Photographer and model dive to dangerous depths for most beautiful photoshoot yet

When you dive deep underwater, one of the most striking senses is silence. You’re suspended in the movement of the current, obscured by the waves above. Rarely can we capture and preserve these beautiful, quiet moments, but so many of us have experienced them.

But that’s what makes Steven Haining’s (Canada) underwater images so enchanting (and record-breaking) – with a model and his crew, he’s broken the record title three times for his deepest underwater model photoshoot, attempting to capture the beauty of nature and humankind. 

But his most recent title had him in deeper water than ever before – 163.38 ft (49.80 m) to be exact.

After his depth-defying shoots underwater won him record titles in June 2021 and September 2023, Steven and his diver friends knew they had to reclaim their record and beat fellow Canadians Kim Bruneau and Pia Oyarzun, who overtook their title by shooting at 131 ft in the Bahamas in December 2023. 

So when diver and model Ciara Antowski – who previously dove but didn't model with Steven on his last record-breaking shoot – asked him for another chance, he knew it was time to do something big.

But the first task was to assemble their team.

“We only have this record because of the huge group of people working behind the scenes,” Steven said. So he also brought in Wayne Fryman to be the technical diving and safety expert, and a bunch of the old gang to work on technicalities. 

They decided to do the shoot on the deck of the Hydro Atlantic shipwreck in Boca Raton, Florida, USA, which was particularly remarkable because it is past the decompression zone.

The decompression zone is the furthest you can dive – 130 ft – before it is recommended to make 3-5 minute stops on your ascent. This gives the body time to release the nitrogen gasses that buildup in our tissues once we go into deeper pressures.

Naturally, this required tons of additional safety training, particularly for Ciara. In advance of the attempt, both Steve and Ciara had to go through an additional year of technical training, gas blending and decompression practice, in order to safely make it to the depth recorded.

Ciara is also truly Officially Amazing for everything she did for the shoot – besides contacting Haining and encouraging him to try and break another record title, she did extensive dive training at Isla Divers in Florida and in training pools to prepare for the technical and aesthetic aspect of the shoot. Not to mention she was able to withstand the brutal cold and surreal environment while so deep in the ocean, in a dress and without dive equipment, to produce these pictures.

But she dove into the challenge confident that the three-time record-breaker and his team would safely help each other create this unique art.

When it came to the actual shoot, the team had many precautions in place to make sure everything was legal and everyone felt as safe as possible. Before the dive, Steven and Wayne went on a scouting mission at the wreck to tie a floating buoy line from their photoshoot location so the boat knew where they would be located. 

They also attached extra oxygen tanks to the line for when they would make their descent, and tested locations for the shoot and for safety. At depths like this, it’s possible for divers to feel narcosis – which is when breathing in compressed air and the high pressure can make you feel dizzy, confused, or collapse

A rescue team would stay stationed on the rescu boat, including safety diver and “emotional support rock” Mareesha Klups (who actually modelled on his second record-winning shoot and safety dove for the original title). 

They also had an extensive list of things to look out for on the day-of: including rust from the shipwreck, hostile wildlife, errant fishermen, housing and carrying all their camera and GoPro equipment, having enough air at that depth because the pressure is so high, and a model in a dress and no oxygen tank who couldn’t see and had to be safely made into art.

Also a concern was the large tiger shark that Steven and Wayne spotted circling the dive sight on their scouting mission – which scooted away at their arrival.

But nevertheless, it all worked.

“Up until the day of the shoot, we actually practised more than we planned on, and then we got there in good weather, we did our scout of the wreck, we figured out exactly what we were doing and from that point on we were perfectly set,” said Steven.

Making the dive for the actual photoshoot would be Steven, Ciara, and Wayne. Everyone kept watch on the oxygen levels on monitors, and Ciara frequently took breaks to breathe in the oxygen mask and communicate via body language with the team. 

Everything went well in the initial descent, until Steven got stung by a jellyfish! But luckily he shook off the sting, and kept shooting.

During the shoot, the team experimented with different lighting techniques and angles to create their gorgeous images.

Because they can’t communicate while underwater, all the preparation for the aesthetic aspects of the photoshoot also has to be done above the surface. For this shoot, Steven had two particular plans for lighting – one with flashing lights to create different angles and effects, and another with powerful torch lights that could illuminate Ciara with an ethereal glow. 

By this point, Ciara had trained with Wayne so much that they could communicate with body language, which was important because she wasn’t wearing any eye gear like the divers so her vision was impaired. She had to tell the team with hand motions when she needed air and how she was feeling, as well as any creative direction the team had in mind.

Despite the fact that everything went smoothly, Steven called the shoot 15 minutes early just in case, because he knew they would have to stop partly on their ascent to compress for 20 minutes before coming up for air.

And once they did, the team was thrilled with the results of their photos.

“I was nervous for weeks leading up to it because I like to overthink the ‘what ifs,’ said Haining. “But at the end of the day, we were all fine, and it was super fun.”

“We’re all super happy with the final shots. Personally, I love that it looks so much like a continuation of that original world record title that we beat,” said Steven. “And I’m grateful that it’s always been that same core team.”

And even though they’re fresh off a three-peat for underwater world records, Steven and his adventurous friends are self-inspired and always looking to go deeper. He hinted at future dives to greater depths and even explorations into the air for the perfect shot.

“Beating the world records, for us, is a huge passion project for stuff that we already love doing and were doing anyway. For me, for Ciara, and for Wayne and everybody who has ever been on these adventures with us, it was all about pushing the limits,” he said.

“And I know my friends – there’s always another adventure coming up for us.”