AUDREY MESTRE



Audrey Mestre (August 11, 1974-October 12, 2002) was a world record-setting free-diver.
Born in Saint-Denis, Île-de-France, France to a family of snorkeling and scuba diving enthusiasts, at age two she was already swimming and by age thirteen was a seasoned scuba diver. She was still in her teens when her family moved to Mexico City and, fluent in the Spanish language, she eventually studied marine biology at a university in La Paz, Mexico.
In 1996 her interest in underwater sports led to her meeting the renowned free-diver, Francisco "Pipín" Ferreras. They immediately developed a relationship and Mestre soon moved to Miami, Florida to live with Ferreras. There, Audrey Mestre took up serious free-diving and with Ferreras as her instructor she was soon reaching record depths. In 1999 the two diving aficionados married and the following year off the coast of Fort Lauderdale, Audrey Mestre broke the female world record by free diving to a depth of 125 meters (410 feet) on a single breath of air. A year later she broke her own record, by descending to 130 meters (427 feet).
On October 4, 2002, with a dive team under her husband's supervision, she made a practice dive off Bayahibe Beach in the Dominican Republic to the unheard of depth of 166 meters (545 feet). After more deep dive practises, eight days later she prepared to attempt a dive to 171 meters but at the bottom a problem developed with the lift balloon as she started her ascent. A dive that should have been no more than three minutes resulted in her remaining underwater for more than eight and a half minutes. By the time her husband was able to bring her unconscious body to the surface it was too late and she was pronounced dead at a hospital on shore.
Her death shocked the diving world, many experts in the field were critical of her husband, alleging he pushed her too far, too fast and for a lack of proper safety procedures during the dive that took her life.
Audrey Mestre was cremated, her ashes scattered at sea. In 2002, she was inducted posthumously into the Women Divers Hall of Fame and in August 2004 a book that tells her story was written by her husband and published under the title The Dive: A Story of Love and Obsession (ISBN 0-06-056416-4). Bluegrass artist Lou Wamp released an instrumental tribute entitled "Audrey's Last Dive" in 2005.
The Dive is the true story of legendary free-divers and lovers, Francisco "Pipín" Ferreras and the late Audrey Mestre, who competed to travel as deeply as possible underwater on a single breath of air. It will be directed by James Cameron and has a tentative 2008 release.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audrey_Mestre"

TANYA STREETER



Tanya Streeter, born January 10, 1973 in Grand Cayman, is a world champion free-diver, who made her first important breakthrough in 1998 when she bettered Deborah Andollo's Women's No Limits diving record by 10 feet, achieving a total depth of 370 feet (113 m). Streeter has been known to hold her breath under water for up to 6 minutes.
Streeter was inducted into the Women Diver's Hall of Fame in March 2000. In 2002, she broke the men's no limit world diving record by diving to a depth of 525 feet (160 m) near the Turks and Caicos Islands, a record which was surpassed later that year by French diver Loïc Leferme. In 2003 she broke the men's variable ballast world record by diving to a depth of 400 feet (122 m). She also holds several woman's world records.
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PIPIN FERRERAS



A pioneer in free diving, Pipín Ferreras matched his late wife's world record of 170 meters on October 12, 2003, during a tribute dive in her honor. He lives in Miami, Florida.

He's been called the greatest land-grown diving mammal in history. His prodigious gifts - the ability to hold his breath for 14 minutes with a balloon-like 8.2-liter lung capacity - first became evident as a 13-year-old in 1976 when his father bestowed upon him a speargun to fish the waters of his native Cuba's Bay of Matanzas. Pipin took to breath-hold spearfishing like ... well, like a you-know-what takes to water, if that you- know-what can hide in a cave at 130 feet waiting for a big fat grouper - for four minutes.

Soon word of Pipin's fame perked the ears of the Soviet military establishment, who sent scientists to study Francisco ("Pipin" is a nickname) and a team of coaches to turn him into a world champion. That meant a hajj to free-diving mecca, Italy, where Pipin first heard the legend of Georghios, a Greek sponge diver who in 1913 supposedly dove to 200 feet to recover the anchor of an Italian battleship.

What Pipin discovered one day while researching the archives of the Italian Navy was that the legend was true, and that Georghios had accomplished his amazing feat (the 200-foot barrier was not broken by others until the 1960s) by descending feet-first with weights tied to him. (At the time, most divers still descended head-first.) Soon, Pipin was sitting upright on his now famous and heavily weighted sled (up to 200 pounds of sinkers), a position that allowed him to equalize and descend faster than anyone before him. Soon Pipin had set his first "no- limits" world record - 367 feet - in 1990, defected from Cuba and become an Italian citizen.

