Spanish diver attempts free diving record

FREE DIVING is known as an extreme sport for those with super-enduring lungs and nerves of steel. Catalonian diver Miguel Lozano has attempted to set a world free diving record without special diving equipment such as scuba-gear or flippers.

The competition is judged by tags attached to a specially installed rope, calculating the corresponding depth of the water. The divers must scale this rope and collect the tag that they find at the deepest section that they have reached, and then return the tag to the judges on the surface. 

The Barcelona native descended to a depth of 123 metres, that is two metres deeper that the world record, in place for the last six years, on just one breath of air. The descent took two minutes and five seconds, whereby Lozano collected his tag, and the return journey to the surface took another two minutes and 35 seconds.

However, even though Lozano reached the record-breaking depth, the record has not been officially broken. On reaching air, after nearly five minutes of holding his breath, Lozano felt faint, and was not able to swim over to the judges to deliver his tag, therefore annulling his result. 

According to reports, Lozano, who is Spain’s free diving record-holder, will attempt to set the record once more and, this time, have it counted in. Already a champion in the free immersion discipline, he possesses the coveted title of third deepest free diver in the world since 2012.