Belgian photographer Filip Blommaert and Austrian freediver Christin Gerstorfer went to a depth of 45,4 metres to break the world record for deepest underwater photoshoot.
ADVERTISEMENTGoing from Special Forces operator to underwater model photographer, is an unusual, if not, unique career path. Filip Blommaert, however, strives continuously to push boundaries by merging the extreme with the artistic. “Seeking out new challenges is the story of my life”, he says.
The military diver explains that the idea of breaking the record was born during a recent trip to the Philippines, where he was taking photos with Alessia Zecchini, an Italian freediver who holds the freediving world record for women at 123 metres.
Christin Gerstorfer, whose personal freediving record lies at 65 metres, was also present during the trip and brought up her desire to break a world record. Blommaert said he previously toyed with the idea as well, whether it was the deepest underwater shoot or the coldest under ice, he says he wanted to achieve something extreme.
“Christin and I clicked fairly quickly”, he adds, “we spoke the same language.”
Wings in the Deep
The photoshoot themed ‘Wings in the Deep’ took place in the city of Warsaw in Poland at Deepspot, Europe’s deepest diving centre. The theme was inspired by the centre’s 45-metre-deep cylindrical shaft that resembles a wind tunnel.
Blommaert describes descending to the bottom of the pool like jumping out of a plane, “you fly to the bottom, you float to the bottom. It’s like a free-fall”.
The shoot consisted of two warm-up dives and two shooting dives. Together with a safety diver, Blommaert was underwater for one hour in total.
Gerstorfer, whose dive time was roughly two minutes for each dive, used weights to help her get to the bottom of the pool where she posed for a minute before swimming back up with the help of an underwater scooter.
On a post on Instagram, the freediver thanks the team including safety divers and make-up artist Marike De Meester and says the achievement, which proved to be an "exceptional logistical challenge", would otherwise not have been possible.
During the test dives, the use of the wings turned out to be a key challenge for the team. "The wings appeared to be incredibly buoyant, we had to attach 5 kg to get them to sink."
Blommaert adds that an additional pair of wings they purchased were made of cardboard on the inside, which unfortunately did not bode well for the underwater shoot.
Blommaert says he wants to reach 60 metres next year, and even aspires to descend to 100 metres one day; but insists he wants to be more prepared for when that time comes.
“The deeper you go, the shorter your bottom time becomes”, the Flemish photographer says, and explains the dive time will need to be calculated to the second.
The record is yet to be verified by Guinness World Records. The current world record of its kind is held by a Canadian photographer who dove to a depth of just over 40 metres.
From Special Forces Operator to Underwater Model Photographer
Blommaert reveals he grew up in an artistic family and before joining the Special Forces, he had been a videographer. But photography and videography were also heavily sutured into his military career.
ADVERTISEMENT“Once I joined the Special Forces, I quickly realised I needed the appropriate underwater housing for my camera”, he says.
The Flemish photographer adds that he gave photography lessons within the military unit. He says he taught “everything that had to do with observation and the technical aspects of photography, a little bit like paparazzi: long distances, difficult circumstances, being in places where you’re not supposed to be."
Model photography came into the picture in 2019. And in 2021, Blommaert became fully invested in underwater photography and eventually left the Special Forces the following year.
Blommaert’s creative mind and his technical expertise continue to join forces in his model photography, something he says he'd like to do more of over time.
ADVERTISEMENTFor his latest underwater shoot, ‘Honey Black’, he used the frame of a tent and weighed down large yellow drapes to create the multi-layered underwater set.
The photographer also demonstrates his own freediving abilities as he holds his breath, and stability, while the model poses in front of the camera.