Home-based in Miami since 1993, Pipin has since lowered the world record several times, including his last record dive in 1996 to 439 feet, a mark that still stands today. Although critics have accused Pipin of performing Evel Knievel-type stunts for the sake of publicity and ego, Pipin avows that it's the funding he receives from his notoriety that allows him to pursue his true goals - a 500-foot free dive, a chance to prove wrong all the nay-saying doctors and scientists, whom he calls his "enemies," and, perhaps most of all, to fulfill what he believes is his fate: to lead the human race to a fuller understanding of its primordial aquatic instincts, to find how deep we can really go.

"I feel chosen to do this," he writes in his forthcoming autobiography 90 Miles. "It is my destiny."

UMBERTO PELIZZARI



UMBERTO PELIZZARI was born on 28th August 1965 in Busto Arsizio, in the province of Varese. He is 1.89 meters tall and weighs 84 kg, and his lung capacity is 7.9 liters. By the age of 5 he can already swim perfectly and by the age of 17 he already had 11 seasons of swimming behind him at a professional level.

In 1984 he begins to dedicate himself to apnoea.

He reaches his first world record in 1988 when, with 5'33", he establishes the record in apnoea without moving.

Having become a member of the NO LIMITS SECTOR Team, on 19th May 1990 - in the public pool of Busto Arsizio - he breaks the world record of apnoea without moving, beating the previous record of 5'50" established by the French Philippe Goasse with 6'03".

On 12th July 1990 he takes a degree in Information Science at the University of Milan. In the meantime he has started training, with the goal of breaking the world record on the Isle of Elba. On 10th November, the same year, at Porto Azzurro, Umberto amazes everybody by reaching a new world record of immersion in apnoea in constant weight reaching a depth of 65 meters, though he has just started to participate in this difficult discipline. He beat by 3 meters the record established by Pipin Ferreras only two months before. In Hawaii, on 9th July 1991, he reclaims the world record in apnoea without moving with 7'02"88, smashing the old record of 6'40" held by the French Michael Bader.

Only 2 months later, in September, on the Isle of Elba he conquers all the records of immersion in apnoea. The 3rd October sees him descend in constant weight to a depth of 67 meters improving by 2 meters his previous record. On 22nd October Umberto reaches a world record of immersion in apnoea in variable weight reaching -95 meters, improving the record established by Pipin in September 1990 in Milazzo, by 3 meters.

On 26th October, he obtains his third world triumph in a month beating the absolute record in immersion in apnoea, with -118 meters (but in 1992 this record is broken with -120 meters by a Cuban rival).

On 17th September 1992 in Ustica, Umberto reclaims the world record in immersion in apnoea in constant weight with -70 meters, which he has lost to Pipin on 27th May.

On 11th October 1993, off-shore of Montecristo, he establishes a new record in "no limits" variable weight descending to a depth of 123 meters. Umberto holds this record only till 14th of the next month, when in Grand Bahama, Pipin improves on it with -125 meters.
On 26th October, he obtains his third world triumph in a month beating the absolute record in immersion in apnoea, with -118 meters (but in 1992 this record is broken with -120 meters by a Cuban rival).

On 17th September 1992 in Ustica, Umberto reclaims the world record in immersion in apnoea in constant weight with -70 meters, which he has lost to Pipin on 27th May.

On 11th October 1993, off-shore of Montecristo, he establishes a new record in "no limits" variable weight descending to a depth of 123 meters. Umberto holds this record only till 14th of the next month, when in Grand Bahama, Pipin improves on it with -125 meters.

On 24th July 1994, at Cala Gonone-Dorgali, in Sardegna, Umberto reaches his new world record in immersion in apnea in the Variable Ballast discipline descending to a depth of 101 meters.

In July 1995, at Villasimius in Sardegna, he claims two new world records: -72 meters in constant weight (16th July) and -105 meters in variable weight (only to see Gianluca Genoni break his record by only a meter on 17th August 1996).

In 1996, again in Villasimius, he reaches once more a double world record: on 9th September with -110 meters he takes the world record again in variable weight and on 16th of the same month, with -131 meters, takes away Pipin's record in "no limits" variable weight.

On 13th September 1997, at Porto Venere in Liguria he again conquers the world record in constant weight with a depth of 75 meters, beating the Cuban Alessandro Ravelo at -73 meters. On 20th September against the same Cuban competitor, Umberto wins the record in variable descending to 115 meters.

