American free diver Nicholas Mevoli dies in competition in the Bahamas
American's passion for plunging to bottom of ocean without oxygen led to risky second dive at contest in the Bahamas that ended in his death
As Nicholas Mevoli floated in the azure sea off the Bahamas, attempting to relax, his deep breathing was audible.
The countdown had begun and he prepared to dive into Dean's Blue Hole, hoping to reach 72 metres on a single inhalation, with no fins or supplemental oxygen.
He began sipping the air, attempting to pack as much oxygen in his lungs as possible.
At 12.25pm on Sunday, surrounded by 15 other athletes and observers, as well as five safety divers, he turned and submerged, face-first and looking like a human arrow shooting into the darkness on what would be the last dive of his life. Officials for Vertical Blue, a championship event in the sport of free diving, monitored Mevoli's progress by sonar, and all was progressing smoothly until he had trouble at 68 metre s and seemed to turn back. Yet instead of heading to the surface, he decided to dive down again in an attempt to achieve his second American record and perhaps a share of a purse of US$20,000.
A few of his fellow athletes squirmed, recognising his decision was a dangerous one.
"Diving to that depth with no fins, that's a hard, physical dive," said Mike Board, the UK record holder. "I was thinking, 'He's going to have a hard time getting up.'" Still, Mevoli shot to the surface after a dive of 3 minutes, 38 seconds. That's when the scene became a nightmare.