We All Work in an Aero Submarine!

Welcome to 2011! I for one am gravely disappointed that personal hovercrafts haven’t made it into the marketplace the way I expected. But alas, I guess I’ll have to be happy with other feats like 3D tv, new all-natural Cheetoes, and… the new Aero Film Sub! (And I don’t mean as in a giant sandwich, which would be great too, actually…)

We have taken over they sky, it’s time for us to take over the sea as well. Actually, I think Klaus is secretly a superhero and he figured Aquaman was overrated he’s now taking over his territory. But… seriously. Klaus has been SCUBA diving and free diving for years and works closely with the non-profit organization, Oceana, so this vessel will take our underwater abilities to a whole new level. And it’s something few if any other production companies can do, being that there are only a few subs in existence in the world.

Officially named the AeroDive submersible, it is a brand-new, self propelled, electric vessel that can carry two occupants in a one atmosphere acrylic cabin to depths of 1500 feet of sea water. (One atmosphere refers to the pressure, and that’s very comfortable.) It’s equipped with two 1080p HD cameras.

One of the cameras is a drone on a 40ft umbilical chord with the ability to easily shoot in tight places that are otherwise inaccessible. The cabin opens as a clamshell and allows for easy entry and exit for the occupants. The sealed cabin is equipped with a full life support system where scrubbers remove the carbon dioxide, oxygen is replenished at a controlled flow while the environment is constantly monitored by various analyzers. Even the most squeamish would be completely comfortable in this vessel… But more importantly, the footage that can be captured, would make Jacques Cousteau proud.

Stay tuned for video from our first dive! 

Until then, happy 2011!

Klaus in Tahiti

Its been all work no play for awhile at the Aero Blog, so thought we’d take it easy a bit and show you Klaus’s vacation photos from Ninamu, a tiny island in Tahiti with one of the most amazing surf breaks in the world. 

Klaus is friends with the guys who run the Billabong Pro tournament at Teahupoo, and this is the island that they found and are creating the ultimate surfers paradise here. There’s only one small corner of the island that gets cell reception that’s been named “Bad News Corner.” You get the vibe of the place, I think! 

A post card from Klaus would read something like, “Hello from Tahiti! Today we rigged a gopro hd camera to the spear to capture a very unusual fishing practice on film that is performed by friend BenniB and a handful of Tahitian waterman in which they chase down Mahi Mahi until they are tired and spear them as they near the boat.” 

Hope you’re not a member of PETA, dear readers, but if ever there was “sport” in fishing, it would be if you did it with a spear! 

And in their freetime they went kite surfing and swam with some whales. Yeeaaah. Last vacation I went on was to Sandals in Jamaica. There were no sharks, and that was a selling point. I didn’t need a spear at any time… Nor do I know where I’d find one other than when I discover metallurgy in Civilization. Alas, this is why I produce and blog and Klaus is the filmmaker!

On a work note, Klaus has actually shot quite a few commercials in this area of Tahiti and has perfected his free-diving and underwater shooting techniques here. (Click here to read the blog that explains this in detail.)  He’s got an amazing local crew that are extremely loyal to him. Check out the Oceana PSA (Tahiti was on of the many locals) and the BMW Surfer spot—which was his first time to the area. 

I will continue to hope that in my next life I come back as Klaus Obermeyer... and not as a tired fish.  But until then, back to work.  Happy weekend!

Klaus & Oceana: A Love Story

It's a gross understatement to say that Aero director, Klaus Obermeyer, has always been a nature lover. Klaus grew up in Aspen, Colorado, where skiing and snowboarding were considered a way of life.  (I wasn't this lucky.  I grew up in Pennsylvania where not running over Amish buggies was considered the state pastime. But I digress...)  When Klaus started directing he moved to Malibu, California, and like a true character in an 80's film, he learned to surf, kite surf, wind surf, dive, etc.  It was then that Klaus fell in love with the ocean and all its natural inhabitants.  (Emphasis on "natural."  Ahem...)


Klaus wanted to combine directing with his love for the ocean.  He can now free dive for 2 minutes, which means diving without air tanks.  WITHOUT.  AIR.  TANKS.  (I get heart palpitations just typing those words!)  By holding his breath for 2 minutes at a time and not having air tanks on his back to create bubbles and noise, he's able to swim up right next to the creatures he's shooting without scaring them and therefore, his footage is quite amazing, unlike what a normal diving film crew would end up shooting.


It was a natural step for Klaus to get involved with Oceana. He has shot his first PSA for them all around the world in Tahiti, CA, Mexico, and the Caribbean.  He works for Oceana in tandem with Pete Zuccarini who is another underwater Director of Photography specialist. 


His newest venture with Oceana is a PSA campaign with Adrian Grenier from HBO's show, Entourage,who is also GQ's Gentlemen's Fund Ambassador for Oceana.  The PSA promotes awareness regarding the problem of over-fishing blue fin tuna, which you can watch here.  

This PSA was shot in Mexico and make sure to check out the behind the scenes footage shot by GQ and Nautica and the article in GQ itself!  And last, but definitely not least, World Oceans Day was this past Tuesday, June 8th, and La Mer also used Klaus’s footage for their own web video promoting the event.


Phew!  Klaus is a busy boy.  I hope you take the time to watch his work as it's truly his passion and not just his job.