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Story Behind the Shot: Swan Dive, Monaco

Monaco Student Work
by Tommy Lane Oct 1, 2014

Years ago we were just kids with a dream of life on a boat, but we all, in our own ways, launched ourselves toward that dream with open arms. Now, it’s our reality.

I’d started working as a deckhand back in 2012. My friends Dan and Reece had also followed their passions for life at sea. Dan left Australia first, eventually becoming our deck boss after seven years’ experience on the ocean. Reece is a boat builder by trade, and has been working on board yachts for about four years. Between the three of us, there was enough skill to buy and sail a ship of our own, so that’s exactly what we did.

behind the shot swan dive

We were anchored outside Monaco, having just finished prepping our boat, Solitude is Bliss, for a journey across the Mediterranean. While varnishing the capping rails, we talked about what we wanted to do that afternoon — beers and a swim topped the list.

We moored up and opened what we like to call the “diving board.” I had watched Reece perform his signature swan dive on many previous occasions and had always wanted to capture that moment, and this was my chance to do it. This picture makes me realize how far my mates and I have have come, and how much more lies on the horizon — if we’re willing to leap for it.

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