ROCK BOTTOM AT WAIKAREMOANA 1950 (200,354)

New Zealand's National Film Unit presents "Rock Bottom At Waikaremoana" (1950).
With a full sized movie camera fitted in his special diving helmet a National Film Unit cameraman goes down to the bottom of the lake and shoots unique underwater film of divers at work sealing leaks in the lake bed.
This film demonstrates the National Film Unit’s often innovative responses to challenges. Divers for the Works Department were deployed to seal crevices on the lake bed. To capture this underwater activity the Unit incorporated a moving camera within a diving helmet - believed to be the first used anywhere in the world.
The cameraperson was able to make adjustments via controls on the side of the helmet and the footage was captured at depths between 15 and 60ft. A little bit of kiwi ingenuity worth celebrating.
DV file of Beta SP telecine of 35mm film.