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A firefighter in Brest, in Finistère, Laurent Marie has a very unique passion when he goes on vacation in the Arctic: swimming in icy waters. A team from France Télévisions followed him during one of his explorations.
That morning, the weather was gloomy in Brest (Finistère). The storm is rising. For Laurent, a freediving enthusiast, the weather is ideal. In his free time, he goes to train regularly, in extreme conditions. Before each dive, he takes long breaths to slow down his pulsations. Then, on the descent, he has to fight against the urge to catch his breath. It can last up to 240 seconds underwater, without oxygen. “We don’t know what’s going on below, two or three minutes seems very, very long”, blows his father, to the surface.
In recent years, he has been diving several times in the heart of icebergs, in the icy waters of the Arctic. “The goal is to walk under the ice, like an astronaut could”, comments the extreme diver. Today, Laurent Marie wants to pass on his passion. It introduces the polar universe to schools, and raises awareness of global warming. “Allow children to discover the world so that they can, in the near future, protect it”, hopes the explorer.