One Breath : Freediving, Death, and the Quest to Shatter Human Limits

One Breath is a gripping and powerful exploration of the strange and fascinating sport of freediving, and of the tragic, untimely death of America’s greatest freediver Competitive freediving—a sport built on diving as deep as possible on a single breath—tests the limits of human ability in the most hostile environment on earth. The unique and eclectic breed of individuals who freedive at the highest level regularly dive hundreds of feet below the ocean’s surface, reaching such depths that their organs compress, light disappears, and one mistake could kill them. Even among freedivers, few have ever gone as deep as Nicholas Mevoli. A handsome young American with an unmatched talent for the sport, Nick was among freediving’s brightest stars. He was also an extraordinary individual, one who rebelled against the vapid and commoditized society around him by relentlessly questing for something more meaningful and authentic, whatever the risks. So when Nick Mevoli arrived at Vertical Blue in 2013, the world’s premier freediving competition, he was widely expected to challenge records and continue his meteoric rise to stardom. Instead, before the end of that fateful competition Nick Mevoli had died, a victim of the sport that had made him a star, and the very future of free diving was called into question. With unparalleled access and masterfully crafted prose, One Breath tells his unforgettable story, and of the sport which shaped and ultimately destroyed him. Competitive freediving diving as deep as possible on a single breath tests the limits of human ability in one of the most hostile environments on earth. The sport's top athletes regularly swim hundreds of feet below the ocean's surface, reaching such depths that their organs compress, light disappears, and one mistake could kill them. Even among freedivers, few have ever gone as deep as Nicholas Mevoli. As a child he used diving as a way of escaping a frequently lonely existence. When he discovered competitive freediving, Nick was a prodigy within a year he was shattering records. More than that, with his good looks and burning intensity, he became a star. So when Nick arrived at Vertical Blue, the world's premier freediving competition, in 2013 he was widely expected to continue his incredible success. Instead, that fateful competition turned out to be his last, and suddenly the very future of freediving was called into question. With unparalleled access and masterfully crafted prose, One Breath traces Nick's painful, triumphant, and ultimately tragic tales, while also tracking present-day efforts of top divers to keep challenging records despite mounting risks. The result is a masterpiece of narrative nonfiction, a work that speaks powerfully to the human impulse to keep pushing limits, whatever the cost Dean's Blue Hole, Long Island, Bahamas, November 17, 2013 Water Child What Is Freediving? Punk-Ass Vegans Caribbean Cup 2014, Roatan, Honduras Revolution Caribbean Cup 2014, Roatan, Honduras Brooklyn Rising Caribbean Cup 2014, Roatan, Honduras Dive Yourself Free Deja Blue Dive Bum Chronicles Sardinia, Italy : 2014 Aida Team World Championship Kerry Hollowell Investigates One-Hundred-Meter Man Bloody Water Nick's Last Days Nick Mevoli's Last Dive Vertical Blue 2014, Long Island, Bahamas.