Ah, the Bahamas – a majestic archipelago of 700 islands that lie on the boundary of the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea – is a playground for adventurers and a favourite among recreational and competitive freedivers alike. With breath-taking scenery, translucent tropical water and plenty to expereince, it’s no wonder the Bahamas inspires such artistic filmmaking.
The Bimini story, André Musgrove
The Bahamas has some of the best shark diving in the world. On Tiger Beach Grand Bahama Island, sharks abound, and if you’re brave enough, you can freedive with Tiger Sharks, Reef Sharks, Nurse Sharks, Hammerheads, and more. In this video, André Musgrove and friends explore the island of Bimini, which also offers incredible encounters with one of our most misunderstood and endangered species. Join the adventurers as they explore shallow wrecks and explain why we must protect sharks. There’s only one question you have for them after watching “room for one more?!”
Stig Pryd’s 50-metre Fun Dive In Dean’s Blue Hole, Daan Verhoeven
Stig Pryds is one of the most fascinating and friendliest people I’ve ever had the privilege to meet. Diagnosed mid-life with psoriatic arthritis (a chronic inflammatory joint disease, causing intense pain and extreme fatigue), Stig took to freediving to heal himself of pain and regain his life. He is now one of Denmark’s deepest freedivers and has set National records in 3 depth disciplines. Here he and Daan Verheaven, premier freediving photographer, capture Stig’s ‘fun dive’ freediving in the Bahamas, in Dean’s Blue Hole (the second-largest sinkhole in the world) on Long Island.
The Underwater Pianist
A surprise awaits anyone who watches as a freediver in a yellow dress swims down silently to sit at a baby grand piano hidden underwater by the magician, David Copperfield, on one of his private islands. The sunken stainless steel piano sits at around 5-metres, just off the coast of Rudder Cut Cay. Aside from us, the freediving pianist has another audience – a life-sized sculpture of a mermaid lying by her side, as if eager to hear a tune. Shall we dance?
Guillaume Nery base jumping at Dean’s Blue Hole, Julie Gautier
A round-up of freediving videos in the Bahamas wouldn’t be complete without featuring Guillaume Nery’s base jumping dive at Dean’s Blue Hole. Shot in 2010 by wife Julie Gautier, an incredible underwater cinematographer, on one-breath! The video has amassed over 27 million views and inspired many freedivers not just into the sport, but to view it as an artform and experiment with ways to show off the intimate connection between freediving and the underwater world.
Want more? Check out PADI’s top pick for dive sites in the Bahamas.
