The word Apnea stems from the Greek language and can be translated as „without breath“ or „breathless“. Nowadays it is a common term for diving without breathing. Diving without breathing can be a rather diverse activity, as it is something many people do recreationally, but it is also considered to be a serious athletic sport. Without wanting to neglect the beauty of the underwater world - which leaves you breathless itself - this site is dedicated to the sporting aspect of Apneadiving.

 

The sport Apneadiving - also called Freediving - can be practiced in various disciplines. There are competitions in which athletes compete in dynamic apnea (swimming horizontally under water) against each other, and they also compete in the open sea where the depth counts.

 

Since 1992, freedivers from all over the world compete against each other at international competitions and world championships. At the latest from the movie "Big Blue" by Luc Besson, a global competition for world records was created. Whereas the limits in 1992 were around 60m deep diving and 6 minutes breath holding, the top freedivers currently can dive over 100m deep (Martin Stepanek, Carlos Coste) and further than 200m (Tom Sietas, Peter Pedersen) using their own strength while holding their breath for more than 9 minutes (Tom Sietas, Sam Still).