“Water is my element,” says the 33-year-old French freediving World Champion in The Scent of Life, a film series by Armani Acqua Di Giò that celebrates man’s connection to water.

The Italian wakeboarding champion has been practicing his sport since childhood, and now at 23 years old, his board is no less than an extension of his body.

On the edge, time can stand still. Poised high above the surface of the water, David Boudia centres his body, clears his mind, and pictures himself tumbling down through the air, repeating the precise choreography he’s practiced countless times. Then, he jumps.