While the talk of underwater video cameras on boats has increased over the last several years, I have remained skeptical about how well they would actually work. I knew that professional camera crews could get exceptional underwater footage, but did not think a little camera I slipped over the side of the boat would actually be of any value. Guys would tell me that they worked very well, but I thought they just meant they were surprised at how well it worked, but that the picture was not great.
My whole line of thinking changed this past week when Capt. Mark Brown of Teaser Charters told me he was going to incorporate a little underwater footage with his seminar. I was amazed at the quality of the picture and was actually able to identify just about all of the fish that I was familiar with. In one of the shots Mark was able to show us two big grouper laying up underneath a rock and some really large schools of Amberjacks swimming around the boat.
The price (under $300.00 on some models) on underwater video cameras has really come down in recent years, making them an affordable option for most boat owners. The cameras come with some different options. Some are equipped with a fin and can be slow trolled behind the boat. Many are equipped with an infrared feature for watching at night. These units can be bought with different size viewing monitors and there are even color cameras and monitors. The length of cables on units also varies so you will want to make sure you buy a unit with a enough cable to reach the areas you wish to view.
If you wish to view some of this footage firsthand, you can swing in the Mt. Pleasant Boaters World, where they are running a copy of Mark’s video in the store. The video really shows how well the camera works and it also provides some great insight into how the bottom of the ocean off our coast actually looks. Using a camera in coordination with your depth finder can really help you to understand exactly what you are looking at on your recorder when bottom fi