Alchemy freediver Ryuzo Shinomiya is not just the deepest man in Japan; he is an individual devoted to all things ocean, whether that's freediving, teaching or shooting awesome content of humans interacting with whales. Having taken part is countless competitions around the world and being the holder of numerous national records, Ryuzo is a prime example of a freediver who cares deeply about the sport and its natural habitat with an ever expanding willingness to pass his knowledge through to the next generations.
I was a college student when i found out about Jacques Mayol by watching The Big Blue for the first time. Diving to -100m at sea sounded marvelous! Amazed and charmed, i wondered about what kind of world lied down there. When i said that i’ll become a professional freediver i was told “are you serious” and “who will want to sponsor you”? I was working for a company for 5 years but i quit and entered a world of uncertainty. Would i be able to make a living? I was repeatedly told that i was out of my mind.
I am the Japanese National Record Holder in CWT. In the world, currently, there are less than 10 people going beyond -110m and actually 12 people landed on the moon! Pushing the limits and coming back safe is important to me. I believe that it is the duty of the pioneers to talk about their experiences. Someone might see it and think “How wonderful! I want to go beyond that”.
Since the beginning i wanted to make a record that nobody else had in Asia. After achieving that i wanted to be able to show how beautiful the underwater world is. Just a single shot, no scenario, no score. Showing dolphins, whales, human beings and caves, moments impossible to reenact. These are spontaneous scenes and when they are going well you feel great. The development of cameras is amazing, the number of pixels is increasing rapidly. Human beings can only stay for a short while under the water without breathing and i just want to take pictures of our extremely primitive sport using ultra modern equipment. Through that content i want people to find out more about the sport and the sea. I want to take pictures that nobody has taken before. Feeling joy? That is possible for me at sea.
