Freediving

Freediving is diving underwater without using a breathing apparatus.

Freedivers practice holding their breath for long periods of time, so that they can stay underwater longer. In Greek, Apnea means Without air and therefore freediving is very often called Apnea.

Freediving is similar to snorkeling, but divers need to hold their breath if they go in deep water. Therefore, the most important part of freediving is learning to breathe well. Most people can freedive since it doesn’t need a snorkel or scuba tank. However, freedivers condition their mind and body before going under water. Freedivers never go diving alone - diving buddy is a must!

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Freediving has a number of different types of dives that are recognized competitively. According to AIDA — International Association for the Development of Apnea - all dives are completed with a single breath either in open waters (sea or lake) or swimming pool. There are 8 generally recognized disciplines with regular competitions for women and men, held on national and international levels. There are also some non-official, new and exciting disciplines as well, which are not in regular competition programs, however individual world record attempts are organized. World records listed below are updated for June 2021.

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Probably the most common depth version of freediving. The diver descends on a using either bi-fins or a monofin and typically a wetsuit and a small amount of weight. The diver is not allowed to pull on any guide ropes or change the weight used.
🚺 114m (Alenka Artnik SI) 🚹 130m (Alexey Molchanov RUS)

In this discipline, the diver wears a wetsuit and a small amount of weight without the need of any type of fin. The diver uses only muscle strength to propel them downwards and back up again - touching the rope is not allowed. Generally regarded as the most difficult and pure discipline from a sporting perspective.
🚺 73m (Alessia Zecchini ITA) 🚹 102m (William Trubridge NZ)

This discipline is similar to Constant Weight No Fins in that the diver uses only a wetsuit and a small amount of weight, however, in this case, the diver can only use the guide rope for propulsion. You see divers doing this discipline both in a “head down” and “head up” position.
🚺 98m (Alessia Zecchini ITA) 🚹 125m (Alexey Molchanov RUS)

This discipline is one of the two more “extreme” versions of the sport and popularized by Luc Besson’s movie The Big Blue. Here the diver descends with the help of a heavy weight (typically in the form of a sled) to a pre-agreed depth and then ascends to the surface using their own strength including fins if they choose to.
🚺 130m (Nanja Van Den Broek NL) 🚹 150m (Walid Boudhiaf TUN)

This is the true expression of human endurance underwater. The diver descends with the help of a heavy weight then ascends using any method of choice – traditionally a lift bag but in more recent times fast counter-balance pulley systems. In this discipline, divers descend to depths deeper than some submarines can operate.
🚺 160m (Tanya Streeter USA) 🚹 214m (Herbert Nitsch AUT)

The first of the pool disciplines. Here the diver travels in a horizontal position underwater (typically in a pool), with a propulsion aid such as bi-fins or a monofin, in an effort to cover the greatest distance possible. Neck weight or belt weight is used to improve horisontal position in water.
🚺 257m (Magda Solich-Talanda POL) 🚹 300m (Mateusz Malina POL)

The diver in this discipline again tries to cover the greatest distance possible in a pool, but this time all propulsion aids/fins are prohibited, so divers just use their arms and legs to propel themselves. Similarly to DYN, neck weight or belt weight is used to improve horisontal position in water.
🚺 191m (Magda Solich-Talanda POL) 🚹 244m (Mateusz Malina POL)

This discipline requires the diver to hold their breath for as long as possible floating face down with the respiratory tracts submerged. This is the only discipline where performance is measured by duration, not distance.
🚺 9:02 min (Natalia Molchanova RUS) 🚹 11:35 min (Stefane Mifsud FRA)

This is relatively new discipline. The twist to this typical DNF freediving is that it takes place under ice in a frozen lake. The dive route leads under revision/safety/ ice holes that are cut along the whole dive track. The freediver is wearing just a regular swimm suit and some wight for horisontal balancing. For safety in this extreme discipline, the diver is secured to a guide rope all the way through and assisted under water by scubadivers in warm wetsuits.
🚺 🚹 103m (Johanna Nordblad FIN) GO GO GIRL! More about this amazing lady freediver can be found here.

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