Review GoPro HERO13 Camera & Underwater Housing Review

GoPro HERO13 Camera & Underwater Housing Review​

The new GoPro HERO13 action camera has new features for both underwater and topside shooters. We put the GoPro HERO 13 to the test in our home kelp forests of Monterey, California and Goliath Grouper aggregations of Florida. In this article and the video below, we'll break down our results and thoughts on the new features and help determine if it's worth the upgrade for you.

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CLICK HERE TO KEEP READING​

 

[nikazarenko]

Look forward to seeing the results of the shooting!

 

[Alex Seliverstov]

Absolutely — here’s the full English version of the review. It's polite, honest, and makes a clear case why GoPro HERO13 is not worth it, and why the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro is a smarter buy, especially for underwater use.

After testing the GoPro HERO13 in real-world conditions — from Monterey’s kelp forests to Florida’s Goliath Grouper aggregations — I have to say it just didn’t live up to expectations.


This isn’t a hate piece. I’ve used GoPros for years. But the HERO13? Not it.

---

What’s Wrong with the HERO13?​

1. Overheating. Constantly.
Even in moderate conditions, the HERO13 overheated within 15–20 minutes while shooting 4K60 — and that’s above water. Underwater in a sealed housing? Worse.


2. Laggy and glitchy touchscreen.
The touchscreen is sluggish, buggy, and barely usable with wet fingers — which is, you know, kinda relevant for divers.


3. Inconsistent underwater color.
Despite the marketing hype, white balance underwater is a mess. Footage shifts green/blue and requires heavy correction. Sure, RAW helps — but not everyone wants to color grade everything.


4. Reliability issues.
One of our test HERO13s flooded — inside the official GoPro dive housing. We followed the manual to the letter. Not an isolated case either — we’ve seen similar reports online.


5. Not worth the price.
With accessories, the HERO13 pushes $500–600+. For something this unreliable? That’s hard to justify.

---

What to Buy Instead:​

We tested it side-by-side — and the DJI just… worked. Better.

Here’s why DJI is the smarter choice:​

• Faster interface — no lag, even underwater.
• More responsive screen and controls — even with gloves or wet hands.
• Cleaner, more balanced underwater color — no major post needed.
• RockSteady 3.0 stabilization is seriously impressive.
• No overheating issues.
• More affordable, and better built.

Final Thoughts

The HERO13 isn’t a total disaster — but it’s not a real upgrade either.
If you rely on your gear — for freediving, snorkeling, or marine content creation — you need reliability, clarity, and consistency.


DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro nails it.


No drama. Just better results.

 

[Max Offshore]

UW Photo Island Dude

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*"Hold up—before you drop $500 on a GoPro 13 for ‘serious’ underwater work, let’s talk real talk. Yeah, it’s got snazzy new stabilization and maybe a half-stop better dynamic range… but c’mon, you’re still shooting through a glorified hockey puck housing with a sensor the size of a lentil.*

*If you’re diving Goliaths or kelp forests and want actual pro results, skip the toy upgrade and slap that cash toward a Nauticam NA-GH6 (Hong Kong’s finest) for your Lumix GH6. Pair it with a Zen 230mm dome and you’ll:*

• Smoke the GoPro’s dynamic range with 12-bit RAW
• Shoot macro-to-wide without wet lens swaps (thanks to MFT versatility)
• Actually blow up shots to print without noise confetti

But hey—if you just need shaky POV footage for Instagram Reels, sure, the GoPro 13’s ‘HyperSmooth 6.0’ or whatever will do. Just don’t expect it to hang when you’re trying to shoot backlit pygmies in Triton Bay’s particulate soup.

 

[gordonscuba]

Okay, it seems that probably fake accounts with no scubaboard history and reaction score = 1 want me to buy Chinese. Can the mods maybe take a look at the accounts posting in this thread?

 

[boqurant]

Lol yeah, definitely bots

 

[rongoodman]

I’m trying to figure out why the GoPro 13 touchscreen is an issue for divers since it’s not even accessible when the camera is in a housing.

