Francisco Del Rosario Takes Bamford Watch Department's Heritage MilSub to New Depths

Known for his amazing free diving videos on YouTube, Francisco Del Rosario — who lives on the remote island of El Hierro in the Canary Islands — is the subject of a gorgeous new short film from directors Jack Pirie and Alex Hylands-White. Created in conjunction with Bamford Watch Department and showcasing Bamford’s Heritage MilSub, The Superman — which was recently highlighted by National Geographic — follows Del Rosario as he “escapes to another world underwater where his impossible dreams become reality.” Said the directors of the piece:

When we first came across ocean-lover Francisco on YouTube, we immediately knew we had to try and make a film about him. Both a marine biologist and a diver, watching him move underwater was like watching a dolphin – beautiful, otherworldly and pretty magical. We wanted to make a film that would show freediving not just as a sport, but as a way to make the impossible, possible, merging dreams and reality. As big sci-fi fans this felt like a natural story element. Who doesn’t dream of flight?

We filmed for five days in the Canary Islands on a shoestring budget, with a team of just three, and it wasn’t without incident. First a dislocated shoulder that happened while diving, then our main camera broke when the underwater casing flooded the camera with water… Given the remote location another one had to be delivered by plane the next morning – the only replacement camera within 500 miles, so we got pretty lucky…

BWD founder George Bamford himself adds:

He conveys notions of freedom and following your own journey and passion. Francisco’s energy and approach to life struck a chord with me. As you know, I believe in not following the herd and living your passions and it was this same passion that started Bamford Watch Department.

You can check out the stunning The Superman above in its entirety.