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How Carlos Villoch's Workshop Can Turn You Into A Master With Your GoPro
- Brian Hellemn
- December 30th 2025
Most divers return from incredible trips with GoPro footage that looks... fine. Washed out colors, shaky movements, subjects too far away. The camera recorded exactly what happened, but it didn't capture what you *experienced*.
Carlos Villoch has spent decades solving this problem, which before him had no solution - and created a system that he's able to teach students of all
The Gap Between Seeing and Capturing
Here's what most people don't realize: your GoPro is capable of stunning documentary-quality footage. Hollywood uses GoPros for scenes in "Fast and Furious", "The Martian", and "Twisters". When you watch these films in theaters, you can't tell the difference between GoPro footage and cameras costing ten to twenty times more.
So why does your footage look like... vacation video?
Two things: accessories and settings. And almost nobody teaches divers how to master both—especially underwater, where everything changes.
A Method Born from Three Decades Underwater
Carlos started freediving before he could drive, making his own camera housings from PVC pipe and magnets. By 1991, he was scuba diving. By 1995, he'd moved to the Cayman Islands—specifically the East End, where Ocean Frontiers was just getting started.
"When I moved to Cayman in '95, all the dive masters on their day off wanted to go diving in the East End because they knew it was the best diving. This was, coincidentally, just before Ocean Frontiers opened up shop.
Over the next three decades, Carlos worked as a dive instructor, cameraman, and photographer across the Cayman Islands, Australia, and Papua New Guinea. He's shot in Antarctica and Micronesia. His photos have graced 110 magazine covers. He won BBC-Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
But what sets Carlos apart isn't just where he's been—it's what he's built.
The QR Code Revolution
A few years ago, GoPro opened the door to full manual control underwater. Carlos saw the opportunity immediately: if you could control every setting, you could capture every scene. But adjusting cameras underwater—with cold fingers, time pressure, and subjects that won't wait—seemed impossible.
So Carlos worked with GoPro to develop something new: QR code control.
"I could share my settings with students underwater and set the camera in one second—whether for wide angle, macro, backlight scenes, or adjusting when the scene seems too blue."
Now, instead of fumbling through menus, students scan a code and their camera instantly configures for the exact scenario in front of them. It's the kind of innovation that only comes from someone who's spent decades understanding both the technology and the environment.
What You'll Actually Learn
The Master Your GoPro 2026 workshop runs April 11th to 18th at Compass Point Dive Resort, and it covers everything from absolute basics to techniques most professionals don't know.
The Four Classroom Sessions
1. Basic Concepts of Underwater Video
How light and color behave underwater—and how your GoPro captures them. This is the foundation everything else builds on. You'll understand ISO, shutter speed, frames per second, and white balance in the context of diving, not just photography.
2. Accessories: Completing Your Video Gear**
Filters, wide-angle lenses, macro lenses, video lights. Carlos designs and manufactures his own line of **Glowdive accessories** specifically for underwater GoPro filming—handles, filters, lens mounts, diffusers, and snoots. He'll have equipment for you to try, and you'll learn exactly when and how to use each piece.
3. Control: Master All Settings**
This is where the QR code system shines. You'll learn to achieve optimal results in any situation—not by memorizing menus, but by understanding *why* each setting matters and *how* to change it instantly underwater.
4. Advanced Techniques**
Lighting, camera movements, and editing. Backlighting for dramatic silhouettes. Snoots for isolating macro subjects. The movements that separate professional footage from vacation video. Film like a professional—because the equipment is already capable of it.
The 80/20 Reality
Carlos puts it simply: for people who want to keep diving simple and enjoy themselves, the GoPro can get 80% of scenes perfectly with basic settings. The camera is that good.
But for those who want 100% success and control in every situation? That requires understanding. And that's what the workshop delivers.
The key factors to get the most from the GoPro are accessories and settings. Just the GoPro by itself can do a good job, but you need accessories like lenses, filters, and lights. Most importantly, knowing how to set the camera for each situation brings out all the quality."*
Recently, Carlos made a documentary about the Red Sea that won first prize at the underwater film festival in Belgrade. It included wide angle shots, shipwrecks, coral reefs, coral polyps, shots in dark caves and caverns—everything. All filmed entirely with GoPro, competing against videos shot with equipment costing ten to twenty times more.
