Master free diver Herbert Nitsch shows off by going where the scuba divers can’t go.

THE 2009AIDA FREEDIVING World Championships start on Wednesday at Dean’s Blue Hole in the Bahamas. Dozens of the world’s top free divers will compete in the tournament, which concludes with finals on December 5.

This year, Herbert Nitsch is the diver to beat. The Austrian diver currently holds the world records for three of AIDA’s eight disciplines, including the ultra-competitive No Limits. With a record 702 feet, Nitsch has free dived almost ten times as deep as most divers can go on scuba.

In this video, Herbert Nitsch shows off his crazy skills by breath-holding it through a flooded cave and the inside of a sunken ship. The man’s a breath-hold Buddha: he seems totally tranquil, even with a layer of rock between him and the open air.

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Adam Roy

Chicago native Adam Roy is the former-Editor of Matador Sports and an aspiring renaissance man to boot. For more of Adam's writing, check out his blog at Ill-Advised Adventures.

  • http://www.theplanetd.com Dave and Deb

    These free divers always amazing me! Wow, that is the most insane thing I have ever seen. It is so beautiful too!

  • josh johnson

    good find! Free diving and snorkeling are some of my fav activities too…but this guy takes it to new levels. I am not claustrophobic but being walled in with no oxygen would freak me out.

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