Inexpensive camera for Mexico whale watching and other water encounters??

Valerie, as an amateur underwater photographer you will be hard pressed to get a decent underwater camera at that price point. You won’t be happy with photos from a disposable one. The one I would recommend is the Olympus TG 6. An excellent point and shoot underwater camera. Since it has been out for a number of years, you may be able to find a used one on Amazon.
As one who has tried, it is extremely difficult to get photos of whales underwater, those buggers swim FAST!

Thanks, Tammy! As someone who has traveled with us…well, you know that we often have a hard time keeping ahold of our electronics. I looked at that camera and at $500, I can’t do it.

My nameless;) travel partner heard the price and immediately devised a plan that includes his iPhone 4 and a ziploc baggie.

I was wondering about this camera: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/minolta-mn40wp-48-0-megapixel-waterproof-digital-camera-blue/6530063.p?skuId=6530063

That price sounds like it would be for a brand new one. You should be able to get a used one for about $200

I think the iphone 11 is the first apple phone that can be submerged in water, although I can’t remember how far down you can go. My phone is an 11 and I have gotten it wet before and it still works! I have not tried using it as a underwater camera. Good luck!
I will advise to keep your expectations low regarding getting any decent shots of marine animals. It’s very difficult!🫤

I promise to have low expectations! It’s the reason I wanted a low price camera;) I’m not a terribly skilled photographer, so I figure my chance of catching a whale shot is pretty limited.

I actually figure my chance of Ron falling out of the boat is higher than my chance of a whale photo!

Valerie LOL!

Are you actually going to be taking photos underwater or do you want something to protect the camera if it is accidentally submerged?

There are Iphone waterproof cases that allow you to take photos underwater. I haven’t tried any of them, but they might be sufficient if your main goal is to take photos on the boat.

You can find inexpensive waterproof iPhone cases on Amazon— around $10 — with lanyards to wear around your neck. The brand I bought was Heiercool or something similar. You might buy one & try it out to see if the quality of photos taken underwater through the case are clear enough for your needs.

I didn’t do any underwater photos — I needed it to protect from splashing — and for my needs, it was fine. It did get dunked a couple of times & the phone stayed dry.

@Laura and Charlene - I already bought one of those waterproof cases. As I had read in a lot of the reviews, it’s really hard to reliably press the buttons through the plastic cover so I went back to the cheap camera idea.

The plan is that the camera will never be submerged. The highlight of the trip - heck, the entire reason I booked the trip - is that we spend two days at the San Ignacio lagoon, where gray whales come to give birth in January. The whales in the lagoon are known for coming up to boats - we are not allowed to approach them - and so I will be trying to take close up pics of a whale while I’m in a total panic/overcome by excitement;)

I think I am going to go with this one. Slightly over budget and not submersible but I’m really hoping not to be submerged!

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/minolta-mn40wp-48-0-megapixel-waterproof-digital-camera-blue/6530063.p?skuId=6530063

Well I didn’t ask the right questions! I thought you wanted a camera you could take pictures of underwater. My bad.

Valerie, I don't have any advice but I am curious to hear about your trip. Only in the past few months have I heard of this & it sounds like an amazing experience. If you have the time & think of it I'd love to read a trip report.

I got into wildlife photography as a hobby just before covid & have recently been shooting marine life. I've done some whale watching in New England & spent a few days in October in Monterey area. Headed back to Monterey in mid-January (weather dependent) for the grey whales but mostly elephant seals at Ano Nuevo. When I was there in October one of the couples on board was very into photography & they even had a GoPro which they submerged a few times. I'm really curious how those images turned out for them & regret not exchanging contact info.
I hope you have an amazing time & capture the moments you're hoping for!

Sorry, editing to add are you sure your Panasonic doesn't have some water resistance? You may want to confirm if you haven't already. They make good photography gear.

@Deborah. I usually put up a smallish trip report. I do the bulk of my travel writing elsewhere - you can see where in my bio on this site. The trip is through Road Scholar and looks awesome.

Here's what I actually decided to do: My partner is going to give me his old IPhone 4 to use. He doesn't care if it gets wet - he needs a new phone anyways. I'll, of course, try to keep it dry...

The Panasonic Lumix I have can't get wet and I don't want to risk anything with it. It's pretty new.

Thanks ! I'll take a look. I shoot with the Lumix g9. The original. They just came out with a new version. Sounds like yoi have a solution but the body & most lenses are water tolerant. I've had mine in rain. A hack if your worried is to use a shower cap around it. Like the kind in hotels for free.

I've been to San Ignacio for the gray whale nursery. You are in for the treat of a lifetime :) One thing to keep in mind is that because the whales are so "tame/calm" there isn't a ton of splashing and you have ample opportunity to get your photos. It's not like trying to catch a whale spyhopping or breaching! The boats used in the lagoon are hardsided small boats, you are a couple of feet above the water and they are more stable generating less splashing than the inflatable zodiac boats used in many other similar locations. I used a Canon superzoom and there were others on the boat with nicer cameras with little concern. I keep a gallon ziploc up over my camera with the center between the strap zipped if I am worried about spray, it is easy to remove quickly when ready to take a shot. The shower cap idea is even easier. I think the biggest concern is the getting excited and dropping it in the water so having a lanyard or strap of some sort is imperative!

Good luck with that old iPhone 4 (makes me feel better about my old iPhone X).

Spyhopping, you say? 😎

@Syd - thank you for all of this helpful info!!!! I've been wanting to do this trip for quite a long time! Let's hope I stay calm enough for a photo or two:)

Nice picture, David!