Introduction: Underwater Stabilizer

Under water, handheld GoPro footage is shaky at best. With this home made stabilizer you will get quality shots from your GoPro. This is an inexpensive alternative to buying a commercial rig. It can be made for less than 10 dollars.

Step 1: Step 1 Gather Materials

The materials for the rig include

- GoPro Tripod Mount

- 3 ft. of 1" PVC pipe

- 2x 90º PVC elbows
- PVC Tee 1" > about $ 1
- PVC End cap or PVC Male adapter 1"
- PVC glue

And to make it you will need this:
- Drill (with 1/8th" bit
- Hack saw
- File/Sandpaper

Step 2: Assembly

The first step is to cut each of the pipe pieces.

1. Cut 5 - 6" pieces from the 3ft section of pipe.

2. File the ends to remove any burs that have formed.

Step 3: Step 3 Glue

Take the cut pieces and assemble them as shown above. The two 90 degree elbows go on the outside and the T joint goes in the middle.

Step 4: Step 4: Hollow Out the End Cap

On the middle post, we will be adding a end cap that is hollowed out. This will be the base of the camera.

Drill several holes until you are able to fit the end of a file into the opening.

Use the file to make the opening big enough to fit the tripod mount up through.

Glue the tripod mount to the inside of the mount.

Step 5: Step 5: Add the End Cap to the Stabilizer

Add a small amount of glue to the end of the center pipe and push together tightly.

An alternative to using glue would be to use a screw cap that would allow you to remove the tripod mount.

Step 6: Step 6: Attach Camera to the Tripod Mount

Attach the camera to the tripod base and after the glue dries the stabilizer is ready to take diving.

Step 7: Step 7: Add Grip and Customize Your Stabilizer

You can wrap electrical tape around the handles to give it a bit of grip for underwater.

Step 8: Go Out and Meet Some Sharks

Now that you have a stabilizer it will be easier to get some awesome shots. Attach a couple clips to attach your Stabilizer to your BCD and you wont have to worry about loosing your expensive equipment while you are swimming away from a great white.