hat's better than gliding through the barrel of a six-foot wave? Gliding through it with a GoPro HD Surf Hero cam strapped to your board. That way, you walk away not only with bragging rights, but with the footage to prove it.

That's why when my boyfriend, Mike, told me about this itty, bitty camera, I knew I had to have one. Not only because he was so thrilled about this particular camera, but also because it's the same device that the Discovery Channel uses to stick inside the mouth of great whites, the camera that documented the miners being rescued in Chile and I'd bet that Jeb Corliss, the guy who jumps off cliffs like a flying squirrel uses it, too.  

With that said, my expectations were high as we attached the rugged GoPro to Mike’s longboard the day before surfing. (Note: Just clean your board of wax and then use a bit of rubbing alcohol to apply it. Put some Rain-X on the waterproof housing over the lens, and you’re all set.)

Throughout the day, Mike hit the shutter button when he thought a humdinger of a wave was headed his way. This records video, but you also have the option to shoot 5MP photos automatically every two seconds while you surf. Other photo modes include 5-, 10-, 30-, and 60-second time lapse as well as single shot, triple shot, and self timer modes. And you can squeeze plenty of footage on there, it holds about 2.5 hours of HD video or automatic photos on a 32GB SC card.

Overall, it makes surfing that much more fun.

On the way home we uploaded the video clips to my computer and watched in glee. Instant gratification. And with the 170-degree wide-angle lens, it made us look like action figures -- oversized feet, small noggin. Just plain cool.

While traveling the Gold Coast of Australia last month I also had the chance to dive the Great Barrier Reef and took the GoPro wrist camera along. Again, easy to use and quality HD video. What I didn't expect was that it would be a conversation starter. I kept running into people who saw it and excitedly wanted to chat about it. A diver, a surfer, a traveler. They all had good things to say; it was little a small celebrity traveling by my side.

Overall, it's great for nearly any sport and doesn't impede on the action. The various mounts allow it to be strapped to almost anything. There’s a handy 3M mount for skis or snowboards. A bicycle mount. Even a chest mount you could use for kayakying, hockey, karate -- you name it.  

In other words, I can easily see why it's the world leader in wearable digital cameras for the sporty crowd. Any adventure-lover should have one.

Cost:
$269.99 (HD Surf Hero camera, waterproof housing - one for wrist and one for attaching to board or helmet), Surf Hero Mount, FCS plug mount, leash, assorted mounting hardware and cables. SD card not included.

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