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If you're interested in freediving records for women, then you've probably wondered who holds the current record. Read on to find out. Women have been doing this for a long time, but these women are making it look easy. Natalia Molchanova, Tanya Streeter, Natalia Zecchini, and Alexey Molchanov are a few of the women who have achieved this feat.
A Russian freediving champion, Natalia Molchanova held several world records. She was last seen two days ago while competing in Sardinia. A few days later, she was declared dead. Her family and fellow athletes paid her a heartfelt tribute. She was only 52 years old but was already the most decorated athlete in history. Here are five of her best dives.
In a nutshell, Natalia Molchanova was born to free dive. On August 2, 2015, she took a dive without fins and was separated from her peers. At the time, she was at a depth of thirty to forty meters, or 98 to 132 feet. Her underwater experience earned her the title of world record holder. She held her breath for nine minutes, and was able to swim hundreds of meters without surfacing.
In the months leading up to her May freediving stunt, Molchanova was submerged up to her shoulders in the Mediterranean. Two miles from the shore of Sardinia, Italy, she was preparing for the dive. She was practicing her techniques and lowered her heart rate by taking long exhalations. In less than a decade, she had become the most respected free diver in the world.
Freediving for Tanya Streeter is a unique feat. The world record holder has swum over 50 stories on one breath of air. She uses her ribcage, spine, and stomach muscles of steel to extend herself to extreme depths. She has also performed a series of underwater stunts, including diving with a scuba mask and weights.
While training for her first world record attempt, Streeter was in her early twenties and under the tutelage of noted diver Francisco "Pipin" Ferreras. In the beginning, she didn't realize she had a natural aptitude for deep diving, assuming that it would be easy for her to gain comfort in the water. After learning from her coach, she began training for longer breath holds and developed her body's strength to withstand the pressure of the water.
In addition to her record dive, Streeter has been featured in the films Freediver and Dive Galapagos. A BBC Two documentary on Shark Therapy also featured her story and how she overcame her fear of sharks. She also appeared on the Turks and Caicos Islands commemorative postage stamps in 2003. She is also a sponsored athlete with Red Bull, an energy drink.
Natalia Zecchini, a German-born Italian freediver, holds the world record for freediving among females. She first achieved her world record in Villefranche-sur-Mer, France, in 2005, when she broke the previous world record held by Mandy-Rae Cruickshank. Later in the year, she set another three CWT world records and broke the previous record of 98 meters/328 feet. Natalia's record remained unbroken for eight years until her daughter Alessia Zecchini broke it in Roatan, Honduras, in 2019.
Alessia Rossetti began her freediving career at an early age. She mastered the sport at age 14 and began competing in pool competitions by the time she was 18. After two years of competition, she switched to training in the ocean full-time, and now trains six days a week. She is sponsored by a company that helps her achieve her goals. Her motivation and dedication are second to none.
Alexey Molchanova was born to be a free diver. She set two national records for distance and depth and was the first woman to reach 100 meters without a fin. She was also the first woman to dive 100 meters with a weight in her hand, and she then carried it back to the surface. She holds the world record for free immersion for women, and has been an inspiration for other female free divers.
Although the world record is considered a great achievement for a woman, Alexey Molchanov has been plagued by grief and depression for years. She never sought therapy, and did not tell anyone about her grief. Her older sister Oksana was the first to encourage her to take up freediving. But after her mother's death, Alexey dived more often. She even took her mother's freediving curriculum around the world. The ocean became her counselor and friend during those difficult times.
