Paul Willetts and Sven Wilms were the Blue Eye FX Productions team on location to document the Only One Apnea Centre’s kickoff event to the freediving season. The event, known as Blue Week, is a collaboration between Italian-based Apnea Academy’s freediving legend Umberto Pelizzari and the Only One Apnea Centre in Sharm el Shiekh.

Blue Week was attracted an international crowd of more than 40 freediving students – some travelling from as far away as the US – all intent on improving their performance by training with ‘the legend’!

From 11 to 15 May, Umberto put his students through their paces! The Blue Week course opened with an early morning session to check student’s Constant Weight techniques. Participants were then divided into groups focussing on the various apnea disciplines. Training in these disciplines took place for several hours each morning. Following the ocean gatherings, it was time for a dip in the swimming pool with static breath-hold sessions. Afternoon classes consisted of the theory of breathing techniques, stretching and diaphragm control. Then it was back into the Red Sea for some more training on the lines!

Some students also took the opportunity to try the Variable discipline, which is diving with a weighted sled and returning to the surface via a lift bag.

The footage shot by the Blue Eye FX team proved an invaluable resource – both as a training tool for Umberto and as a guide for the students themselves.