‘Under’, Martina Amati. © Martina Amati Free divers swim to extreme depths underwater (the current record is 214m) without any breathing apparatus. Champions can hold their breath for extraordinary amounts of time – the record for women is nine minutes, and men 11. I’m a doctor with a special interest in extreme environments, so was intrigued …
When Ms Hanli Prinsloo started diving 18 years ago, she was not interested in competitions, yet she went on to smash 11 national recordsin her home country of South Africa. It was the experience of being underwater that got her hooked. In 2012, the free-diver stopped competing to focus on teaching her craft to the …
Free diver Hanli Prinsloo holds her breath for several minutes at a time as she plunges into the deep blue sea. It may sound terrifying, but what distresses her more is the way Hong Kong consumes seafood. The South African visited Hong Kong to display ocean photos in “The Last Wilderness” exhibition. “I meet so …
Freediving can be a dangerous sport – descending to extreme depths and holding your breath until you resurface. Yet, according to Egypt’s record-breaking freediver Raghda Ezzeldin, as soon as you go underwater, “you forget about everything”. Raghda and Aliaa Hassan, who in 2014 became the first Arab woman to compete and break records, explain why …
Scientists have uncovered the secrets of the Bajau people, long-famed for their ability to hold their breath for extraordinary lengths of time The secret behind the ability of a group of “sea nomads” in Southeast Asia to hold their breath for extraordinary periods of time while freediving to hunt fish has finally been revealed – …
Conquering your fear when attempting to surf huge waves can be a challenge. In the upcoming October issue of the Red Bulletin, world team surfing champion Justine Dupont credits freediving for her ability to face down the biggest waves without fear. Training twice a week, Dupont can now regularly knock off 60-foot/18-meter-deep dives and spend …
Cruisers in Tonga discover freediving and are immediately hooked on the simple elegance of a healthy pastime. I’m floating in the electric-blue water of Tonga’s Vava‘u group. My goal is relaxation. It shouldn’t be that hard here, 50 meters from the white shores of a tiny tropical paradise. Then again, I’m not floating on the …
How the high-risk, high-reward extreme sport helps conquer your fear of the deep through meditation. The Guinness World Record for holding one’s breath underwater is 24 minutes and 3 seconds. Most humans, however, can barely make it a minute and a half. For a diver, the degree of difficulty increases exponentially. Lungs shrink to half …
“Learning to freedive takes any limitations we may feel about ourselves and blows them out of the water.” When you go away for a tropical getaway, there’s no end to the list of ways that you can fit in fun physical activity. You’ve got beach volleyball, snorkeling, kayaking…the list goes on. At one point or …