In 1999, Umberto Pelizzari again holds all records in Free-diving in the world.

On the 18th of October 1999, during the Genoa Boat Show, four miles away from the Cape of Portofino, Umberto establishes a new world record in the discipline of Constant Weight, with a dive of 80 meters. This record improves by 4 meters the record set by the Cuban Alejandro Ravelo in August 1998 in Sicily.

On 24th of October 1999, with the technical support of Nave Anteo (a 97 meters long boat of the Italian Navy), Umberto makes history with a dive to a depth which was considered impossible for man by underwater medicine.
He descends to 150 meters in the discipline of No Limits Variable Weight. After a dive of 2'57", he is again the Man with the Deepest Dive in the World.

In 2000 Umberto Pelizzari was involved in the making of the film OceanMen, produced by IMAX (2D), which tells the story of two great free-divers: Umberto and Pipin.

In October 2001 the Italian National Team comprising Umberto Pelizzari, Davide Carrera and Gaspare Battaglia won the gold medal at the Free-diving World Championship by Team held in the Club Med resort in Ibiza.
Once again in October, Mursia (Biblioteca del Mare) published the first free-diving illustrated manual, written by Umberto and Stefano Tovaglieri.

2001 is a magical year for Umberto; on the 3rd of November in the waters of Capri, he established a new free-diving World Record in Variable Weight.
The athlete dived to 131 meters and went back in 2'44", beating Genoni's record by 5 meters.

This is a great performance, considering that in 1996 Pelizzari ascended to the surface from the depth of 131 meters with balloons during the No Limits World Record.

Umberto dedicated this record to everyone who has supported him these past 11 years and ... in glory he retires from official individual competitions.

YASEMİN DALKILIÇ



Yasemin Dalkilic was born in Ankara, the capital city of Turkey, on May 2nd, 1979. She first fell in love with the sea while watching old Jacques Cousteau’s TV programs, since the closest ocean to her native city was more than 800 kilometers away! It was only during the summer holidays that she would get a chance to indulge her passion while vacationing with her family. At age 14, she was already a member of the national Monofin swimming team, where she stayed for several years and set several Turkish records. By the time she was 16, she had already established herself as the best freediver in her country, and a soon-to-be star of the sport at a world level. In 1996, she became a student in the mathematics department at the Middle East Technical University where she also became a member of the Subaqua Society. In 1998 she competed in the Freediving World Cup in Sardinia, Italy, where she clinched the first place among the women. A year later, in 1999, Yasemin made an acquaintance that would change her life. International trainer Rudi Castineyra, who would guide world champions Alejandro Ravelo, Tanya Streeter and David Lee to several world records, showed great interest in Yasemin. After their first meeting over the Internet, Yasemin started a training regime designed by Rudi which maximized her potential in a short time. Later that year she set her first World Record with a dive to 68 meters/223 ft. In 2000, the duo set their sights on the spectacular Variable Ballast type of freediving, which comprises two challenging categories. In July 19th and 23rd respectively, Yasemin shattered the existing world records in the Limited and Unlimited Variable Ballast categories, by raising (or lowering) the bar to 100 meters/ 328 feet and 120 meters/ 394 feet respectively. In the year 2001, she set two more world records, first improving her own mark in the Limited Variable Ballast with a 105 meter/344 feet dive in Egypt and 3 months later, a second one in the Unassisted Constant Ballast category, with a plunge to 40 meters/131 feet in Kos, Greece. Five of her records have been broadcasted LIVE on national and international networks, more than any other freediver ever.

Once her professional freediving career allowed her to reach goals that she calls “beyond the imagination”, Yasemin set her sights on undertaking social causes. Some of these projects are: seminars in schools to help young children “think big” and have a healthy life; university conferences to students in the career-choosing stage; “The First Handicapped Freediving Record” where she helped her friend Berna Belgin accomplish this historic performance, sending out a message that any obstacle can be overcome with passion; “A tribute to the Sponge Hunters”, a commemorative dive in the old ways as a tribute to these diving pioneers; as well as many activities with the “Clean Seas” association to protect our seas. Yasemin is also a sought after corporate speaker, imparting seminars with themes such as “Picking a goal and defining the path to it”, “Success story: To road to the record” to companies such as Hewlett Packard, Garanti Bank, Glaxo, Smith & Kline, etc. Finally, Yasemin is a very active freediving instructor, teaching several clinics around the world together with her trainer and partner Rudi where they have shared the details of their successful training system and their commitment to safety with hundreds of divers to date.

