We've always suspected the deep, dark ocean is more like outer space than the Earth we're used to, but this new video finally proves it.
By taking advantage of a powerful rip current in French Polynesia's famed Tiputa Pass, world-class freediver Guillaume Néry gets pushed around the barren, rocky landscape as if he were a satellite orbiting an alien planet. Néry -- who is not using any breathing equipment -- is surrounded only by a dark, lonely abyss.
The video, "Ocean Gravity," is meant to be disorienting and unsettling. Director Julie Gautier (and Néry's wife) says that by ignoring basic rules for framing her shots, she was "able to create the natural illusion of a curved planet" on the ocean floor.
A lifeless, cold planet, that is.
Typically, Tiputa Pass is teeming with sharks, manta rays, and fish, making it a popular destination for divers. Gautier said that the biggest challenge of the project was avoiding the abundant sea life in order to preserve the otherworldly atmosphere of the footage.
As captivating as this footage is, rip currents are no joke. These forces of nature pose by far the most danger to beachgoers, pulling unsuspecting swimmers out to sea.
In other words, don't try this at home.
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