For two years now, Daniel has been responsible for the digital prototyping of the AMG derivatives. For our AMG Speedletter, the passionate diver takes us along with him under the deep blue sea.
What got you interested in diving?
Sharks! As a young child, I was fascinated by sharks. Sure, at first that fascination was connected with fear – especially because the media almost never shows the real animal. But then as I became more involved with the animals, I learned that they’re present no danger and ever since I’ve been fascinated by these impressive creatures. Then I started diving in 2010. After graduating from high school, I chose not to study marine biology but rather automotive engineering. Meanwhile, however, I’m also minoring in bionics. This year I'm starting on my thesis and I'll also be able to write my doctoral dissertation at the zoological institute. Bionics involves understanding methods and functions from nature and applying them to technology. For me, it’s really great to be able to combine these two passions like this.
You practice not only scuba diving (with equipment), but also freediving (without breathing apparatus). Why?
My intention was to get as close as possible to the animals. When you approach them without equipment or air bubbles, they react totally differently than with equipment-assisted diving – the interaction is generally more direct and more intense. Deep diving is also comparable to a sense of weightlessness: you dive till you have no more buoyancy. That point varies according to the conditions and the equipment. I normally control my buoyancy for around 8 to 10 meters. From that point on, you go into free fall and get faster and faster. That takes me down to about 30 meters.
Where to you go diving to experience sharks?
My absolute favorite place to dive is off a tiny island in the Bahamas – actually, the entire island consists of just one village. The still water there is full of curious sharks. In general, there are some very beautiful places where you can meet sharks. Meanwhile, however, the shark population has declined significantly, primarily due to human impact. The great white shark, for example, is classed as vulnerable to extinction.
What has been the greatest highlight of your freediving experience so far?
Last year I went diving in South Africa to see the Sardine Run near Port St. John. Actually, we went out with our boat to watch the schools of sardines. We were met instead by a humpback whale with her calf. We dove in immediately and got a sense of how the mother reacted. The calf was extremely interested and started to play with us. It all continued like that for several wonderful minutes more.