Daredevil Freediver Aiming for Record of 305 Meter Plunge

Herbert Nitsch - Picture by Eirik Solheim

Herbert Nitsch, a daredevil freediver, is getting ready to break his own world record by taking 1000 foot dive toward the bottom of the ocean, taking in only a single breath of air while contracting his lungs to the size of a tennis ball.

Wearing nothing but a standard issue wetsuit, Herbert Nitsch is planni9ng to strap himself to a plank and use a rope to guide him into the murky depths off of Greece in November, minimizing movement needed to do so.

While he fights to stay conscious in the mounting pressure of the water, he will be letting an airbag go to pull him back to safety. In order to survive on a single breath of air, Nitsch has developed the uncanny ability to slow down his heart rate and put a lid on his breathing reflex.

The pressures he will be facing are extraordinary. At the bottom of the dive, he will be subjected to pressures of 450 pounds per square inch, that is ten times more than your standard car tire.

Back in 2007, the Australian airline pilot got to an amazing depth of 702 feet, using a technique which involved him moving his essential organs into his chest cavity to protect them from the pressure, however the biggest risk he will face is a buildup of nitrogen in his blood, which can cause narcosis.

If successful, this dive will be the world record, and it will probably remain so for a long time to come.