Jubilation for the new world champion in apnoea diving: Frenchman Arnaud Jerald dived 120 metres in the “Vertical Blue” competition in the Bahamas. The 26-year-old needed 3 minutes and 35 seconds for this. In doing so, he beat his own world record of 119 metres, which he had broken only Friday at the same competition.
“I felt more pressure today because 120 is a mythical number and not everyone thinks you can do that,” Jerald said after his triumph. “But in the end I was confident because I’ve been training well and that was just one metre more and I’ve done four world records here and I feel like I’m at home. “
Jerald won the double fin constant weight discipline. In this discipline, the diver is allowed to use a weight to overcome his own buoyancy, but must also use the same weight to return to the surface.
Apnoea divers dive without an oxygen tank. They train certain breathing techniques and movements, and must also mentally adjust to the extreme situation. Again and again there are fatal accidents.