Director & Underwater Cinematographer
RICARDO NASCIMENTO
Explorer. Filmmaker. Storyteller.
I’ve captured a newborn humpback, shot blue whales in Mexico, cyclones, and spearfishing missions - armed with nothing but a camera, fins, and my breath. I’ve carried RED cameras through cliff edges, and 30 meters of saltwater silence - just to tell stories that wouldn’t exist otherwise.
I was deep into Mechanical Engineering when I broke my wrist. A clean snap. It kept me out of the water - and pushed me straight into it. I picked up a camera during recovery and never put it down again. That injury rerouted my entire life. It broke the path I was on. It turned into the spark that launched over a decade of adventure, diving, directing, and telling stories in some of the most remote and unforgiving places on Earth.
Today, I direct and shoot films in places most people will never see — far from shore, under the surface, holding my breath while a 10-ton whale spins below me to take a closer look. I shoot freediving, averaging 90–120 seconds per shot, and I’ve filmed the same orca family across three seasons to understand who they are and why they’re under threat.
I specialise in high-risk, high-reward filmmaking - from chasing the orcas being harassed by vessels in the Strait of Gibraltar to filming Red Bull F1 cars racing through the streets of Lisbon. I lead and shot projects for global brands like Red Bull, Lexus, Sony, EDP, NEOM, and Breitling - but it’s never about the logo. It’s about the emotion, the truth, the story that stays with the audience.
My work spans commercial campaigns, feature documentaries, expedition films, and conservation storytelling. Whether I’m filming cliff divers plummeting from 27 meters or a father clinging to a GPS beacon in a storm, I’m chasing meaning - in sweat, in silence.
I’ve spoken at The Explorers Club in New York, and I’m proud to be a Fellow. In 2023, I was granted government permits to film orcas in restricted waters of the Strait of Gibraltar — a rare privilege — and in 2024, I carried The Explorers Club’s Flag #232 on two international expeditions, including Myth of a Killer, my ongoing project on the misunderstood Iberian Orcas.
My camera is a tool for exploration. For advocacy. For awe. And sometimes for heartbreak.