Diving Videos - The Documentary Network

No Limits – The Audrey Mestre Documentary

Documentary.net staff — Sun, 06 Apr 2014 17:42:43 +0000

As a teenager, Audrey Mestre suffered from scoliosis, but in those formative years, she discovered a passion for the ocean. It offered her a sense of freedom, and the burdens she faced on dry land soon dissipated as she slipped below the surface. In the final stages of her Ph.D., Mestre was drawn to Cabo San Lucas, where she became infatuated with free diver Pipin Ferreras, a Cuban defector whose dives had put him at the forefront of the sport. The two became a couple, and Mestre followed the often elusive, often raucous Ferreras on his almost spiritual quest to push his limits underwater. Soon enough, Mestre moved from support team member to ardent free diver and then to a world-class competitor who outshone her husband. In 2002, after news arrived that a rival female diver named Tanya Streeter had successfully gone to a record-breaking 525 feet, Ferreras began preparations for Mestre to make a 561-foot dive off the coast of the Canary Islands. Having completed practice dives even deeper in the weeks leading up to the record attempt, Mestre was prepared. But because of a fateful decision before the dive, Mestre never resurfaced alive.

Palau’s Bomb Squad

Documentary.net staff — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:20:34 +0000

Imagine this, you set out for your well-earned holiday on a pristine Pacific Island, only to find that thousands of unexploded bombs litter the area, threatening the lives of both holidaymakers and locals. Enter a husband and wife team, backed by their dedicated staff, determined to rid the island of this deadly legacy. The beautiful sandy beaches and blue seas of the Pacific islands of Palau reveal little at first glance about the bloody battle between the US and the Japanese that took place there in the Second World War. But in fact the legacy of the fighting is hidden everywhere, with thousands of unexploded bombs and grenades lost in the undergrowth and hidden in caves. David Brill reports on the effort to find and remove them… 23,000 explosives have already been cleared in the past three years. Not only are the bombs potentially lethal to locals and the huge number of tourists, they’re also corroding and leaking acid into the islands’ pristine waters. It’s a hazardous race against time to remove them, but also an opportunity to remember what happened on the now peaceful islands nearly 70 years ago. The Australian Government's AusAID is among those funding the demining in Palau, with a contribution of $4.4 million.

Lost at Sea

Documentary.net staff — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 06:59:07 +0000

Scuba diver Peter Trayhurn shares his life changing day when he and his buddy got lost at sea, 8 miles/8km off the Australian east coast. Pictures from his camera show the dramatic situation. Very good example for: The best stories are written by life itself. Find out what happened plus his challenge with bowel cancer. Be sure to watch till the very end. Film by Marcus O'Brien

Freediver Guillaume Nery base jumping at Dean’s Blue Hole

Documentary.net staff — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 15:49:25 +0000

World champion freediver Guillaume Nery special dive at Dean's Blue Hole, the deepest blue hole in the world filmed entirely on breath hold by the french champion Julie Gautier. Sidenote by the producers: This video is a fiction and an artistic project.

Ray: A Life Under Water

Documentary.net staff — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 11:13:19 +0000

The film is an affectionate portrait of one man's deep sea diving career, told through his extraordinary collection of marine artefacts. The former commercial diver has plundered the deep for over fifty years, bringing to the surface anything that glittered - even gold. In a shipping container near the water, Ray tends his museum of cannon, bottles, bells, swords, portholes and diving gear. He even still takes to the water in a 1900s diving suit. Produced and Directed by Amanda Bluglass amandabluglass.co.uk Editor and Director of Photography: Danny Cooke dannycooke.co.uk Dive photography: Neil Hope divingimages.co.uk Soundtrack: Tony Higgins tonyhiggins.org

Jellyfish Lake

Documentary.net staff — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 05:43:10 +0000

Jellyfish Lake is located on Eli Malk island in the Republic of Palau. Twelve thousand years ago these jellyfish became trapped in a natural basin on the island when the ocean receded. Would you mind swimming with them? With no predators amongst them for thousands of years, they evolved into a new species that lost most of their stinging ability as they no longer had to protect themselves. They are pretty much harmless to humans although some people with very sensitive skin may get a minor sting from them. If you are allergic to jellyfish you should wear a wetsuit or protective clothing. These fascinating creatures survive by sharing a symbiotic relationship with algae that live inside of them. At night, the jellyfish go down to the depths of the lake where the algae feed on nutrients. During the day, the jellyfish come back to the surface and follow the sun across the lake in a massive migration. The algae convert the energy of the sun via photosynthesis into a sugar that feeds the jellyfish. It is not possible to scuba dive in this lake because the nutrient rich layer at around 50 feet and below contains hydrogen sulphide which is highly toxic to humans. If a scuba diver was to swim in that layer, the toxins would enter the body through the skin and that exposure could be fatal. Snorkeling however, is perfectly safe and if you ever find yourself in Palau one day, you should make your way to this special place. The experience of swimming through millions of jellyfish is quite surreal and Palau is the only place in the world where you can do just that!