Free diving is a breathless sport , literally and figuratively , postulate athletes plunk to astonishing depth ( recorded in the main in meter ) on a individual breath of air . or else of using scuba power train , these spare divers rely chiefly on their ownlungsto explore the deepness of the sea .
Thedeepest free diveon criminal record was to more than 210 meter ( 689 animal foot ) below the water ’s Earth’s surface .
Mastering specific free dive techniques ( such as Constant Weight , Variable Weight and Free Immersion ) requires rigorous strong-arm and genial grooming , with the objective being to boost the devoid diver ' power to view as their breather underwater for long periods of time . They use minimal equipment like fin , mask and weight belts , create it both an extreme and a serene way to link up with the underwater world .
With free diving being such an intense mutation , it should do as no surprise that divers often contend to arrange depth records , test the capableness of the human eubstance . Here are the 7 deep dives on record , showcasing the full range of human potential .
1. 253 Meters (830 Feet): Herbert Nitsch
In 2012 , an Austrian named Herbert Nitsch made a dive in Greek waters with the goal of breaking his late major effort . He was successful in beating his own record , with a dive to253 meters(830 foot ) ; however , the dive did not go incisively as planned , and Nitsch spent seven days in acoma .
Prior to Nitsch ’s 2012 nosedive , the International Association for the Development of Apnea , or AIDA , which regularize all things relate to free-enterprise complimentary diving , had stopped sanction No Limit barren dives , due to the risks involved .
rather , Guinness World Records acknowledges Nitsch ’s 253 - meter dive as being the current all - fourth dimension world record for No Limit loose diving event , the deepest category in the mutation .
2. 214 Meters (702 Feet): Herbert Nitsch
Before Nitsch made his record - smashing free prima donna in 2012 , he was actually already the world record bearer a few times over .
On June 14 , 2007 , he lived up to his nickname — " Deepest Man on Earth " — when he made the deepest dive up to that date in the No Limit class , diving in Hellenic waters to a depth of 214 meters ( 702 feet ) .
According to AIDA , this is still theofficial phonograph record for No Limit free diving , which involves using a weighted sleigh to fall in the piss and a buoyancy gimmick to ascend back up to the surface .
3. 185 Meters (607 Feet): Herbert Nitsch
It ’s clear that in 2007 , Nitsch was ready to break reality record . On an attempt to best the previous record book for a No Limit free prima donna — once again , his own record — Nitsch descend to 185 meter ( 607 feet ) in Greek piddle .
Prior to preparation as a detached diver , Nitsch was a commercial pilot for 15 year . Once he discovered free diving , he trained in several different types of diving , not just the No Limit family . This include both deepness and distance subject area , such as Dynamic With Fins , Dynamic Without Fins , Constant Weight , Constant Weight Without Fins and Free Immersion .
4. 183 Meters (600 Feet): Herbert Nitsch
One year before he made it to 185 cadence , the Deepest Man on Earth reach 183 meters ( 600 feet ) . This time , Nitsch made his nosedive off the coast of Croatia , a res publica known for itscrystal - clear watersand full-bodied underwater biodiversity .
5. 172 Meters (564 Feet): Herbert Nitsch
In 2005 , Nitsch accomplish 172 meters ( 564 feet ) in Croatian waters while participating in No Limit costless diving event .
6. 171 Meters (561 Feet): Loïc Leferme
In 2004 , the French frogman Loïc Leferme arrive at a depth of 171 metre ( 561 infantry ) and bask a year as the world record bearer in No Limit gratuitous diving event before Nitsch became the newfangled world track record holder .
Along with other divers and close friends , Leferme was part of theearly community around AIDA , which organize in 1992 . As such , he helped to shape the organization ’s rule around its diving category , judging criterion and safety protocols .
7. 162 Meters (531.5 Feet): Loïc Leferme
In 2002 , Leferme made a No Limit free dive to a astuteness of 162 meters ( 531.5 foot ) , beating the former world record by 12 meters ( 39 animal foot ) .
Two years later , a fellow free diver interviewed Leferme about what he experienced while free diving . As report by The Guardian , the Frenchman replied , " I boil down on the equalizations , my center are close , my mask is full of water , and I find myself on the way down by the change in pressure . I am squash , crushed , but I enjoy it ; it no longer hurts me now . I hear the noise of the sled sliding down the line . It get colder and then all dark . "
In 2007 , Leferme break during a education session in the French Riviera . He was 36 years old and left behind a wife and two children .
5 Other Notable Free Divers and Deep Diving Records
Beyond No Limit free diving , athletes have dress many records in other categories .
1. Alessia Zecchini
Alessia Zecchini , an Italian professional detached loon , holds the women ’s humankind criminal record for the deepest dive in the Constant Weight With Fins ( or CWT ) category at123 meters ( 404 feet ) , a track record she set in 2023 .
2. Alexey Molchanov
Alexey Molchanov , a Russian free frogman , has set multiple world records in various free diving disciplines . His deep dive in the Variable Weight ( or VWT ) category was in 2023 , when he reached156 meters ( 512 feet).
3. Petar Klovar
In 2023 , Petar Klovar set a record in the Free Immersion ( or FIM ) bailiwick , where divers use a rope to deplumate themselves down and back up without fin . Klovar ’s deepest nosedive in this category is135 meters ( 443 feet ) .
4. Natalia Molchanova
Natalia Molchanova , a fable in the free diving community , prevail numerous world records before her tragical fade in 2015 . Her deepest dive was in 2009 , when she achieved101 meters ( 331 feet)in the Constant Weight With Fins discipline .
5. Sayuri Kinoshita
Sayuri Kinoshita , a initiate distaff free underwater diver from Japan , set a world record in 2018 in the Free Immersion discipline with a dive of 97 beat ( 318 feet ) . Her achievement bear on to inspire many free divers around the earth .
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