Swimming Through Air
Lesley Gamble
A joyful, humorous and deeply affectionate underwater tour through some of the splendid flora and fauna of Florida’s marvelous springs.
Commissioned by the Gainesville Orchestra, this video underscores the mission of the Springs Eternal Project: To inspire Floridans to value, conserve and restore our precious waters.
See it live in the Discovery Room at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville, Florida.
Swimming Through Air (12 min. 48 sec.)
Underwater footage from a freshwater spring shows a manatee, fish, turtles, and aquatic plants moving slowly through clear blue and green water. The scenes shift from close-up wildlife to wide views of grasses and schools of fish, all accompanied by orchestral music. The video ends with a dedication and the title Swimming Through Air.
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The video presents underwater footage from a freshwater spring, accompanied by orchestral music that begins with soft strings and wind instruments.
A manatee appears in close-up, swimming slowly past the camera. Its rounded face, flippers, and textured skin are visible as it glides through green-blue water.
The scene shifts to a fish swimming among rocks covered in algae. Small aquatic plants appear next, with tiny fish moving among their leaves. A close-up shows submerged branches, followed by green, grass-like plants with small snails attached to the leaves.
A fish moves through open blue water. The surface of the spring appears above, with light ripples moving across it.
A turtle swims near rock formations, followed by several turtles seen from below as they rise toward the surface and lift their heads for air.
Reddish aquatic leaves fill the frame. A school of fish swims above a grassy bottom and a fallen log. Bush-like red plants and long green grasses sway in the current.
Leaves float at the water’s surface. More turtles move through dense green vegetation. A large school of fish gathers and swims in a circular formation.
A turtle moves quickly into seagrass. Tall grasses sway rhythmically in the current, resembling wind moving through grass on land.
Fish continue to swim through mixed vegetation along the bottom. More turtles pass close to the camera.
The video ends with a view of the water’s surface, where light ripples above rocks below.
Text appears on screen reading, “for Maddie and Wes.”
Additional text appears with names including “Mousie Steele, John Stich, and Layne Redmond.”
The title “Swimming Through Air” appears, followed by additional credits.