A Drop In The Ocean

Bluesky

A pale, slender line runs through the darkness. Human figures, their lower limbs extended by long flippers, undulate around it. For a little while, it is unclear which way is up and which is down. When we crash against the bright surface, it is with the physical sensation that we have been in a different world.

This is the world of competitive free diving. Hua-yang and Afa, two of the best divers in the world, train in swimming pools in their native Taiwan, but in the ocean everything is different. Now they are training for the Blue Hole Vertical Depth Competition, one of the most prestigious events on the circuit. They are perceived as rivals, and there are moments of jealousy, but for the most part they get along well. Down there in the dark, one can focus only on oneself, and each of them experiences the journey very differently.

Hua-yang’s makes for the most conventional documentary material. He has dedicated his whole life to this. We see a little of his domestic existence, his deep love for a ginger cat named Kaka, who seems to be his anchor to the surface world. Most of the time we spend with him in the water, where he is attempting to break his own depth record. There is fond laughter over remembered incidents of severe barotrauma. Drowning is not the only way tis can go wrong, even with highly trained support teams watching closely at all times. There is a danger that Hua-yang will push himself too far.

Afa has already done that – not in the water, but in his previous career as a ballet dancer. It was all he ever wanted to be, and he trained for years. One can still hear the heartbreak in his voice when he talks about what went wrong. It was only in the aftermath that he discovered diving. With incredible depth control, he performs underwater dances which are fascinating to watch. He dreams of being a mermaid, dressing as one for Pride. When he gets the chance to participate in the 2023 China Mermaid Open Championship, a different type of diving competition, the darkness we have become used to gives way to spectacular colours.

Screened as part of Queer East 2026, A Drop In The Ocean is one of those meandering documentaries defined as much by tone as subject. Though it does take in more of the freediving world, introducing us briefly to the female Asian champion, it doesn’t feel like something shaped around a particular objective, but is content to go with the flow. its pacing is a little erratic and some sections are stronger than others, but director Holo Wang has a real sense of spectacle, and when he concentrates on the visual he creates something truly unforgettable.

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