Take My Breath Away

Panerai takes the concept of luxury experiences to new heights – or rather, depths – with a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Bora Bora for owners of a very special limited-edition watch to experience the ocean alongside freediving champion Guillaume Néry. Grace Tay dives in

- Grace Tay

The sun pierces through the deep cerulean waters of this popular shark safari spot somewhere in the South Pacific Ocean, beyond the reef. All around are dozens of grim-faced, beady-eyed reef sharks and large schools of variants of trigger, butterfly, and angelfish, casually going about their day. They’re well used to curious two-legged land creatures dropping in on a daily basis, faces distorted into snorkel gear and ogling their world.

But today’s group isn’t just any bunch of pale-skinned tourists checking off a bucket-list must-do (“swim with sharks”) in exotic Bora Bora. These 30 or so bodies hovering near the surface, clad in shortie wetsuits emblazoned with “Panerai”, are a multinational group of watch collectors, Panerai staff, journalists and influencers that have been brought together by the brand historically linked with the sea.

And the intrepid leader of this group is somewhere near the ocean floor, tens of meters below. World freediving champion and Panerai ambassador Guillaume Néry swims alongside lemon sharks which lurk closer to the seabed; wafts nonchalantly on his back, blowing up air bubble rings; and speeds through the depths with dolphin kicks, his long fins flexing behind him like a guppy’s tail. And underwater he stays for minutes at a time, without any scuba gear, on a single breath.

The sharks and other sea creatures might recognize this merman since he and his young family have made the neighbouring island of Moorea home last August, but it’s the first time in French Polynesia for all the rest of us – and our first encounter with Néry in his element.

THE X FACTOR