Kiwi Freediver Breaks Freediving World Record

Kiwi Freediver Breaks Freediving World Record

Single breath dive took just three minutes 30 seconds
at Dean’s Blue Hole, Long Island, Bahamas

10th April 2009 :  -  28 year old New Zealander , William Trubridge, has smashed the World Record for unassisted freediving, descending 88 meters (288 feet) and returning to the surface on a single breath of air and without the use of any weight or propulsive assistance.

“I had a lot of anxiety about the dive when I entered the water for another attempt at this record this morning, but somehow I managed to remain calm and finished the dive completely lucid,” said Trubridge. I’ve trained hard for this record and the results speak for themselves – I’ve done it!”

Trubridge has been training as a freediver for the last 6 years, and in April of 2007 he set his first world record in this discipline, with 82m.  The same year the record was broken with 83m by Herbert Nitsch, widely considered the world's greatest freediver, but William bettered it again in 2008, with 86m. 

Herbert attempted the record on the sixth day of this current event, but turned early at 71m.  William also attempted 88m on the 4th day of the event, and although he made the depth and returned to the surface he blacked out as he took his first breath, and was thus disqualified.

The dive took place as part of Vertical Blue 2009, an invitational freediving event where the world's elite freedivers compete over nine days of diving. 

Already in the competition three world records had been broken by British Sara Campbell and Austrian Herbert Nitsch, but this was the first to be set by a New Zealander in the event.

William would like to thank his sponsors Suunto, Extreme Drinks and Orca for their support, as well as AMP for a generous scholarship.

William is being filmed on location in the Bahamas by under water film production company BlueEyeFX. Based in Egypt and headed by British born Deborah Metcalfe, BlueEyeFX is documenting all attempts at Vertical Blue 2009 – the invitational freediving competition held at Dean’s Blue Hole, Long Island, Bahamas.

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