I use this product to get a good view - you film what you see (without a helmet):
http://www.prostandard.com/Pro-Standard-Grill-Mount-p/gm-surf.htmIt looks odd when you use it, but I like the finished product. And it is very easy to start and stop recording.
I also mount the camera on the nose of the board looking back towards me. I just start recording at the beginning of the session and keep recording until I am done. The standard battery lasts a little over two hours, but I also use the bacpac battery (and special housing) which will will go flat long after I do:
shop.gopro.com/accessories/battery-bacpac/ABPAK-401.html I personally don't mount the camera on the paddle because I paddle a lot of the wave.
You can see examples of the nose mount and mouth-mount in my Maldives movie.
As with all GoPro movies, the view is distorted - the majority of the waves in my Maldives movie were overhead, some were way overhead, but they don't look it.
