Freediving is not for the faint of heart. It involves diving down to unimaginable depths with just one breath of air, but getting back to the surface on that one breath of air is just as important as the descent, if not more so.
Freediver, Nicholas Mevoli, was a relative newcomer to the sport of freediving in 2012, training relentlessly at holding his breath so he could compete on the world stage. His ultimate goal was to break world records, to be known as the best.
His first few international competitions were plagued with injuries, sinus problems, a ruptured eardrum, and even a serious blackout on a free immersion attempt. These setbacks only seemed to fuel his ambition even further.
Not long afterward, his single-minded vision propelled him into the record books, becoming the first American to dive down to 100 meters in May of 2013 with just the use of a monofin. His perseverance had finally paid off, but he wanted more, his sights set on another record, this time completely unassisted.
The opportunity presented itself a few months later, on November 17. The World Record attempt was for a 72-meter CNF(Constant weight without fins)free dive at the Vertical Blue competition. This discipline in freediving is one of the most challenging, the diver being only able to use the guide rope to center himself before the descent, and then allowed only one pull on the rope to start the ascent.
The location for the dive was at a site called Dean’s Blue Hole in the Bahamas, known as the deepest limestone pit in the world at 200 meters. To achieve his goal, Mevoli was going to have to hold his breath for over 3 minutes while strenuously swimming deeper underwater, then back to the surface under his own steam before he ran out of air.
The dive was going to be a challenge to complete uninterrupted in one breath, but Mevoli was confident, had trained single-mindedly for months, and there was not a shred of doubt in his mind that he was about to break another record.
In the water, he went through his breathing routine to control his body’s responses to the upcoming challenge, then down he went. His dive was being monitored by sonar from the surface, was progressing well when, at 68 meters, he appeared to those watching closely from the surface to abort the dive. It was a surprise to all to see that he was about to cancel the attempt when he was so close. Something must be wrong that they couldn’t see.
And then, incredibly, after what seemed like a long suspended pause, he changed his mind, pushing on to reach his 72-meter goal, much to the astonishment of the onlookers above.
In total, his dive lasted 3 minutes and 38 seconds, and all the support staff were relieved when he broke the surface, signaling that he was ok. His wide, blank eyes were the first indication that all was not well. Losing consciousness, he tipped backward and had to be hauled onto the platform by the safety divers.
Barbara Jeschke, the event physician, leaped into action, turning him on to his side. Blood poured from his mouth, his pulse fluttered from weak to strong, then stopped completely. Along with the safety divers, she tried cardiopulmonary resuscitation, shots of adrenaline, anything she could think of for the next 90 minutes to try to restart his heart.
As soon as the ambulance arrived, he was transported to the nearest hospital. They continued CPR there but he was pronounced dead at 1.44 pm, with over 800 cubic centimeters of seawater removed from his lungs.
Nobody knows why Mevoli hesitated at the depth of 68 meters on his final dive, but they all knew he continued on to reach his target, fatefully, in his quest to break another national record.