A 32-year-old competitive freediver died Sunday during a freediving tournament in the Bahamas.
Nicholas Mevoli, who lived in Brooklyn but was a Florida native, broke the U.S. record for freediving early in his professional career. He was vying to break the record for the deepest "Constant No Fins" dive during the Bahamas competition. (Via Vimeo / Performance Freediving)
Competitive freediving is a form of underwater diving that requires the individual to see how deep they can dive and resurface without the use of a breathing machine. (Via YouTube /Guillaume Néry)
Mevoli swam 72 meters deep during the competition in the Bahamas — that's about 236 feet. He made it back to the surface but had trouble breathing. (Via WNBC)
Shortly after making it above water, he passed out and never regained consciousness.
The New York Times describes the scene: "At first, there was a pulse, at times faint, at times strong. Within 15 minutes, there was none. ... Attempts to revive Mevoli, which included three shots of adrenaline at the scene, continued unsuccessfully for the next 90 minutes." (via The New York Times)
The competition was canceled. Mevoli's body was flown to Nassau for an autopsy. (via WTVT)
