Hold your breath…
Numerous men and women from Krugersdorp are making a name for themselves in the freediving world, better known as breath-hold diving.
Freediving or breath-hold diving is considered a unique sport and its popularity is growing.
This is evident as Netflix features several documentaries, one of them being The Deepest Breath. On top of that, Krugersdorp happens to have its very own freediving and breath-hold diving specialists who have recently displayed their skills and talent to a point where they broke all kinds of records.
For starters, resident Charles Muller has a seven-minute and 11-second breath-hold record, earning him well-deserved credibility in the world ranking of freediving. He is also a Molchanovs instructor (a freediving instructor who has completed a Molchanovs Freediving Instructor Course) currently training in Bali. Charles set this record while in the Philippines in 2023.
Fiona de Sousa, another resident, claimed the women’s national title in Cape Town’s Hout Bay just last month with a six-minute and one-second breath-hold time, ranking her as 34th in the world.
According to Fiona, the sport is proving to offer both mental and physical health benefits.
“In this sport, you dive on one breath – no equipment, no oxygen tanks, just the capacity of the human body to adapt to aquatic environments. To tap into the mammalian reflexes of dolphins, and to learn to master both body and mind. South Africans as usual are rising to the challenge and not to be dismissed from world rankings and competitions. South Africans are increasingly performing and excelling in various freediving events, this is certainly a sport to be keeping an eye on, as we rise in the ranks of the world’s best.
“Watch this space as these athletes rise in the world rankings. It’s going to be exciting to see what they are capable of and what the human capacity for breath-hold is in the 2025 competitions,” Fiona concluded.
If you are curious about this sport, recreationally or competitively, you are welcome to reach out to Fiona, who hosts introductory experiences to deep breathing, on 082 394 9026.
