French duo return home after spectacular Arctic freedives

A pair of divers have returned home to France after spending 10 days conducting frigid freedives off the coast of Qikiqtarjuaq, Nunavut.

• French duo bring frigid freediving to Qikiqtarjuaq, Nunavut

Laurent Marie andCedricBatteurvisited the hamlet as part of L'Ame Bleue, an organization that uses the sport of freediving deep diving without any artificial breathing apparatus to teach people about the marine environment.

During the trip, Marie was able to freedive in the frigid waters off Baffin Island temperatures hovered around two degrees Celsius during the divesfor over two minutes.

L'Ame Bleuealso dove with a localfishermanwho harvests clams beneath the ice, and collected Arctic plankton samples for a French university.

Marie and Batteuralso used their time inQikiqtarjuaq their second trip to the hamletto outfit some of thehamlet's youth to attempt their own dives, if only for a few seconds.

"I hope that they continue diving," said Marie."We've offered them dry suits and we hope that they are future divers. I hope they keep their confidence, their determination, in the future and the rest of their lives."