It Seems Impossible. It Can Kill You. Come Along With Me as I Try It—Because You Should, Too.

I am about to dive underwater while holding my breath, in what some consider the “extreme” sport of freediving. In 2023, Netflix introduced viewers to the world of freediving in the Dahab-based documentary The Deepest Breath. AdvertisementBut today, I’m trying something deeper than my usual morning dive: My goal is to make it to 70 meters, or 230 feet. There are also pool records, where the challenge is swimming horizontally on a breath hold, and static breath-hold competitions, too. Only then do I check the depth on my dive computer and realize just how close I’d come—67 meters.