Insta360 and Scuba Schools International have announced a strategic partnership aimed at getting 360 and action camera technology into the hands of divers, instructors and underwater creators. SSI’s network spans more than 150 countries, and the two companies say the tie-up will run deeper than co-branding.
We are incredibly excited to partner with Insta360, a true pioneer in camera technology. Through this collaboration, we are not only enhancing our SSI Photo & Video program but also offering exclusive deals to our instructors. Together, we are providing the tools for our diving community to capture and share the underwater world like never before.
Guido Wätzig, CEO of SSI International
Four strands to the partnership
The companies have set out four areas of work rather than a single announcement.
Joint underwater productions
Insta360 and SSI will collaborate on professional underwater shoots covering reefs and wrecks, intended as reference work showing what immersive 360 and action footage can do below the surface.
Workshops and classes
SSI instructors and Insta360 staff will run co-branded sessions on underwater photography and videography. The stated focus is practical: housing compatibility, composing shots in poor visibility, dive-specific editing workflows, and using the particular perspective of 360 footage to tell a story.
Integration into the SSI Photo & Video program
Insta360 kit and resources will be built into SSI’s existing Photo & Video curriculum, with discounted pricing for instructors equipping themselves and their students.
A global creator campaign
The partnership is due to culminate in a joint user-generated content campaign inviting divers, from recreational through to working dive guides, to document their own underwater world. Selected work will be carried across both brands’ channels.
The pitch
Insta360’s argument is that the underwater world has been under-represented in the creator space largely because the equipment has been awkward to get hold of and use.
The underwater world is one of the most visually stunning and emotionally powerful environments on earth, and for a long time it has been underrepresented in the creator space simply because the right tools were hard to access. With SSI’s reach and the trust they have built within the global diving community, we have the perfect partner to change that.
Philipp Dreyer, Senior Business Development Manager at Insta360
Details of the workshops, content releases and the campaign launch are still to come. SSI has published a fuller write-up of the partnership on its own blog.
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