In recent years, following on the family tradition started by her sister Hande Dalkilic, a professional concert pianist, Yasemin has started working in music production. Besides her duties as sound-track composer for Production Company Ideas in Blue, where she scores Adventure and Exploration theme documentaries, Yasemin is also working on her first instrumental album, completely composed, performed and produced on her own. Thus, it should be no surprise that in her spare time Yasemin also enjoys listening to and playing Jazz, being an accomplished piano and guitar player, whose musical education started at age 7. An evening at the movies, or a meal with friends and a good red wine are her perfect nights out. Yasemin is 1.61 meters/ 5’4’’ tall, weights 52 kilos/ 114 pounds and has a lung capacity of 6.3 liters, about which she observes: …"Lungs are not essential for freediving, it’s your passion that counts"…
From http://www.yasemindalkilic.com/eng/yasemin/

JACQUES MAYOL



A French national born in Shanghais China in 1927, Jacques Mayol was known as the ‘Dolphin Man’ due to his underwater exploits in the field of free diving along with the special relationships he developed with dolphins.

Mayol’s fascination with the sea arose from a close friendship with a dolphin named Clown at the Seaquarium in Miami, Florida, where he was sent from Radio Canada as a journalist to both research an article and produce an audio piece. The director of Programs and Events at the Seaquarium invited him to stay. Mayol accepted and began working on the maintenance of the tanks and the dietary concerns of the various marine creatures. At the same time, he was also given permission to dive in the big tank with all of the dolphins including one destined to become his special friend, Clown.

Clown taught Mayol how to hold his breath longer on every dive, how to behave underwater, and how to integrate himself with the water totally and finally, how to laugh inside. Thanks to these lessons, he also integrated the powers of Yoga and Oriental philosophies with his dive skills, disciplines he first became aware of while growing up in Japan. This emotional and psychological discipline opened the path that led to his record setting 100 meter dive.

Occurring in 1976, this dive was, to say the least, a momentous occasion. It laid down the gauntlet, putting out the challenge for the next individual willing to pick up the glove.

This dive was part of a long-running rivalry with Italian diver Enzo Maiorca, the first man to dive below 50 meters. Jacques Mayol’s dive shattered that record. The rivalry lasted over ten years, years which saw free-dive depths double. Ultimately, this competition was the inspiration for Luc Besson’s film ’The Big Blue’, a film which led to notoriety for both ocean champions, Mayol and Maiorca. It is a movie well worth searching for and viewing.

In 1981, Mayol, during a test for Omega’s new Seamaster 120 watch, dived to 101 meters, thus breaking his own record. In 1983 Mayol decided to step away from the challenge. At 56 years of age he had reached a depth of 105 meters, had broken every record on the books and made a personal decision hand the mantle over to the young lions.

Mayol dived most of his life out of a love of the ocean, an expression of his personal philosophy and a desire to explore his limits. He did so in an admirable fashion. His efforts enriched the world of free diving by including an entire philosophy, a state of mind based on relaxation and Yoga, now known as ‘Apnea Diving’. He also contributed to technological advances in the field of diving, particularly with regard to the assemblies used by “no limit” free divers to reach the depths, survive and return to the surface. His contributions to this highly demanding sport are inestimable. All ocean explorers owe him a huge debt of gratitude

Mayol shared his vision for the future in his book ‘Homo Delphinus’, now available in the USA from Idelson Gnocchi Publsihers, Florida under the tile ‘Homo Delphinus’. ‘The Dolphin Within Man’. The term Homo Delphinus refers to individuals who are aquatic as a dolphin, share the same love of the ocean and recognize the importance of protecting it and keeping it pure. Mayol believed that people will be some day be capable of swimming at depths of 200 meters and holding their breath for up to ten minutes. That day will come.

Today World champions like Umberto Pelizzari and Pipin have nearly twice the lung capacity of Jacques and have reached almost twice the depth Jacques achieved. Tanya Streeter, a female free diver, has descended deeper, striking a breathtaking 525 feet. No person can predict what the future will bring, but we do know this, pioneers like Jacques will take us there.

This was Jacques’s favorite quote: “One day babies of the future will be reconnected to the aquatic evolutionary past. They will be totally in harmony with the sea and diving and playing at great depth with their marine cousins, holding the breath for a long period of time and giving birth in the sea even in the presence of dolphins. Homo Delphinus is not just a concept.”