Description
The Kraken Snoot is one of the most effective creative tools available for underwater macro photography. It fits directly onto the Hydra 3000, Hydra 5000, and Abyss 6000, converting the wide 120° flood beam into a tight, controlled spotlight — no additional hardware required.
What a Snoot Does
A snoot restricts the beam of your video light to a narrow circle of illumination. Your subject — a nudibranch, a blenny, a shrimp on a coral head — is lit precisely. Everything outside that circle falls to black. The result is a high-contrast macro image with a dark, clean background that looks nothing like standard flood-lit underwater photography.
It is a technique borrowed from studio portrait photography and it works exceptionally well underwater, where dark backgrounds are naturally achievable at depth or against open water. Once you shoot snooted macro, it is hard to go back to flat flood lighting for close-up work.
A Genuine Add-On, Not a Gimmick
What makes the Kraken Snoot worth owning is that it does not require a dedicated snoot light. Your Hydra 5000 or Abyss 6000 is already on your rig. The snoot slides on in seconds and gives you a completely different shooting mode — wide flood for reef coverage, snoot for macro work — on the same dive, with the same light.
At $169, it is one of the highest-value ways to expand what your existing lights can do.
Technique Tips
- Position matters: Getting the snoot beam centred on a small subject takes practice. Start with larger, stationary subjects — sea slugs, feather stars, cleaning shrimp — before attempting fast-moving animals.
- Buddy system: Having a dive buddy hold and aim the snoot light while you operate the camera gives you much more control, especially when starting out.
- Distance: The closer the snoot is to the subject, the smaller and sharper the lit circle. Back it off for a slightly softer, wider spot.
- Background: Dark backgrounds amplify the effect. Position your subject against open water or a dark reef section for maximum contrast.
Colour Filters
The FT06 Colour Filter Set drops into the snoot to add creative gel effects — red, blue, and other colours — for artistic macro work and fluorescence photography. The filters are purpose-built for this snoot and swap in seconds underwater.
Compatible Lights
For a full overview of snooting technique and when to use it, see our guide to beam angle and snooting.