Why East End, Why Ocean Frontiers
Carlos has dived everywhere—Antarctica to Micronesia, all six continents. He chose to return to the East End for these workshops.
"Within Cayman, East End has the best preserved reefs. It's away from the crowds, and the setup at Ocean Frontiers is perfect. We'll be by ourselves on nice coral reefs with more marine life and special dives like sharks."*
The workshop includes 15 dives and 2 snorkel sites on a dedicated boat just for participants. Your dive schedule and boat captains focus entirely on getting you to the sites that will help capture the best possible results. There's a pool for setup and troubleshooting. A classroom for sessions. Accommodation steps from the dock.
"It can't be any better than that."*
Plus, something Carlos has done over a thousand times but never quite like this: **Stingray City at sunrise**, the way Ocean Frontiers does it.
The Week at a Glance
You'll start with a Welcome Cruise on Saturday to meet Carlos and the team. From there:
-6 days of diving** on a dedicated workshop boat
- 15 dives and 2 snorkel sites** including Stingray City and the Kittiwake wreck
- 4 classroom sessions** (1.5 hours each, plus surface interval time for questions)
- 1 pool session** for setup and troubleshooting
- Shark dive, night dive, and macro-focused dives**
- Farewell Caribbean Buffet** at Eagle Ray's
All while staying at Compass Point Dive Resort—voted Best Dive Resort in the Caribbean two years running.
Who This Is For
The workshop suits all levels. Beginners learn the foundations and understand what accessories they need. Experienced shooters learn advanced techniques for more consistent and creative results.
Most participants use GoPro 10 and above. The QR code system works from GoPro 7 onward, so anyone from that model can fully benefit. If you're planning to buy new, the GoPro 13 offers the best underwater color performance with filters.
Not a GoPro user? You'll still benefit from lessons on lighting techniques, camera movements, and the advantage of dive sites curated specifically for videographers. But the majority of specific instruction focuses on GoPro settings and accessories.
Make It Happen
April 11th to 18th, 2026 — Saturday to Saturday
Master Your GoPro 2026 — Seven Night Package:
- 1 bed condo, double diver = US$2,955.00 per person
- 2 bed condo, double diver = US$3,395.00 per person
- 2 bed condo, triple diver = US$2,825.00 per person
- 2 bed condo, quad diver = US$2,570.00 per person
Already on Grand Cayman or have other accommodations?
- Diving Only + Workshop = US$1,695.00 per person
Package includes: 6 days diving, 15 dives + 2 snorkel sites, 4 classroom clinics, pool session, 7 nights at Compass Point, rental car, breakfasts, Welcome Cruise, Farewell Buffet, 3-Tank Safari lunch, event T-shirt, bikes/kayaks/paddleboards, and all taxes and fees.
Add-ons: US$99 Unlimited Nitrox
For reservations and enquiries:
Email: [reservations@oceanfrontiers.com](mailto:reservations@oceanfrontiers.com)
USA Toll-Free: 1-800-348-6096 (connects to Cayman office)
USA Direct: 1-954-371-1420 (connects to Cayman office)
Cayman Direct: 1-345-640-0000
Carlos has taught hundreds of students. Many have won contests. Many have published in magazines. What they have in common: they learned to see underwater video differently.
You're not going to find this kind of workshop anywhere else in the Caribbean or the Americas. And thirty years of knowledge—distilled into one week at the best diving on Grand Cayman—doesn't come around often.
About Ocean Frontiers Ltd.
Ocean Frontiers Dive Shop is located on the remote East End of Grand Cayman. Founded in 1996 with one dive boat and a dream to introduce divers to the wonders of East End diving, the company has grown into one of Cayman’s premier dive operations. In 2023, it was voted the Caribbean region's Best Dive Operator in SCUBA Diving Magazine's Readers Choice Awards, taking first place in 7 categories. Recognized for legendary customer service and the island’s friendliest staff, Ocean Frontiers also stands out for its commitment to conservation. With numerous awards and the distinction of being the first dive operator in the Cayman Islands to receive the PADI Green Star Dive Center accreditation, Ocean Frontiers remains at the forefront of marine conservation and exploration.