See those sharks swimming in the backgroud? Yep, they're real. The casually dressed men sipping coffee underwater? Real too. Welcome to the remarkable real life water world.
Close encounters —
See those sharks swimming in the backgroud? Yep, they're real. The casually dressed men sipping coffee underwater? Real too. Welcome to the remarkable real life water world.
Courtesy Lia Barrett
The extraordinary images are the work of U.S. photographer Lia Barrett, who used freedivers as underwater models off the coast of Honduras.
Family affair —
The extraordinary images are the work of U.S. photographer Lia Barrett, who used freedivers as underwater models off the coast of Honduras.
Courtesy Lia Barrett
It was while photographing a freediving competition, the Caribbean Cup, that Barrett decided to live out a lifelong dream and create a fantastical water world where humans go about everyday tasks such as drinking coffee, riding bikes, and strolling along the ocean floor.
Man vs beast —
It was while photographing a freediving competition, the Caribbean Cup, that Barrett decided to live out a lifelong dream and create a fantastical water world where humans go about everyday tasks such as drinking coffee, riding bikes, and strolling along the ocean floor.
Courtesy Lia Barrett
Freedivers are extreme athletes who plumb the depths of the ocean on a single breath of air, sometimes descending more than 100 meters -- the equivalent of a 30-storey building -- without the use of oxygen tanks.
Super sub —
Freedivers are extreme athletes who plumb the depths of the ocean on a single breath of air, sometimes descending more than 100 meters -- the equivalent of a 30-storey building -- without the use of oxygen tanks.
Courtesy Lia Barrett
"You definitely want to get into a completely realxed state mentally and physically before you dive," said champion freediver William Trubridge. "You generally lie down before a dive, relax, breathe normally and visualize what you're about to do."
Merman? —
"You definitely want to get into a completely realxed state mentally and physically before you dive," said champion freediver William Trubridge. "You generally lie down before a dive, relax, breathe normally and visualize what you're about to do."
Courtesy Lia Barrett
"When the dive starts, you take as big a breath as possible. The deeper you go, the more your lungs are compressed. Past 20 meters you become negatively buoyant, you enter into free fall, and you can just drop into the blue," said Trubridge, adding: "On the way up you have to work to counteract that, you have to swim extra hard."
Extreme sport —
"When the dive starts, you take as big a breath as possible. The deeper you go, the more your lungs are compressed. Past 20 meters you become negatively buoyant, you enter into free fall, and you can just drop into the blue," said Trubridge, adding: "On the way up you have to work to counteract that, you have to swim extra hard."
Courtesy Lia Barrett
The moment freedivers reach the surface, dramatically ripping off their goggles and sucking in lungfuls of air, offers a strange mixture of exhilaration and relief for the dozens of spectators waiting on deck.
Sweet relief —
The moment freedivers reach the surface, dramatically ripping off their goggles and sucking in lungfuls of air, offers a strange mixture of exhilaration and relief for the dozens of spectators waiting on deck.
Courtesy Lia Barrett