Making off a documentary film at Lifou

The Nautilus for guide

The "Andromed's eye" team have completed the shooting of a documentary film about Lifou's deep marine environement. The movie intended for the Brest's Oceanopolis Museum will follow the nautilus as a thread. During the day nautilus live in great depht, but in the night it can be encountered in few meters of water on the Sandal Wood bay. Those illustrate links and dependency between shallow and depth waters : the nautilus uses the whole depht of the ocean to live, feed and reproduce.

A window open on an unknown world.

Along an 18 day mission many deep dives have been executed : 120 meters quite everyday and an 150 meters dive. Each dive was an operational one and have bring back shootings of areas quite unknown. In fact it's the first time that Lifou's deep waters are explorated by divers. Until now, exploration have to rely on crude means : prelevement by goblet or trawling. This kind of operation open a way to a finer knowledge of those areas.

An hight quality team 

 Lifou island attracted some names of the documentary movie : director Luc Jacquet (March of the Penguins, The Fox and the child), photographer Laurent Ballesta (Ushuaïa), camera Roberto Rinaldi (Calypso, RAI). Lifou was not the cheapest or the easiest destination, but the exceptional biodiversity, and topography of Lifou island make the decision.

 An incursion in nautilus cave

One of the surprising scene wich will (likely) be discover in the movie is the visit of an submerged Lifou's cave where nautilus shell can be found in the mud. Now nobody can said how they arrive here : is nautilus enter the cave and stay lost or tide and wawe movement push dead nautilus shell inside ? Nevertheless when we talk about this cave with the movie team they decide that porterage of diving gear thru the jungle worth the price.

Rebreather as an essential tool

Deep dives wont be possible without rebreather. All the "deep team" used "inspiration" rebreather. Sodaily deep dives where possible with an reasonable amount of gas. The assemblage of a gas blending station at lifou was possible due to good communication and complementary skills between the movie team and the Lifou Fun Dive team.

Fun Dive as logistical support.

Our center was responsible for the complete logistic support of the operation : boats, compressors, vehicle and services (electrical repairs, internet communications, advice). Our valuable experience in nautilus observation, cave diving proven to be useful for the good realisation of the movie.