“The world lost its greatest free diver on Sunday”, New Zealand free dive champion William Trubridge, who is friends with Molchanova’s son Alexey, wrote on his Facebook page.
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Ms Molchanova, who holds 41 world records, was diving for fun off Formentera, a Spanish island near Ibiza, when she failed to surface. In 2013, she became the only woman ever to break the 100-meter barrier, descending to a depth of 101 meters.
One of the world’s most recognizable and accomplished free divers is feared dead, as Natalia Molchanova disappeared Sunday during what was supposed to be a routine dive off the coast of Spain.
Free diving is a form of underwater diving, in which divers hold their breath instead of using a breathing apparatus such as a scuba tank.
Molchanova is presumed dead, with experts fearing she may have been caught up in powerful ocean currents while diving. That contrast can “shock the system”, the Times says. Although search teams have vigorously attempted to find some sign of the 23-time world champion, they have been unsuccessful thus far. After two days of intense search efforts, Alexey Molchanov said Tuesday afternoon that his mother, 553, was not expected to be found alive.
Last September, Molchanova broke the world record for dynamic freediving, where a diver swims as many pool lengths as possible using one breath and a monofin, swimming 237 meters or about 778 feet. “When we go down if we don’t think, we understand we are whole”. We need to reset sometimes. “I don’t think anybody would dispute that”.
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She discovered free diving when she was 40 and quickly developed a passion for the extreme sport, which has claimed the lives of many of its proponents.
