It is a great honour for us to open the festival with something truly extraordinary, something so new and important to all of us. Members of Cave Diving Club Vrelo will share a lot more details with us, about the expedition during which a world record was set: reaching the deepest underwater cave ever explored by men — Vrelo Cave, at Matka, here in our beloved Macedonia.

“How deep is your love?” was the motto of the international expedition, as Goce Dimitrievski told us. Alongside Macedonians, the team included Polish and Italian divers. And believe us, this was an exceptionally complex project, that required a truly profound love of what they do to achieve the deepest cave dive in the world!

By now, we probably all know the basics: the expedition took place from 10 to 17 October, reaching a depth of 338 metres below the surface. New passages were discovered, significantly increasing the complexity of the entire underwater cave system. For the first time, a Macedonian team independently designed, transported, secured on site and installed an underwater habitat — a pressurised chamber. More than 30 cylinders were placed at around ten locations to ensure safe completion of the dive and decompression. Backup batteries for heating and lighting were also prepared, along with a safety-diver team, first-aid teams, a hyperbaric chamber, and readiness for a response by a helicopter team and the special units of the Ministry of the Interior...

An exceptionally serious expedition with an extraordinary result — and a wealth of photo and video material still to be reviewed, along with emotions that will take time to settle.

All of this, still so fresh, will be presented to us on Monday, 26 October, at 7 p.m. at Frosina Cinema.

Come and let us all enjoy in the experiences of these exceptionally passionate people and celebrate their achievement!