A Romantic Couples Underwater Photoshoot In Hawaii
Sometimes, dreams really do come true! It had always been a dream of mine to do an underwater photography session in Hawaii and to shoot in the Pacific Ocean. As someone who lives on the east coast, I thought it was a dream that might never come to fruition. I had the opportunity to take some gorgeous images in Hawaii with Jasmine and her boyfriend Koby in this romantic couples underwater photoshoot and the end result was more magical than I could have ever imagined!
Finding the Perfect Location For a Hawaii Underwater Photoshoot
We planned to have our underwater photography session on the beautiful island of Oahu! Known for its famous Waikiki Beach, as well as Lanikai Beach and Kailua Beach Park, this island offers many picturesque beaches!
With so many hidden gems to choose from, I wasn’t entirely sure where to hold our photoshoot, so I left the location up to Jasmine. As a resident of Hawaii, she knew the perfect secluded beach on the west side of Oahu!
January through March is known as the “big wave season” in Hawaii. It’s when the weather is the windiest, rainiest, and roughest. I was very worried that we wouldn’t have the right weather conditions and the rough waters wouldn’t provide enough clarity for this Hawaii underwater photoshoot. We weren't sure if we'd even be able to get in the ocean due to the weather conditions.
Fortunately, we lucked out and the stars aligned! When they arrived at the beach for our Oahu photoshoot, Mother Nature was on our side. Although it was windy out, the water was calm, and there was amazing clarity — making it perfect for an underwater photoshoot!
A Gorgeous Beach Couples Photo Session
Jasmine and Koby opted to do a land and sea session, so we began our photoshoot at the beach early in the morning with the sun shining beautifully!
With its dramatic mountainous landscape, the beach was quiet. It was a perfect spot for me to start the session off with some fun couples beach photos! It was a great way for them to warm up and get comfortable in front of the camera. They had so much fun flirting, playing around on the beach, and being affectionate with one another.
I loved being able to get some lifestyle beach photos of them because they live on Oahu. The beach is where they do life, so it was awesome to capture memories of them in their natural habitat.
From the moment we started shooting their beach photos, their vibe was dreamy. They looked so sweet in each other’s arms, and they were so natural in front of the camera. I had a hard time believing that this was their first couples photo session together! We ended up getting some amazing and playful images on the beach!
After posing for their couples beach photos, they were ready to head into the water!
Encountering Wildlife During This Hawaii Photoshoot
One of the most magical things about any beach or underwater photoshoot is getting to see wildlife! As soon as Jasmine, Koby, and I entered the water, two humpback whales jumped out of the water. The whales were less than 100 yards away from us. We were close enough to see their spray! It looked like a baby and her mama, but we couldn’t be sure.
As we continued with our underwater photoshoot, we heard the high-pitched whistling of dolphins in the ocean. We later spotted them jumping in the distance!
We also spotted a sea turtle.
Many of my clients worry about encountering sharks during our underwater photography sessions. Hawaii is notorious for its shark population, so to help reduce our risk of spotting one, Koby wore a shark tag bracelet for our Oahu underwater photoshoot. These magnets are said to repel sharks! He wears them when he goes surfing and he hasn’t had to worry.
The Dream Team For an Underwater Photoshoot
My favorite part about this couples underwater photoshoot with this dynamic duo was how comfortable they were in the ocean! Jasmine and Koby are both very experienced swimmers. This was great news because Hawaii is known for its strong waves. As an underwater photographer, I always advise having strong swimming skills or taking swimming lessons to prepare for a shoot — no matter where the location is.
They both easily dove 15 feet beneath the water and were able to hold their breath for long periods at a time. In fact, they were able to hold their breath longer than me at times! Their comfort and capability made it possible for me to get some incredible underwater photos of them! The ocean was like a second home for these two — and a dream come true to photograph!
Romantic Couples Poses For This Hawaii Underwater Photoshoot
Jasmine and Koby ended up getting so comfortable during our underwater photoshoot that they ended up calling out posing ideas like the spiderman kiss and having so much fun with it as our shoot continued on.
The poses we were able to photograph were absolutely flawless. Since Jasmine is an underwater photographer herself, she had a very good understanding of what looks good in the water. Combined with her and Koby’s strong swimming abilities, they completely nailed it.
Jasmine was able to master the belly up underwater photo pose, which is never an easy task. We were able to photograph some truly romantic poses of the two of them holding hands and embracing each other beneath the water.
This Hawaii underwater photoshoot is easily one of the highlights of my career to date! Not only am I going to forever treasure being able to shoot in the Pacific Ocean, but this couples underwater photoshoot gave me all the feels! It was amazing to photograph their underwater photos and so sweet to witness the two of them during this land and sea session!
Want to Book an Underwater Photoshoot?
Underwater photoshoots are ideal for almost any occasion! If you want to book a photoshoot with your significant other to document your engagement, maternity, wedding or simply want some beautiful images together during a couples underwater photoshoot, I’d love to help you do this! If you’re looking to take some underwater photos solo, I can help you with that, too!
As an underwater photographer, I’ve done sessions in Florida, the Bahamas, Hawaii, and more! I’m willing to travel to document these beautiful underwater moments. I highly recommend my land and sea photography packages, which include taking photos on the beach and in the ocean so that you can get the best of both worlds!
If you’re interested in booking an underwater photoshoot with me, please don’t hesitate to reach out! I would love to help you turn your underwater photo dreams into a reality!
