What happens when you combine stellar Key Largo wreck dives and photographing with the easy-to-use SeaLife Cameras’ Micro 2.0? You come away with amazing still images and video, and a dive experience to remember for a lifetime.

The SeaLife Cameras and Divers Direct Key Largo event kicks off with a workshop seminar on June 10th. Here, participants learn how easy it is to use the SeaLife Micro 2.0 from Karl Schuster, SeaLife Dive Sales Manager, and David Rhea, SeaLife Florida Sales Manager and avid underwater photographer and cave explorer. After practicing on the demo cameras and watching a slide show of Rhea’s images and videos shot with the SeaLife Micro 2.0, we’re ready to go diving!

The next morning, we meet the SeaLife and Divers Direct teams at Ocean Divers, where we board the 42-foot Blue Kai dive boat and learn that we’ll be diving two wrecks, the famous Spiegel Grove and the historic Benwood. We all let out an excited “woo-hoo!” and get even more tips from Rhea and Shuster on using the cameras. “Remember to get really close to your subjects,” Shuster tells us.

Meanwhile, Capt. Mike Atwell, GM of Ocean Divers, briefs us on the Spiegel Grove, a 510-foot-long former dock landing ship. “It’s huge — it’s an artificial reef filled with goliath groupers, eels, sharks and all sorts of fish.”

Atwell is right on the money. We spend our time in about 90 feet of water, getting amazing shots of the massive superstructure, the U.S. flag flying proudly on the stern deck, and lots of beautiful tropical fish.

On our second dive on the Benwood wreck, we’re truly at home with our cameras. They are a dream to use. If you’re a photographer looking for the perfect compact camera, you will find it in the Micro 2.0 (which comes in 32GB and 64GB versions). Small, compact, lightweight and fully sealed, we are finding it super easy to use. The Micro 2.0 has a 16MP Sony CMOS image sensor, full HD video, and three easy-to-use piano key controls. And maybe best of all for divers: With no O-rings to maintain, this camera is flood proof! It comes with a 130-degree fisheye lens, high internal battery, and WiFi. No filters are needed for its four underwater scene modes.

Even though it’s not an intact wreck, the Benwood is a great site. As Divers Direct Assistant Manager, Randy Klein-Gross, says, “My favorite part are all the cracks and holes that you can use to frame your pictures — it’s like watching a movie that keeps changing.”

When we get back to the marina, we are treated to a hamburger and hotdog lunch at Sharkey’s Pub, and work with Schuster to download our images and video — either by attaching the USB cable into the camera’s waterproof USB port and downloading to a laptop or by using the free SeaLife Micro Cam app.

We can’t wait for the next event! For more information, visit sealife-cameras.com.