A New Zealand man who has just broken the world freediving record in the Bahamas is already talking about trying to go deeper.
William Trubridge, 27, originally from Hawkes Bay but living in the Bahamas, swam unassisted on Tuesday to a depth of 81 metres where he grabbed
a tag before returning to the surface on a single breath.
Mr Trubridge broke the previous record by a metre but wants to have another go. "We're trying to push it out a little bit further," he said yesterday. "I've been past that depth in training."
He has been to about 85 metres in training but the extra nerves brought on by record attempts make such attempts more difficult.
"But, hopefully, I should be able to get it out a bit further from 81 [metres] to make it difficult for whoever comes next."
Mr Trubridge has been freediving for about four years, stepping up the intensity along the way. "I've been going after this record for a year now, but my first attempt was a year ago so it's good to finally get it in the bag."
He said the pressure on the body and its organs became extremely intense and the heart slowed to a beat about every four or five seconds when diving to such depths.
"It has a kind of narcotic effect from the incredible concentration of gases, carbon dioxide and nitrogen. It can be scary but, when you get used to it, it's a really pleasant experience - almost like a dream-like state ... "
The record-breaking dive took 3min 02sec, with a 90-second descent and a similar time for the ascent.
The previous record of 80 metres was set by Czech Martin Stepanek last year.
- NZPA
