October 2026 Issue: Welcome to Dive Pros

Written By Aquatics International

This is the first Dive Pros newsletter, one issue a month for the instructors and shops teaching GoPro in the water. Each issue brings you the latest course update, instructor contests and deals, one pro tip for your next class, and the Escape we most want your divers on.


This month: Mission 1 Pro lands in the GoPro PADI Distinctive Specialty, instructor spots at DEMA, and a pro rate on Galápagos that ends when DEMA does.



COURSE UPDATE: MISSION 1 PRO IS IN THE GOPRO PADI DISTINCTIVE SPECIALTY

The Mission 1 Pro update is live, and it’s already waiting for you.

  • Existing instructors: it’s in your library on Continu as an assignment. Log in and start.

  • New instructors: sign up at gopro-padi.continu.co

  • Want to add the new GoPro QUIK Editing Specialty? Email padiadmin@gopro.com to apply.



WHAT’S NEW WITH MISSION 1 PRO

  1. The 1” sensor and GP3 processor. More light, more dynamic range, better color when the reef gets dim.

  2. Waterproof to 66 ft / 20 m without a housing. Great for snorkel, surface and shallow work; use the Dive Housing for deeper dives.

  3. Mounting built in. Folding fingers, a magnetic latch mount and a 1/4-20 thread, all on the camera.

  4. Intelligent Capture Modes. Dive, Low Light, Slo-Mo and more, each a tuned starting point you can duplicate and tweak.

  5. Burst Slo-Mo at 1080p/960fps. Up to 32x slow motion for split-second moments.

  6. 50 MP RAW photos alongside the standard 12 MP option.

CONTESTS & DEALS

Become a GoPro PADI Instructor at DEMA 2026 (New Orleans, Nov 3-6)

Got someone on your team ready to teach the GoPro PADI Distinctive Specialty or the GoPro QUIK Editing Specialty?

Spots are limited. Apply here.

Pro rate on Galápagos: $5,999 until DEMA ends

Certified GoPro instructors can book the January Galápagos liveaboard at $5,999 instead of about $6,500. A $500 deposit holds your spot. The rate ends when DEMA closes on Nov 6. Come find us or email us for the Pro Rate Code: info@aquatics-international.com

Dive shops: sign up here to sell GoPro Escapes

Sign up and we’ll send you your own GoPro Escapes coupon code to share with your divers.

Dive Pros Clip of the Month: win a free Dive Housing

Submit your best clip to GoPro Awards through the Quik app, then email the link to padiadmin@gopro.com by November 7. The best clip of the month wins a free housing and gets featured in next month’s issue.

PRO TIP OF THE MONTH: PICK THE FRAME RATE FOR THE SLOW-MO YOU WANT

Students ask “what frame rate should I use?” every class. Give them one rule: on a 30fps timeline, divide your frame rate by 30 to see how much you can slow the shot.

  • 4K / 60fps — plays back at ½ speed (2x slo-mo). Use it for all-around topside and reef footage.

  • 4K / 240fps — plays back at 1/8 speed (8x slo-mo). Use it for giant stride entries, splashes, a diver rolling off the boat.

  • 1080p / 960fps Burst Slo-Mo — up to 32x slo-mo. Use it for super slow-mo bubbles, boat wake and prop wash, fast fish strikes, anything over in a blink.

Try it in your next class: have students set up a 60fps mode and a 240fps mode in their carousel before the dive. Film the same giant stride with both, then grab a Burst Slo-Mo of exhaled bubbles or the boat’s wake on the surface interval. Compare them side by side in Quik. Five minutes, and they never forget the difference.


ESCAPE OF THE MONTH: GALÁPAGOS LIVEABOARD, JAN 19-27, 2027

Wolf and Darwin aboard Galaxy Diver III: schooling hammerheads, Galápagos sharks, eagle rays, turtles, marine iguanas feeding underwater, and whale sharks in season. This is an advanced-diver trip, and it’s the one we most want your strongest divers on.

  • Dates: Tue Jan 19 - Wed Jan 27, 2027 (8 nights / 9 days)

  • Vessel: Galaxy Diver III, 7 nights aboard

  • Meeting point: Baltra Airport (GPS), Galápagos

  • Price: About $7,000 per diver · $5,999 for certified GoPro instructors until DEMA ends

  • Deposit: $500

  • Level: Advanced divers

Included: round-trip flight Guayaquil to Baltra and 1 hotel night in Guayaquil; all meals aboard; nitrox on every dive; the GoPro PADI Distinctive Specialty and GoPro QUIK Editing Specialty; a naturalist, dive guides and an onboard photographer; nightly editing and storytelling sessions; a Santa Cruz Highlands trip to see giant tortoises and lava tunnels; Starlink onboard.


WHERE GOPRO ESCAPES IS GOING IN 2027

GoPro Escapes are small-group dive trips led by GoPro’s own dive educators. Every trip includes real GoPro certification and editing coaching, so your divers come home with stories, not just footage.

· Galápagos · Jan 19-27 · Wolf & Darwin liveaboard

· Key Largo · Mar 16-21 · Amoray Dive Resort & reef conservation

· Maldives · Aug 28 - Sep 4 · ScubaSpa liveaboard

· Cozumel · Oct 27 - Nov 3 · Día de los Muertos dive trip

DATES TO KNOW

  • Tue Nov 3 - Fri Nov 6: DEMA 2026, New Orleans. Instructor workshop and Escapes launch. Come find us on the floor.

  • Fri Nov 6: Galápagos $5,999 instructor rate ends

  • Clip of the Month entries due to padiadmin@gopro.com by November 7th

  • Tue Jan 19, 2027: Galápagos departs

Need your instructor toolkit refreshed? Everything is at aquatics-international.com/gopro-toolkit (password: letsgodiving!)

If you’re coming to DEMA, let’s sit down and talk about how your shop can be part of 2027.


See you in the water,

Joe & Diran — GoPro Training Team · Aquatics International

Aquatics International