Don’t Push Me

A freediver stands at the edge of Dean’s Blue Hole — the third deepest in the world at 202 meters (663 feet). Tucked into a small bay on Long Island, Bahamas, it’s one of the most iconic blue holes on the planet. What makes it so unique is that it’s almost a perfect vertical sinkhole, but located just a few steps off the beach. It’s surrounded on nearly all sides by cliffs or sandbars, which protect it from ocean swell and current, making it one of the best natural training grounds for freedivers. That’s why it hosts Vertical Blue, the most prestigious freediving competition in the world, where the top divers come to push the limits of human depth on a single breath. For this shot, I wanted to show just how dramatic the drop-off really is — how the bright white sand slopes right into the rim before vanishing into the deep blue. With every tide change, the movement of water pulls sand down into the hole, creating an underwater sand fall that’s completely natural, but looks surreal. We executed this shot while freediving to give that feeling of standing at the edge of something massive and unknown — like the sensation of falling, even though you’re underwater. I’ve always had a personal connection to Dean’s Blue Hole. It’s where I’ve done most of my deep training and line diving over the years, and this image was captured on one of my last training days during a freediving course, right before exiting the water to wrap the day.