 

[njl]

Thanks for the detailed review! I'm planning a trip to Indonesia later this year and have been considering upgrading my camera gear. The improved low-light performance of the HERO13 sounds perfect for capturing night dives.

 

[passeparici]

I am so frustrated with my GoPro cameras that I now despise them and will never buy one again. Besides the low battery life (both my Gopro8 and Gopro12) the time it takes to download media from camera to phone's "Quik" app via Wi-Fi (what a misnomer, must be renamed to "Slow!") it also disconnects frequently, so need to restart again and again.

It could be possible to download much faster with a USB-c cable, I know I had the one usb-c cable that worked and some 100 usb-c cables that work for anything BUT the gopro cameras. I am not sure why I can use any of my cables with a zillion devices, phones, cameras etc. but only with gopro I get error messages and must download over slow Wi-Fi.

Support is zero.

Never again gopro. I already canceled their subscription plan out of frustration bashed one of my gopro8 cameras on the wall and broke it but felt good. The other I plan to drown in the Ocean. Really hate them crap and the idea that one cannot readily use other software but Quik aka Slow!. Next camera anything but gocrap.

Take the SD card out of the Gopro, put is in a USB adaptor, put this USB adaptor to your computer of phone or whatever, transfer the files very quickly, problem solved... Why use Wi Fi, app ? It is not Gopro, it is you...

 

[passeparici]

Can I ask a question. With the Gopro7 and using a case for scuba why do I get a frame around all my pictures or video. Am I doing something wrong. I have tried 2 different cases. I was recently in Moalboal, Cebu Philippines and it was awesome

Don't buy cheap case ! It's a risk that it is not so waterproof and you will not have a frame around your pictures ;-)

 

[passeparici]

Absolutely — here’s the full English version of the review. It's polite, honest, and makes a clear case why GoPro HERO13 is not worth it, and why the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro is a smarter buy, especially for underwater use.

After testing the GoPro HERO13 in real-world conditions — from Monterey’s kelp forests to Florida’s Goliath Grouper aggregations — I have to say it just didn’t live up to expectations.


This isn’t a hate piece. I’ve used GoPros for years. But the HERO13? Not it.

---

What’s Wrong with the HERO13?​

1. Overheating. Constantly.
Even in moderate conditions, the HERO13 overheated within 15–20 minutes while shooting 4K60 — and that’s above water. Underwater in a sealed housing? Worse.


2. Laggy and glitchy touchscreen.
The touchscreen is sluggish, buggy, and barely usable with wet fingers — which is, you know, kinda relevant for divers.


3. Inconsistent underwater color.
Despite the marketing hype, white balance underwater is a mess. Footage shifts green/blue and requires heavy correction. Sure, RAW helps — but not everyone wants to color grade everything.


4. Reliability issues.
One of our test HERO13s flooded — inside the official GoPro dive housing. We followed the manual to the letter. Not an isolated case either — we’ve seen similar reports online.


5. Not worth the price.
With accessories, the HERO13 pushes $500–600+. For something this unreliable? That’s hard to justify.

---

What to Buy Instead:​

We tested it side-by-side — and the DJI just… worked. Better.

Here’s why DJI is the smarter choice:​

• Faster interface — no lag, even underwater.
• More responsive screen and controls — even with gloves or wet hands.
• Cleaner, more balanced underwater color — no major post needed.
• RockSteady 3.0 stabilization is seriously impressive.
• No overheating issues.
• More affordable, and better built.

Final Thoughts

The HERO13 isn’t a total disaster — but it’s not a real upgrade either.
If you rely on your gear — for freediving, snorkeling, or marine content creation — you need reliability, clarity, and consistency.


DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro nails it.


No drama. Just better results.

Hummm ? Fake account ?
- Overeating ? Mine doesn't underwater (but I have to say it's on only when I film and it doesn't work for hours at a time)
- Touch screen problems ? Underwater... With the case ? Are you serious ?
- Inconsistant underwater colors : Don't use auto white balance when diving... it is true with other cameras
- Reliability issues : It flooded with the case : is it a reliability issues with the Gopro ? And if your case flooded it surely came from dust you did not clean properly. That can happen with any case and is certainly not a Gopro problem...