The sun was setting on a crisp Saturday in March of 2018. The ice was slowly melting and spring was setting in. The surface ice was thin in some places, but there was also thicker ice that we were able to walk on. We cut a hole using an axe and dove down in the clear water. The shipwreck loomed underneath us and the evening sun created deep blue and purple hues in the water.
The Alice G was a wooden tug boat that ran aground during a severe storm in November of 1927. I wanted to create an image that brought the viewer to a different time and place, allowing them space to wonder what they were seeing. Exploring a piece of history in these rare conditions was an experience I won’t soon forget.
Geoff Coombs

About the shot

Biography
I was born in the suburbs of Toronto, Canada, and in the summers I escaped the city to my family cottage in the northern lakes of Muskoka, and Georgian Bay, where I first found my love for the water. I grew up playing all kinds of sports including football, hockey, and wakeboarding. But I was always drawn to the underwater world.
My journey in photography started almost five years ago on a trip to the Bahamas where I discovered the sport of freediving and spearfishing. Since then I’ve found my niche focusing on the beauty of tropical destinations and the Canadian north while freediving under ice. I’ve worked with some great clients in the past including Riffe International, Adventure Journal, Canadian Geographic, and Outside Magazine.
There is something strangely calming and fascinating about diving under ice that inspires me to push the limits of my creativity, my mind, and my body all at once. My love for the outdoors and the water fuels me to capture surreal imagery that inspires people to see the beauty in the world.