Sara Campbell, ‘part woman, part fish’, regains freediving record
A British woman pushed the boundaries of human endurance to new levels yesterday as she dived 96 metres (314ft) below the surface of the Atlantic and back again on a single, very deep, breath.
Sara Campbell — “part woman, part fish” — broke the world record in the extreme sport of freediving, whose participants dice with death by submerging themselves to lung-crushing depths without breathing apparatus.
Holding her breath for three minutes 36 seconds, she went deeper than any female freediver has gone before without weights or equipment to hasten her descent, or an airbag to speed her back to the surface.
“The dive felt great and I’m just feeling fantastic,” she said last night. “At one point I started feeling negative thoughts — ‘Do I really want to do this?’ — but then I told myself not to be ridiculous, just get it done, go for the bottom.
“For me, that’s really what the personal battle was all about — fighting my demons and overcoming my doubts.”