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Herbert Nitsch
Herbert Nitsch
Born	20 April 1970 (age 54); Austria
Occupation(s)	World Record Holder Free-diver and Air pilot

Herbert Nitsch (born 20 April 1970) is an Austrian freediver, the current freediving world record champion, and "the deepest man on earth"^[1] having dived to a depth of 253.2 meters (831 feet).

Nitsch has held 34 world records in all of the eight freediving disciplines recognised by AIDA International and one in the traditional Greek discipline of Skandalopetra.

Competitive freediving

Nitsch has held the world record in at least six AIDA-recognised events: Variable Weight, Constant Weight, Static Apnea, Dynamic Apnea, Free Immersion and Dynamic apnea without fins.

Dynamic Apnea

Nitsch's Dynamic Apnea record of 183 m set in 2002, was bested by 40 m by Tom Sietas. Women's champion, Natalia Molchanova of Russia, has also swum further than 200 m.

Sietas also holds the Dynamic apnea without fins record at 183 m, beating Nitsch's 2001 distance of 134 m^[2] by almost 50 m.

Constant Weight

Nitsch also held the world record in the Constant Weight event,^[3] which is considered by many to be the classic free-diving discipline: the diver descends next to a line, not using the line and unaided by a sled, and must maintain a constant weight, meaning that no weight can be dropped for the return to the surface.

Nitsch exceeded the then world record depth in 2006 when he dived to a depth of 110 m (361 ft), but failure to complete the strict surfacing protocols within the allotted time meant that the dive was disqualified. ^{[citation needed]}

In Hurghada, Egypt, in December 2006, he set a Constant Weight World Record dive of 111 m (364 ft),^[4] exceeding Guillaume Néry's previous record by 2 m. Later in 2007, he also set the Constant Weight (No Fins) record during The Triple Depth in Dahab, Egypt, and went on to push the Constant record to 112 m (367 ft) during the World Championships in Sharm. Herbert also won the AIDA Individual World Championships.

His record of 66 m (217 ft) for Constant Weight without fins, set in 2004,^[5] was beaten by 14 m in 2005 by Czech free-diver, Martin Štěpánek, who was also the holder of the Free Immersion record of 106 m (348 ft); Nitsch recorded 100 m (328 ft) in September 2003, but his record was bettered by a dive of 101 m by Carlos Coste of Venezuela in October the same year and then twice improved upon by Štěpánek.

Static Apnea

Nitsch set a time of 9 mins 4 secs for the world Static Apnea record in December 2006 when he held his breath underwater in a swimming pool in Hurgada,^[4] a time that was beaten by 4 secs in 2007 by Tom Sietas of Germany.

Free immersion and variable weight

During the 2009 Vertical Blue competition at the Dean's Blue Hole in the Bahamas in April, Nitsch set the Free Immersion world record at 109 m (358 ft). He also established two subsequent world record dives in Constant Weight at 114 m (374 ft), and 120 m (394 ft) on the last day of the competition, beating by 6 m the previous record that he had set a few days earlier. He used his arms only in the last 40 m (131 ft) of this ascent, with a total dive time of 3:58.

Later that same year in December at the Dean's Blue Hole in the Bahamas, Nitsch broke three world records: Variable Weight at 142 m (466 ft); Free Immersion at 112 m (367 ft); and Constant Weight at 123 m (404 ft).

Retirement

During his last competition before retiring from competitive freediving, in April 2010 at Vertical Blue again at the Dean's Blue Hole in Bahamas, Nitsch set another three world records. He landed two subsequent ones in Free Immersion at 114 m (374 ft) and 120 m (394 ft), and a world record in Constant Weight at 124 m (407 ft).^[6]

Nitsch focused solely on the "No Limit" events after this, in which the record attempts fall outside of regulated competition.

'No Limits' diving

Nitsch holds the No-Limits record and the title of "Deepest man on Earth"^[1] in which the diver can make use of a weighted sled to descend as far as possible and uses an air-filled balloon or other buoyancy device to return to the surface.

