The William Trubridge Hectometer Freedive Video

He's done it again.

You may remember back in April of last year William Trubridge set a "no fins" freedive world record at 92 meters.

On December 13, 2010, Trubridge set another world record when he became the first human to dive entirely unassisted to 100 meters -- one hectometer -- on a single breath of air using only his hands and feet for propulsion.

Below is the official -- not to mention stunning -- video released by Trubridge, directed by Matthew Brown with musical score by world-renowned German composer and producer, Hans Zimmer.


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The names listed during the descent were the supporters who each purchased a meter of the 100m rope.

For more information on William Trubridge, freediving and courses, visit verticalblue.net

The dive was done to raise awareness of the plight of the Hector's Dolphin. There are now only 100 remaining North Island (Maui) Hector's Dolphins - one of the smallest and most beautiful species of dolphin in the world. Hector's Dolphins are found only in New Zealand, and only in shallow coastal waters, less than 100 meters deep, putting them at the mercy of gill-net fishing that takes place in those waters. Their population has been reduced by 75% in the last 30 years, and the Maui Dolphin subspecies is teetering on the verge of extinction.

For more information visit whaledolphintrust.org.nz/​

Congrats on the dive, William, and good luck on whichever superhuman feats you have planned this year!

Freediver Carlos Coste Sets New World Record, Swims 150m Through Underwater Cave

That's almost 500 feet -- a stunning feat. Or should we say... breathtaking.

Carlos Coste has created a new Guinness world record for freediving, after swimming 150 metres through a cave using no apparatus.

The Venezuelan was armed with only a torch and a monofin - a single giant flipper worn on both feet - when he made the death-defying dive on Wednesday.

The 34-year-old soared through a passage inside Dos Ojos, a colossal cave network that twists for 31 miles under Yucatan, Mexico.

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Natalie Portman: I like scuba diving, but I wouldn't free dive

The actress considers scuba a part of her preferred "extreme experiences".

Natalie Portman likes "extreme experiences" and her favourite hobby is "scuba-diving".

The actress - who plays sexually repressed ballerina Nina in new movie 'Black Swan' - enjoys activities that get her pulse racing but admits there are plenty of things she is too scared to do.

She told Empire magazine: "I have fears, I'm afraid of a lot. I am not a danger seeker but I do like extreme experiences. But not ones that I feel would threaten my life. I like scuba-diving, for example, but I wouldn't free-dive."

Natalie takes her adrenalin addiction into her working life and she tries to take on roles which frighten and push her creatively.

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Base Jumping Dean's Blue Hole

This stunning video of world champion freediver Guillaume Nery (filmed on breath hold by Julie Gautier) has been rapidly making its way around online dive circles recently, and with good reason.


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William Trubridge Sets New ''No Fins'' Freediving World Record

We actually received an email from the Trubridge camp (below) the day he broke this record, but wanted to wait for the news story so we could post both here.

Kiwi freediver William Trubridge has set yet another world record by plunging 92 metres underwater.

Trubridge, 29, set the record about 5am New Zealand time in the "no fins" category of the Vertical Blue 2010 event in the Bahamas.

He held his breath for three minutes and 45 seconds in the record plunge - collecting a tag from a plate 92 metres deep to prove he had set the record.

Before the dive, Trubridge told The Dominion Post the "no fins" event was the "purest discipline" in freediving, which required a lot of strength.

"It's a very physical discipline, because you can only use your hands and feet."

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Here's the email we received on April 19:

Today at 11:50am in Dean's Blue Hole, Long Island, Bahamas New Zealander William Trubridge became the first man to pass the barrier of 300 feet (92 meters) freediving completely unassisted - a discipline called "constant weight no fins."

Swimming a form of adapted breaststroke he descended next to a vertical line, collecting a tag from the bottom plate as proof of depth, before returning to the surface with only his hands and feet for propulsion, in a total time of three minutes and forty five seconds.

Constant Weight No Fins is the purest measure of human aquatic potential, and athletically the most demanding of the freediving disciplines.

The dive took place during the Vertical Blue Suunto Dive-Off competition which runs from April 17-27 and sees the best freedivers in the world compete to extend the limits in this extreme sporting discipline. Dean's Blue Hole is the deepest blue hole in the world, at 203 meters (660 feet).

The greatest danger for Trubridge during the dive was the risk of running out of oxygen and blacking out underwater. Safety divers were on hand to assist him in the case of emergency, and a counterweight system could be deployed to bring him back to the surface if it happened very deep. His newly wed wife, Brittany, waited on the surface during the dive, counting out the seconds until he returned to breath again.

