Cycladic Shipwreck

 Before the modern era, the islands depended on smaller vessels like the one in this gallery  for transportation and commerce inside the archipelago and beyond. Bad weather during colder months often meant isolation for weeks at a time or more. In these images, a female freediver swims towards the wreck, its upright bow all that remains after decades of confrontation with the forces of nature. Small fish from the concave shadow below watch her unexpected arrival. 

Bad weather during colder months often meant isolation for weeks at a time or more.

I've freedived Cyclades waters for over 50 years, mostly alone. With Roxana's interest to learn, my focus has become her graceful movements underwater highlighting the beauty of the freediving experience. The Cycladic Shipwreck shoot took place only days after the Blue Star Patmos ferry was towed away from where it had gone aground outside Ios port bay. Strangely, we saw no sign of the incident, though our search was limited due to the proximity of the area to the mouth of the often busy port bay, especially by fast moving transport vessels. The results were only obtained from a final try with the sun directly in front, usually an overly complex task. What looked fine on the camera screen during shooting resulted in heavily overexposed images upon inspection. Fortunately, the issue was resolved with careful editing.