Breathe in and brave your deepest fears

How deep can a person dive underwater without any breathing equipment? As one of the world's top female freedivers, China's Xu Tongtong's answer is "beyond the limit".

Freediving, which originated in the Mediterranean region, is gaining popularity across the world.

Divers rely only on their lung capacity to plunge as far as they can — either in open water in so-called "depth" events or in the swimming pool, simply called "pool" events.

This year, the 35-year-old Xu has successfully dived 100 meters underwater in both constant weight (CWT) and constant weight bifin (CWTB) contests, becoming only the third female freediver on the planet to reach this depth.

"When I dived 100 meters and grabbed the depth tag, I knew I had done it. I swam back to the surface with a smile," Xu joyfully recalled of her historic feat.

Hailing from East China's Anhui province, Xu transitioned from swimming to freediving in 2014. "I was able to enter the three-dimensional world from a two-dimensional space. That is why I fell in love with freediving," she told Xinhua in a recent exclusive interview.

"The biggest attraction of freediving lies in facing up to and overcoming our fears. The training is a process of constantly knowing oneself," said Xu, adding that darkness and the unknown are the main sources of fear for most people, while freediving can help overcome fear through science-based training. "Now my fears are gone; there is nothing to be afraid of anymore," she said.

After three months of training and competing this year in Panglao, an island town in the central Philippines province of Bohol, Xu decided to stay on the island to continue her training and coaching, a major source of income for this world-class freediver.

Panglao, just an hour's drive from the well-known tourist attraction Chocolate Hills, has developed into a major freediving hub due to its favorable sea conditions and pleasant tropical weather.

Over 100 freedivers from all over the world live in Panglao for daily training, including Slovenian Alenka Artnik, considered one of the greatest freedivers of all time. Panglao locals, who mostly fish for a living, generally welcome the newcomers, realizing there are some similarities between freediving and their daily work at sea.

Lu Qing, a former ICT engineer from China, now runs the largest freediving training base on the island. He is also the organizer of multiple international competitions, including the prestigious Asian Freediving Cup.

Lu dreamed of pursuing a career in freediving, leaving the hustle and bustle of Shenzhen behind and moving to Panglao in 2017 to devote himself to this "love it or hate it" sport.

He never made it as a competitive freediver, but instead found success as an event organizer, as well as occasionally working as a safety worker at competitions. His fascination with the niche sport has changed the course of his life.

"Freediving is somehow a way of life with a sort of magic that can makes many enthusiasts give up their original life, come to the island and live a simple, self-disciplined life."

For Lu, staying relaxed is the most important principle of practicing freediving. "It is necessary to completely relax while maintaining absolute control of the body. Therefore, age and experience are, to some extent, advantages to freedivers."

In May, 31-year-old Italian freediver Alessia Zecchini set a new world record for women's CWT in a competition in Panglao, reaching a depth of 123 meters.

Xu said the record is a mark that all divers aspire to reach, but freediving is more of a contest with oneself than outperforming others.

"I enjoy the process of adjusting my breathing on the surface before diving into the water. At that moment, I feel like I am the only person in the world," Xu said.

Based on her performances in daily training, Xu has set a target of 120 meters, which she hopes to hit by next year. However, she is not ruling out the possibility of challenging Zecchini's record.

"It's not about competing with anyone; it's just that my target can be ranked in the world," Xu said.

Xinhua