Trubridge uses a silicon coated wetsuit specifically designed by Orca, as well as swimming goggles that have been adapted with corrective lenses mounted on the inside so that they can be filled with water and enable vision underwater. The record depth was officially verified by a Suunto D4 depth gauge that Trubridge wore on his wrist, as well as underwater cameras that were viewed by judges from AIDA - the official organization for freediving record homologation.

Brittany and William Trubridge spend seven months of the year training in the Bahamas, and the rest of the time traveling through Europe teaching freediving and yoga courses. They were the hosts of the recent AIDA World Championships, where William won gold and bronze in the two disciplines with and without fins.

For photos from the world record, or for information on obtaining access to video footage of the freedive (via FTP server) please reply to this address, or write directly:

Photos: DeeDee Flores - deedeeflores01@aol.com
Video: Oceanic All Stars - duncan.brake@oceanicallstars.com
Official website: http://www.verticalblue.net/news
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/verticalblue

Congrats, William!

Swiss Freediver Holds Breath Underwater for... 19 Minutes and 21 Seconds!

It's been aptly labeled extreme breath-holding. Emphasis on the extreme.

Folks, do not attempt this craziness at home.

A Swiss freediver held his breath underwater for 19 minutes and 21 seconds, according to news reports this week. The gasp-inducing feat beat the previous world record by 19 seconds, and blew away the record of 17 minutes and four seconds that magician David Blaine set on Oprah Winfrey's talk show in 2008.

For most ordinary humans, all that breath-holding can be hard to fathom. The feat might also bring up some basic questions about biology. For example: Is it really possible to survive without inhaling for that long? And is it healthy?

"It is, as a matter of fact, possible -- with certain tricks," explained Claes Lundgren, a physiologist at the University of Buffalo School of Medicine in New York.

It is probably not, however, good for you, and consequences can be deadly.

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Jana Strain sets new Pan American Women’s Freediving Record

We love Jana Strain, the hard-charging female free diver who puts all else to shame.

Jana Strain, a Canadian Freediver and resident of Santa Monica, CA, set a new Pan American Women’s Freediving Record with a swim of 181 meters (594 feet) on a single breath, in two minutes and twenty seconds at the Aarhus Swim Stadium. Jana broke her existing Record of 171 meters (561 feet) set in October of 2008. Jana Strain is the 5th woman in the world to swim over 175M.

Jana stated, “I was happy to do a clean performance. I felt strong and I’m excited to compete again tomorrow in the finals. I was the first woman to swim today and I was surprised that I made the longest performance of the day.”

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Beluga Whale Saves Drowning Diver

This story has certainly made a splash in the underwater community, with good reason.

A beluga whale saved a drowning diver by hoisting her to the surface, carrying her leg in its mouth.

Terrified Yang Yun thought she was going to die when her legs were paralysed by crippling cramps in arctic temperatures.

She had been taking part in a free diving contest WITHOUT any breathing equipment.

Competitors had to sink to the bottom of an aquarium's 20ft arctic pool and stay there for as long as possible amid the beluga whales at Polar Land in Harbin, north east China.

But when Yun, 26, tried to head to the surface she struggled to move her legs.

Lucky Yun said: "I began to choke and sank even lower and I thought that was it for me - I was dead. Until I felt this incredible force under me driving me to the surface."

Beluga whale Mila had spotted her difficulties and using her sensitive dolphin-like nose guided Yun safely to the surface.

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A heart-warming story, to be sure. But surprising? Our friend David Ulloa had an interesting question for readers when he posted the story via Facebook:

This story is incredible - yes, but is it that remarkable to find that animals are intelligent, perceptive and look for opportunities to help others?

Tanya Streeter Free Dives with Reef Sharks

World freediving champion Tanya Streeter is apparently afraid of sharks. In this beautiful footage from the BBC show 'Shark Therapy', Streeter dives with reef sharks in an attempt to overcome her fear.


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Freediving Sink Faze '06 Scooter Ballet

Sweet video!


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William Trubridge's Unassisted Free Diving Record

This beautiful video was sent to us by Mr. Trubridge himself.

One breath?

288 feet?

No fins?

You better believe it...


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For more videos, be sure to check out William Trubridge's YouTube page.

Snorkeler Hitches Rides on Great White Sharks

Oh my...


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Hat tip: Greg Amptman

Rob King Captures Fourth US National Freediving Depth Record

Wow. Just, wow.

