The Cost of the Record: 24 Hours of Erosion
We often speak of "The Human Spirit" as if it’s a shimmering, ethereal thing - it certainly isn’t just that.
After 24 hours immersed in a hyper-chlorinated pool, the human spirit looks like grey, sandpaper skin, bloodshot eyes, and an emotional vacancy that borders on the haunting. It is raw, it is gritty, and it is entirely authentic.
Between November 22 and 23, 2025, nine elite free divers descended into the Tattersall’s Club Sydney indoor pool. Their mission was a relentless, 24-hour continuous relay to set a new Guinness World Record—swimming over 81km underwater with no fins.
They weren't just diving for distance; they were diving for Rainbow Club Australia, raising critical funds to provide personalised swimming lessons for children with disabilities - and their own very personal reasons.
The Forensic Portrait:
On a multi-day, high-pressure assignment like this, the plan is everything, but the ability to "roll with the mess" is what captures the truth.
My role was not to "make art" in a traditional, staged sense, but to act as a forensic observer of movement and emotion.
The strict rules of a Guinness World Record attempt meant the clock could not stop. I couldn't build rapport or coach a pose; I had to be a ghost in the environment, allowing the athletes to be their uninhibited selves.
When the athletes surfaced for their portraits, the lens became a mirror of pure reality... in all its truths!
The Energy: I saw the sharp contrast of human response - some surfaced vibrating with a defiant strength; others surfaced with the slumped relief of a soldier returning from a front line.
The Blankness: Most haunting was the "emotional blank." By hour 20, the "self" had retreated to survive the physical limits met and the chemical assault of the chlorine. The lights were on, but the athletes were deep inside, protecting the final sparks of willpower.
The Team Behind the Record
This feat was a massive orchestration of trust and discipline; these conditions requires a team that complements each other’s energy. Each diver brought a unique motivation, but they all shared the same physical toll.
The 24 hours in the pool was only the final invoice. The real "cost" was the thousands of hours of training, the missed family dinners, and the weight of discipline. The "spirit" we saw in the water was forged in months of sacrifice that the public never sees.
Team and Tools:
Bill Cotis | Adam Bryant | Jack Hatfield | Michaela Werner | Daron Joseph | Ethan Wang | Materj Majing | Jarrod Briffa | Katherine Nevatt
Tattersall's Club | Rainbow Club | Zoggs | Your Story | Surf Lifesaving Australia | Aquila Creative Agency
Nikon ZF | Voigtlander 15mm 40mm 75mm | Sony A1 & Aquatech Housing | RGB Tubes x5 | Light Stands | Z8 & 50mm Nikkor Z
Pre-Colored on Capture One | Retouched and graded on Photoshop CC
The Forensic Portrait
As it unfolded - Part 1
The record breaking swim, the moments of achievement, the connection with family, the conditions, the tools, the personalities, the volunteers, the epic effort to make this all happen.
The Divers
As It Unfolded - Part 2
