Blue Ray

This is one of those days the ocean blessed us with the best conditions ever—no wind, no current, no clouds, and perfect underwater visibility. We were diving above a drop-off that goes down over 6,000 feet, and everything around us felt completely still, like time had paused. With these kinds of conditions, I feel like the creative possibilities with freediving are endless. I always try to use moments like this to create photographs that show the scene exactly how it feels in person—so that viewers like yourself can really get a sense of the scale and space. The light beams shining through the crystal-clear water were unreal, cutting straight down into the abyss. The water was so clear and the surface so flat that my silhouette formed in the light beams—not from direct light, but from the negative space where the light didn’t hit. It felt like floating in another world. I’ve spent thousands of hours underwater, but this day still stands out as one of the most magical I’ve ever experienced.