Brussels (The Brussels Morning Newspaper): Blommaert a Belgian Ministry of Defence employee recently attempted a record-breaking underwater photoshoot at Deepspot Warsaw aiming for depths of 45 meters alongside freedivers Christin Gerstorfer and Alessia Zecchini.
Blommaert has worked at the Belgian Ministry of Defence for over 30 years but he spends most of his free time on model photography. He’s focused on taking photos underwater. He says the tough conditions underwater make it a challenge to blend art with the environment. He wanted to set a new record for the deepest underwater photoshoot. The idea started when he was in the Philippines with Alessia Zecchini the womens freediving record holder from the Netflix show The Deepest Breath.
What depths will blommaert explore next in underwater photography?
Another freediver Christin Gerstorfer from Austria who holds the record was also interested. Blommaert said We connected right away. We stayed in contact and began searching for a good spot. Christins current record is diving 65 meters deep and she believed she could reach 45 meters. The old record was at 40 meters. The team went to Deepspot in Warsaw a really deep indoor diving center. Last Sunday was the big day. Blommaert said Getting everything ready was a big task. We had to plan the diving, get all the gear outfits and makeup sorted. Blommaert is really happy about what they accomplished. Even though they’re waiting for Guinness World Records to confirm it officially he’s confident there won’t be any issues. They made sure to film everything had a lawyer present and kept a detailed log of every second. Blommaert is already thinking ahead. Next year I want to do a photoshoot under the ice. I aim to reach 60 meters for the depth record. My ultimate dream is to dive to 100 meters someday. I enjoy pushing my limits he said.