Many of us have marveled at the speed and grace swimmers and competitive divers exhibit as they leap from lofty diving boards, execute spectacular aerial maneuvers, and swim like dolphins through crystal clear water in Olympic-size swimming pools. How does the footage we watch come into existence? Often, it's with the help of divers who have mastered the art of underwater photography. Here, we'll take a look into a different kind of career for divers - one that requires exceptional skill and stamina.
What it Takes: Filming Olympic Athletes Underwater
When Ryan Lochte, Michael Phelps, and other competitive swimmers and divers look into the water below them, what do they see? Besides lane striping and decorative tile on the bottom of the pool, they see huge cameras and the divers who use them to ensure the rest of us get the opportunity to view these athletes in action. Three meters below the surface, a reef composed of about ten cameras fitted with protective domes captures the world's best swimmers and divers. For the Olympics and other major competitions, the cameras are set in place before the games begin. Held in place by metal plates that connect them to pool floors, these cameras are fitted with fresh batteries and adjusted frequently to provide the best possible images.
Before the competition begins, the photographer enters the water to set up the cameras, determining where swimmers will break the water, and determining which angles will provide viewers with the best look at the action. Handheld triggers operate the camera shutters, and once everything is set in place, photographers have the option to leave the pool and work from the surface, using computers to view the digital images the cameras capture from below the surface.
There are a number of things that can go wrong with these underwater camera setups - occasionally, a camera will spring a leak, and sometimes, swimmers or divers bump into the cameras and knock them out of place. This means divers must always be ready to get back into the water, and it makes for long days, particularly during Olympic competitions.
Sometimes, the images diving sports photographers capture determine who wins. In a famous instance of an underwater photo finish, Sports Illustrated photographer Heinz Kluetmeier captured a series of photos in which Michael Phelps closed the distance between himself and Serbia's Milorad Cavic in the last few meters of the 100-meter butterfly during Beijing's 2008 Olympics. The image of their hands stretching desperately toward the wall is a compelling and dramatic one - and one so popular that the International Swimming Hall of Fame continues to offer copies for sale.
If you love to dive and you enjoy photography, capturing marine life on film is something you probably enjoy doing. Capturing human athletes in motion is something else entirely - and it's definitely worthy of applause. So, next time you're watching swimming or diving competitions, think of the divers who put their special talent to work. Thanks to them, we all get a fish's eye view of aquatic competitions.