Free Diver Pursues World Records at Deadly Depths

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http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,779465,00.html



08/11/2011

'A Deep, Intense Blue'

In an interview with SPIEGEL, French free diver Guillaume Néry discusses the dangerous pursuit of world records, the art of holding his breath for up to eight minutes and how diving can help humans rethink their relationship to water.

SPIEGEL: Mr. Néry, when you dive, you venture into places that are extremely inhospitable to human beings. There is no oxygen, the water can be as chilly as 12 degrees Celsius (54 degrees Fahrenheit) and it is pitch dark. What is the appeal?

Néry: You are mistaken. It's not at all dark down there.

SPIEGEL: What is it?

Néry: It is more like a deep, intense blue all around me. Only in the deep can human beings experience the meaning of infinity. And if I want I can move in any direction -- up, down, left or right -- I feel free in a way I never could be on land.

SPIEGEL: The best pearl divers reach depths of 45 meters (148 feet). But you manage depths of well over 100 meters without oxygen, and the aid of only weights and fins. It's a journey into a death zone. If you become disoriented or panic, there is no rescue. How do you prepare yourself?