We may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
The best video camera for surfing for most people is the GoPro HERO13 Black.
It’s waterproof to 33 ft (10 m) without a case, shoots 4K at 120fps for smooth slow motion, and has a huge range of board and mouth mounts.
If you want to frame your shots after the session, get the Insta360 X5, which films in 360 degrees.
And if you want to film a friend from the beach, skip action cams and get a zoom camcorder like the Panasonic HC-V800.
First decide where you’ll film from
This is the choice most surf camera lists skip, and it matters more than any spec.
In the water, the camera rides on your board, your mouth or a pole, so you need waterproofing, a mount and a wide lens.
From the beach, the surfer is far out on the break, so you need optical zoom (real lens zoom, not cropping) and no waterproofing at all.
No single camera does both jobs well… so pick the job first.
How we chose
We didn’t test these cameras in the surf.
We compared the makers’ spec sheets and the Amazon US listings with their rating counts (November 2026), focusing on no-case waterproof depth, slow-motion frame rate, weight and zoom reach.
Quick comparison: depth, slow motion and reach
| Camera | Best for | Waterproof (no case) | Max slow motion | Zoom | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GoPro HERO13 Black | Board and mouth mounts | 33 ft (10 m) | 4K at 120fps, 2.7K at 240fps | None (wide lens) | 159 g |
| DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro | Deeper water, long sessions | 66 ft (20 m) | 4K at 120fps | None (wide lens) | 146 g |
| Insta360 X5 | Pole shots, framing later | 49 ft (15 m) | 360 video at 4K 120fps | None (360 lenses) | 200 g |
| Panasonic HC-V800 | Filming from the beach | Not waterproof | Not a slow-motion camera | 24x optical (25-600mm equiv.) | 428 g without battery |
The HC-V800 reaches 600mm only in 24p mode; Panasonic lists 28.9-693.7mm equivalent in its 50p/60p modes.
1. GoPro HERO13 Black: best all-round surf camera
The HERO13 Black is the safe pick if you want to film yourself from the board.
It records up to 5.3K video at 60fps, and its 2.7K at 240fps mode slows a turn down eight times on a normal 30fps timeline.
It’s waterproof to 33 ft, which is plenty for a wipeout but not for diving.
Who it’s for: surfers who want mouth, board or wrist mounts with lots of choice.
Who should skip it: anyone who wants to film from the sand, because the fixed wide lens makes distant surfers tiny.
- Pro: 2.7K at 240fps for very slow replays
- Pro: built-in GPS
- Pro: huge accessory range
- Con: half the no-case depth of the DJI
- Con: no optical zoom
Amazon rating: 4.4/5 from 1,042 ratings (November 2026).
2. DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro: best for long sessions and deeper water
The Action 5 Pro goes deeper than the GoPro without a case, to 66 ft (20 m).
DJI quotes up to 240 minutes of video, measured at 1080p/24fps with Wi-Fi and screens off at room temperature.
It also has 47 GB of usable built-in storage, so a forgotten microSD card doesn’t end your session.
Who it’s for: surfers who stay out for hours, and people who also snorkel or bodysurf in deeper water.
Who should skip it: people who already own a pile of GoPro-specific accessories.
- Pro: deepest no-case rating here
- Pro: front and rear touchscreens, so you can frame selfie shots
- Pro: 4K at 120fps
- Con: fixed wide view, no optical zoom
- Con: tops out at 120fps in 4K, below the GoPro’s 240fps mode
Amazon rating: 4.5/5 from 1,418 ratings (November 2026).
3. Insta360 X5: best if you’d rather frame your shot later
The X5 records everything around it, so you choose the angle in the app after you paddle in.
That fixes the classic surf problem of a camera pointed at the sky while the good wave happens to the side.
On a pole, Insta360’s “invisible selfie stick” effect hides the stick, so it looks like a drone is following you.
It’s waterproof to 49 ft (15 m), and Insta360 says you can swap out a scratched lens yourself.
Who it’s for: surfers who want third-person shots and don’t mind editing on their phone.
Who should skip it: people who want to film and share with zero editing.
- Pro: pick the angle after filming
- Pro: user-replaceable lenses
- Pro: about 135 minutes of 5.7K30 video in Insta360’s lab test
- Con: heaviest action camera here at 200 g
- Con: two bulging lenses, so it needs more care around wax and sand
Amazon rating: 4.6/5 from 2,606 ratings (November 2026).
4. Panasonic HC-V800: best for filming surfers from the beach
The HC-V800 is the pick when the camera stays dry and the surfer is far out.
Its 24x optical zoom reaches a 600mm equivalent, so a surfer on the outside break fills much more of the frame than on any action camera.
Panasonic adds 5-axis Hybrid O.I.S. (image stabilization), which matters because every tiny shake gets magnified at full zoom.
Who it’s for: parents, coaches and friends filming a session from the sand.
Who should skip it: anyone wanting 4K or slow motion, because it records Full HD (1080p) only.
- Pro: 24x optical zoom
- Pro: bright f/1.8 lens at the wide end for dawn sessions
- Pro: 3-inch touchscreen and Wi-Fi
- Con: not waterproof, so keep it away from spray
- Con: an older 1080p model
We couldn’t see a current Amazon US rating count on the listing, so we left it out.
Which surf camera fits how you surf
Filming yourself on a mouth or board mount: the GoPro HERO13 Black.
Long sessions, or you also snorkel: the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro.
Third-person shots from a pole: the Insta360 X5.
A friend films you from the sand: the Panasonic HC-V800 on a tripod.
Whatever you pick, tether it with a leash or wrist strap, because a loose camera in the white water is gone fast.
For more water-friendly options, see our adventure camera picks and our scuba diving camera guide.
If you shoot more than surf, our video camera list covers bigger-sensor options.
FAQ
What camera do surfers use to film themselves?
An action camera on a mouth mount or board mount is the simplest setup.
A 360 camera like the Insta360 X5 on a pole is the other common option.
Do I need a waterproof case for surfing?
Not with these three action cameras, which are rated to 33-66 ft without one.
The Panasonic camcorder has no waterproof rating, so it stays on the beach.
Can an action camera film surfers from the beach?
Not well.
Action cameras have fixed wide lenses, so a surfer on the outside break looks like a dot, which is why you want optical zoom from shore.
Sources
All checked 2026-11-10 unless noted.
- GoPro HERO13 Black specs (5.3K60, 4K120, 2.7K240, 33 ft, 159 g): gopro.com; GPS and accessories: Digital Camera World (checked 2026-11-07)
- DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro specs (66 ft, 4K120, 146 g, 240 min, 47 GB): dji.com (checked 2026-11-07)
- Insta360 X5 specs (49 ft, 200 g, 360 video modes, replaceable lenses, run times): insta360.com; Insta360 X5 hardware specs
- Panasonic HC-V800 specs (24x zoom, 25-600mm in 24p, 28.9-693.7mm in 50p/60p, f/1.8, 428 g, 5-axis Hybrid O.I.S.): Panasonic; Panasonic HC-V800 spec sheet
- Amazon US listings and ratings (November 2026): ASIN B0DCM34GXX, B0D1YH4B2R, B0DZCBYCNY, B078Y5Q74S