at arm’s length to take a selfie-type video. You could also wear this strap around your leg or ankle, if you prefer.
Attach Your GoPro to Bodyboard Leash for ‘Selfie Riding’
If you want to keep things simple, you can head to Amazon and pick up a coiled bodyboard leash and attach your GoPro to it and just capture yourself that way.
I say bodyboard leash because these are coiled specifically for use with arms, not legs, making it so they don’t get tangled but have potential to stretch out if needed.
By putting your GoPro onto a bodyboard leash, you have it securely attached to you at all times and can simply capture waves ‘a la selfies’ to your heart’s content.
You can of course do this with other accessories on this list but it does make for a unique, free flowing and fun angle when out in the surf.
Demister for 100% Crisp and Clear Clips
Also known as anti-fog inserts (on Amazon), they are a great GoPro accessory. Drop these demisting inserts into the sides of your GoPro camera housing to prevent fogging in cold and humid environments. Most inserts will last for around 4 uses.
Another option for demisting your GoPro as you surf is using a spray-on anti-fog treatment like this one from ‘Cat Crap‘ on Amazon (which is a great product that I can recommend, despite its odd name).
Floaty for Never Losing your Camera
A floaty for your GoPro works like an insurance policy. The simple flotation device attaches directly to the housing backdoor to keep your GoPro afloat, in case you should drop it. Until GoPro make their cameras float, I use one every time I paddle out and would recommend you do, too.
No matter how the deep the water, this accessory should help it bob to the surface if dropped. If you’re going to use any mounts, especially a mouth mount, I recommend using a floaty to go with. Floaties are in bright colours like red so they are easy to spot.
Auto Charger for Not Missing a Single Wave
Never miss a moment with the GoPro auto charger. It allows you to charge and record at the same time. It will also work with most devices that charge via USB, so you can plug it into your car if you get caught on the way to the beach with limited battery.
There are also dual USB ports available on the market, which quickly charges up to two HD HERO or HERO2 cameras at once.
GoPole EVO for Party Waves and Mucho Fun
The GoPole is essentially a selfie stick especially created for GoPros. There are lots of similar products on the market but GoPole EVO is specially designed for water use, plus the watertight twist lock makes the product float.
The transparent pole can extend from 14 to 24 inches, and the neon details on the handle make it easier to spot if you lose it.
The Tool for Easy On & Off Without Stress
And finally, GoPro made a handy little tool that allows you to easily tighten your GoPro thumb screws. This will prevent the camera from tilting up and down when you’re hitting the waves on choppy or lumpy days.
I’d recommend this since it can be difficult tightening GoPro screws by hand, especially when cold, so this handy little tool gives you the extra tightening you may need. As a bonus, it can also double as a bottle opener.
Extra Tip: Maximize the GoPro Surfboard Mount for Honing Your Take-offs
All GoPros come with a surfboard mount but this overlooked option is perhaps the best accessory for a learner surfer!
Since your GoPro can be anchored at the top of your board with a surfboard mount, this allows you to film yourself taking off and to see how well you are performing the take off and on your pop up, a crucial aspect to improving your surfing.
The surfboard mount is especially useful for beginners, who don’t want the hassle of holding or biting any accessory.
The GoPro Surfboard mount uses two disks, one with the camera mount and another to attach a tether. If the mount comes off, the tether should save your camera from falling into the water (but still combine this with a floaty, nonetheless).
Remember that if you are using a soft-top or soft foam surfboard, then you will need to get a bodyboard GoPro mount for your GoPro to attach to your board. This is because the standard surfboard mounts need to be glued on, but a soft-top surfboard does not have a perfectly smooth surface, meaning it will fall off if you try to stick it on.
Instead, the bodyboard GoPro mount works like attaching a fin to soft-top boards in that you literally have to screw it through your board. Note that this will make a permanent hole in your board, so think carefully about whether you want to do this before going through with it!
Related Questions
What are the best settings to use on my GoPro when surfing?
Use GoPro SuperView at 60fps. SuperView records using the whole height of the sensor. so it doesn’t cut your head or feet off, capturing the best clips of you up and riding. 60 frames per second then means amazing slo-mo options.
See the video below for pro surfer, Monyca Eleogram, talking about the SuperView as her favorite setting for capturing GoPro surf footage of herself (NB: 48fps was standard back then but GoPros have come a long way since!)
Because surfing is an action-packed sport, you’ll want to choose a frame rate that can handle it.
60fps is a great frame rate for GoPro surf clips. Using 120 fps gives you even more scope for slow-motion replays but it is heavy on memory card use since the quality is exponentially higher, so find the right balance for you to last a session capturing footage throughout!
If you’re planning on sharing your footage on YouTube, go with the 1080p resolution. 16:9 is probably the overall best aspect ratio for filming your adventures in the surf.
Why use a GoPro when surfing? GoPros help surfers surfers capture their waves first-hand, making for an excellent learning tool and also lots of fun. GoPros are lightweight, easy-to-use and fully waterproof. They also come with many accessories to help capture stable footage as your surf.
GoPros were developed to film activities like surfing. Recent GoPro models since the Hero4 Session are all waterproof without housing. When you’re surfing you don’t want to be weighed down by a heavy camera that may not be able to catch everything, so GoPros are the best option.
How do I video my surfing with a GoPro?
Place the GoPro facing you on your board, attach it and hit record when you catch a wave. It will beep and showa red flash to tell you it’s on. From there, keep recording and you can then check the clips at the end.
Tip: shooting from one angle doesn’t make a very interesting surf video. For the most engaging results, changes the camera angle every two or three waves. Try to get footage or yourself, the waves, the direction you are surfing in and maybe the landscape around you.