Rob King has done it yet again. He has set a fourth US national freediving depth record in the discipline of Variable Weight (VWT) to a depth of 85 meters (278 feet) on April 9, 2009, at Dean’s Blue Hole on Long Island in the Bahamas. Rob’s record occurred outside of competition at Vertical Blue as this discipline is not allowed during competitions. This discipline challenges the freediver to use weight or a sled to reach depth and then self power back to the surface. This performance surpasses the previous record of 65 meters set by Deron Verbeck in June of 2007.

Two AIDA International judges from the United States judged Rob’s performance. Grant Graves , USAA president, and Linden Wolbert, AIDA Judges, validated the performance as following all AIDA and USAA rules and regulations for a record performance.

Rob made the round trip in two minutes and twenty-eight seconds. Rob used the competition bottom plate to ride to depth as it was dropped from the surface to depth. Upon reaching depth, Rob hand pulled on the line to return to the surface. He provided a quick and easy surface protocol, where he proclaimed; “I like it this way, so much easier than swimming.”

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Remorseful Spear Fisherman Kills 12-foot Tiger Shark

Last June, spear fisherman Craig Clasen engaged in a two-hour, life-and-death struggle with a 12-foot tiger shark. In the end, Clasen was victorious -- but certainly not proud.

Quoting Clasen: "This was one of the most remorseful moments I have ever had in all of my years in hunting and fishing."

The battle took place off the coast of New Orleans where Clasen, filmmaker Ryan McInnis and two friends were hunting tuna.

"I positioned myself between Ryan and the shark and I tried to watch it for a second, hoping it would pass," said Clasen, 32, who was wearing a snorkel. "The shark made a roll and looked like it was going to charge us.

"Down in my core I really felt the shark was there to feed. I didn't want it to come to that."

During the underwater struggle, Clasen speared the shark seven times and even attempted to drown it before finishing it off with a long-blade knife. It wasn't clear how often Clasen had to resurface to breathe. "Once I shot it in the gills I felt a moral obligation to finish the job," he said. "In the end we put a knife in its skull."

Unfortunate as the incident was, some amazing photos have been released.

Deadly Catch: 8th Abalone Diver Found Dead off California's North Coast

And that's just this year.

At least 15 abalone hunters have died off Sonoma and Mendocino counties in the last 19 months, authorities say.

"Abalone diving is very hazardous," said Sonoma County Sheriff's Sgt. Glenn Lawrence. "My understanding is [Su] was an experienced diver, but there were 12-foot swells. Even an experienced diver can get in trouble."

The body was found in about 20 feet of water with an abalone diver's weight belt still attached. There was no indication that the diver was caught in thick kelp, which has led to the drowning of other divers this year.

"He went down and never resurfaced," Lawrence said.

An autopsy will be conducted.

Abalone season draws about 40,000 free divers to the North Coast each year. The sport is riskier than it appears, and authorities say some divers do not appreciate the hazards. The use of scuba tanks is banned to protect the badly depleted species.

Abalone divers have been killed by being swept into rocks by unexpectedly strong waves, becoming entangled in thick kelp, or suffering heart attacks in the cold water. One was killed by a great white shark.

Meet Wolfgang Leander: 50-Year Shark Diver

From This Is London:

The shadowy flippered figure gliding through the water with more than 30 tiger sharks off the coast of South Africa is 67-year-old Wolfgang Leander.

Swimming with sharks is his hobby.

It has led to surprisingly few mishaps, though nonetheless there's something unnerving about the way this steely-eyed pensioner describes a potentially fatal encounter he had with a hungry Caribbean Reef Shark that was drawn to him by the scent of the fish he had just speared.

But mentally? Nothing has changed.

"Wisdom doesn't come automatically with age," he says.

Leander - son of a German-Jewish airman who fled Berlin in 1936 to escape the Nazis and ended up in South America - has been pursuing his perilous hobby since he was 14.

His fascination with the creatures - "Nothing is more aesthetic than their hydro-dynamic shape and grace.

"They remind me of the architecture of the most advanced aeroplanes," he says - began when he was six and read a book about diving and underwater monsters. And that fascination has never abated.

To get as close to sharks as possible, the former banker free-dives, relying on lung-power rather than oxygen tanks to breathe.

"It makes you feel you're not an intruder. And it's more sporting," he says.

To protect him, he has nothing more than a wetsuit, a pair of flippers, a camera and a pole spear that he uses to fend off those that get a little too close.

"I churn the water to get the sharks a little excited," he says,

"enough to make them approach me curiously or even boldly. It's like being on the edge. Some people think I am crazy and they are probably right."