World’s Greatest Freediver Feared Dead

If you're not familiar with the extreme sport of freediving, Wikipedia defines it as:

...a form of underwater diving that relies on divers' ability to hold their breath until resurfacing rather than on the use of a breathing apparatus such as scuba gear. 

Freediving is an amazing, and incredibly dangerous extreme sport. Think about how long you can hold your breath. Whatever number you can come up with is probably not nearly enough for you to become a successful freediver. How long is enough?

From ABC:

Some free divers, who swim without a snorkel or scuba gear, can hold their breath for more than 10 minutes.

The current men's world record holder is Stephane Mifsud of France with a time of 11 minutes and 35 seconds and the womens world record is held by Natalia Molchanova of Russia with a static breath hold of just over nine minutes.

In the open sea, it's about diving for depth in a single breath; the top divers descend more than 100 metres. 

Think about that for a second. You hold your breath before diving to a depth that's greater than a football field. Then, you keep holding it while you return to the surface.

The greatest female freediver in the world, and the record holder for a static breath hold, Natalia Molchanova, has been lost at sea, and presumed drowned, off the coast of Spain.