How

How
long can you hold your breath under water? Two minutes?
Three, at a push? When free diver Julie Gautier goes down into the
deep, she won’t draw breath for up to 10 minutes, allowing her to
descend to depths of 70m and beyond. Diving so far and for so long
should, even by some scientific accounts, be impossible, but she
does it, again and again.

You could say Gautier was born a free diver. Raised on the
tropical island of La Réunion, she first practised controlling her
breathing and exploring underwater landscapes on one lungful while
spearfishing with her father in the Indian Ocean. By 18, she was
already competing worldwide, breaking new records in this extreme
and dangerous sport.

Natural talent alone doesn’t make you a free diver. The
discipline requires persistence, perseverance and precision. Divers
must overcome learnt behaviours in order to unlock their full
breathing capacity, adapting to intense physiological stresses and
mentally disengaging with primitive fears while challenging the
far-flung edges of their physical ability. It takes grit and
resilience to dive into these, literally, breathtaking
environments.

Today, Gautier is still stretching the boundaries of human
endurance, but pairs the physical feats with another talent:
capturing the otherworldly beauty of her underwater experiences on
film. Working with her partner and fellow diver Guillaume Néry, the
TAG Heuer ambassador produces striking shorts documenting their
dives in jaw-dropping locations. It’s hard enough reaching such
depths without scuba equipment, but this water baby does it while
also filming and directing. Oh, and did we mention that she
sometimes performs ethereal choreography 30m down, too?

We spoke to Julie about unlocking creativity through physical
extremes, finding freedom on the borders of possibility and how her
TAG Heuer Aquaracer is the only piece of
equipment she needs when heading into the big blue.

When did you first discover your love of free diving?

I discovered it naturally, on the beach where I grew up. I lived
on La Réunion until I was 25. I was practically born in water. The
island has shaped the person I am.

My father was an underwater hunter and he introduced me to
diving. You need to spend a lot of time in the sea to prepare your
body physically for the experience – there’s no better way to learn
than from the element itself. It’s the same with your mentality.
The water teaches you to listen and to slow down.

How did you master the specialised breathwork needed to free
dive?

It took a lot of body- and thoracic cage-stretching to succeed
at it, both of which improve your lung capacity. You have to
relearn how to breathe – how to really breathe, which isn’t
natural, unless you’re a baby or a child.

What is your favourite dive spot?

I love diving in Barracuda Lake in the Philippines,
where we shot the movie One Breath Around the World. The lake’s
water is cold on the surface, but gets warmer and warmer as you
sink deeper. There’s no life in the lake, either. It’s like you’re
on a different planet. I could spend days exploring the amazing
rock formations.

Alternatively, there’s Yonaguni-jima, the westernmost island of
Japan. It’s
a tiny fisherman’s island in the middle of the ocean. There are no
tourists, bar a few Japanese visitors. Just offshore from the
island lies Yonaguni-jima Kaitei Chikei, a mysterious underwater
rock formation. It’s totally natural, although some people believe
it’s a submerged, man-made structure dating back thousands of
years.

What has been your most exhilarating diving experience?

When I was shooting Mary Magdalene [Gautier was Rooney Mara’s
stunt double in the 2018 film, which starred Joaquim Phoenix], I
had to wear a heavy, bulky costume. They asked me to let myself
sink for as long as I could. I found myself in these clothes, in
this character, letting myself sink… and sink… and sink. It gave me
a sensation of fullness and abandon that I’ve not felt since. I
could totally let go.

What is your most essential item of kit when free diving?

My watch. Most free-diving watches are huge and awkward, but my
TAG Heuer Aquaracer is very ergonomic. Its
lightness, its small dials and its shape help me to focus on
sensations, which is important in free diving. When I do need it,
it’s right there, and it brings me back into real time. That’s a
vital part of free diving because I need to keep track of my time
underwater and have a specific time resting.

Can you tell us about one situation that has really tested your
resilience?

I think it was probably when I was diving off Cocos Island, in
the Pacific. Jurassic Park was shot there. When I was in the water,
it felt just like being in the film. The fish are huge, the
currents strong and there’s a high chance of meeting a grey reef or
hammerhead shark. You’re so far from everything that anything could
happen to you.

Any diving dreams for the future?

I would love to dive with Japanese amas [female free divers, or
“sea woman”, famous for collecting pearls and seafood] and spend
time learning and fishing with them. I feel like we have the same
kind of life philosophy. I named my latest film, AMA, after them.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career?

When I stopped competing, I had to find a new path. Even though
I didn’t want to continue on the competitive path, it was so hard
to give it up because I felt I still had untapped potential. I
wanted to go further, but I didn’t realise that I was looking for
increased creativity in my free diving, rather than deeper waters.
I had to turn the page and stop competing completely for that
realisation to materialise.

How do you find the mental strength to push yourself to your
limits?

I always try to be innovative and purposeful. I want to bring a
fresh perspective to everything I do, whether I’m in front of or
behind the camera. This translates into my everyday life, too – I
try to live in harmony with nature. I try to be self-sufficient and
remain connected to natural rhythms, decreasing my impact on the
environment.

Your job brings you face to face with marine pollution. How can
we treat our oceans better?

It’s amazing that my job is to capture people’s attention with
beautiful images of the ocean but what’s crucial is that I can lead
them towards changing their behaviour. I’m committed to helping
NGOs such as The SeaCleaners share their message. The only way for
me to do that is by doing what I do best – telling stories that
move people and nudge them towards taking positive action.

Finally, what’s in your SUITCASE?

A bikini, my TAG Heuer Aquaracer, a mask and my water bottle
are the things I always have with me. I’ve owned the bottle for
years – I’d rather die of thirst than buy a single-use plastic
one.