Together with Austrian freediver Christin Gerstorfer Flemish photographer Filip Blommaert broke the world record for the deepest underwater photo shoot. At a diving centre in Poland, Gerstorfer dived to a depth of 45.4 metres without scuba tanks to pose for the camera. Blommaert hopes to go even deeper next year.
Flemish photographer and Austrian freediver break underwater photo shoot world record (VIDEO)
Colin Clapson
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Blommaert has been with the Belgian Ministry of Defence for more than 30 years, but most of his spare time he devotes to model photography. In recent years, he has specialised in underwater photo shoots. ‘The challenge is to combine the extreme conditions with the artistic,’ he says.
The idea of breaking the record for the deepest underwater shoot had been playing in his head for a while and took shape when he was recently in the Philippines to take photos with Alessia Zecchini, the world record holder in women's freediving and known from the Netflix documentary ‘The deepest breath’.
Another freediver, Austrian record holder Christin Gerstorfer was also there and she too was keen on the idea. ‘It clicked immediately. We kept in touch and started looking for a suitable location,’ says Blommaert. ‘Her record is 65 metres deep, so she felt capable of going up to 45 metres.’ The previous record stood at 40 metres.
The team eventually ended up at Deepspot in Warsaw, one of the deepest indoor diving centres in the world. Last Sunday was the day. ‘Arranging the logistics was quite an operation. You have the diving, but also the equipment, the outfits, the make-up,’ says Blommaert.
Blommaert is extremely proud of the achievement. Although we still have to wait for the official recognition from Guinness World Records. ‘But I don't expect any problems there. We have done everything possible. Everything was filmed, a lawyer was there and a log was kept to the second.’
Blommaert already has new plans. ‘Next year I would like to do a photo shoot under the ice. The depth record I would like to improve to 60 metres. The dream is to go to 100 metres one day. I like to challenge myself,’ he concludes.