World record

Nitsch set the world record^[7] in Spetses, Greece in June 2007 when he descended to 214 m (702 ft),^[1]^[8] beating his own record of 183 m (600 ft) set the previous year.^[9]

Later attempt and serious injury

In 2012, Nitsch returned to the "No Limit" category in the waters off Santorini, Greece, with a project labeled "Extreme 800", aiming for a depth of 244 m (801 ft).^[10]

Following extensive training using an innovative torpedo-type sled design of very high descend and ascend speed, on 6 June 2012, Nitsch managed to reach a depth of 253.2 meters (831 ft),^[11] a Guinness World Record,^[12] but ten minutes after the dive he began experiencing serious symptoms of decompression sickness. Nitsch temporarily fell asleep due to nitrogen narcosis during the last part of the ascent (as opposed to through oxygen starvation), and woke up prior to reaching the surface. Following a planned post-dive decompression, breathing medical oxygen at a shallow depth, he signaled to his support team that he felt much weaker than normal and his condition was assessed as critical enough to require an air transfer to a pre-alerted decompression chamber in Athens, where he received treatment. He incurred multiple brain strokes due to severe decompression sickness. He subsequently received extensive decompression treatment in Germany.

The initial prognosis was that he would need home care and be unable to walk without assistance. However, through extensive rehabilitation, he made a strong recovery. He still has balance and coordination problems on land, but does not experience them underwater. He continues to deep free-dive.

Other career

Nitsch also worked part-time as a pilot for Tyrolean Airways.

Awards and honors

The asteroid 295471 Herbertnitsch, discovered by Italian amateur astronomer Vincenzo Casulli in 2008, was named in his honor.^[13] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 27 August 2019 (M.P.C. 115895).^[14]

Official records

Nitsch remains to date the only person that achieved world records across all of AIDA's eight freediving disciplines, in addition to the one he had set in the Greek discipline of Skandalopetra.

apnea	Federation	Record	Date	Location
DNF	AIDA	131 m (430 ft)	27 January 2001	Geneva
DYN	AIDA	170 m (558 ft)	24 February 2001	Geneva
CWT	AIDA	72 m (236 ft)*	16 June 2001	Millstätter See
CWT	AIDA	86 m (282 ft)	11 October 2001	Ibiza
DYN	AIDA	172 m (564 ft)	10 November 2001	Berlin
DNF	AIDA	134 m (440 ft)	24 November 2001	Wiesbaden
DYN	AIDA	181 m (594 ft)	2 February 2002	Vienna
FIM	AIDA	92 m (302 ft)	27 February 2002	Austria
DYN	AIDA	183 m (600 ft)	16 November 2002	Berlin
FIM	AIDA	100 m (328 ft)	5 September 2003	Millstätter See
CWT	AIDA	95 m (312 ft)	5 September 2003	Millstätter See^[15]
CNF	AIDA	50 m (164 ft)	6 September 2003	Millstätter See
CNF	AIDA	62 m (203 ft)	11 September 2004	Spetses (Greece)
CNF	AIDA	66 m (217 ft)	12 September 2004	Spetses
NLT	AIDA	172 m (564 ft)	2 October 2005	Žirje (Croatia)
NLT	AIDA	183 m (600 ft)	28 August 2006	Žirje
CWT	AIDA	111 m (364 ft)	9 December 2006	Hurghada (Egypt)
STA	AIDA	9 min 04 sec	13 December 2006	Hurghada
NLT	AIDA	185 m (607 ft)	13 June 2007	Spetses
NLT	AIDA	214 m (702 ft)	14 June 2007	Spetses
CNF	AIDA	83 m (272 ft)	21 October 2007	Dahab (Egypt)
CWT	AIDA	112 m (367 ft)	1 November 2007	Sharm (Egypt)
CWT	AIDA	114 m (374 ft)	4 April 2009	Long Island (Bahamas)
FIM	AIDA	109 m (358 ft)	6 April 2009	Long Island (Bahamas)
CWT	AIDA	120 m (394 ft)	11 April 2009	Long Island (Bahamas)
SKA		107 m (351 ft)	26 June 2009	Lindos (Greece)
VWT	AIDA	142 m (466 ft)	7 December 2009	Long Island (Bahamas)
FIM	AIDA	112 m (367 ft)	8 December 2009	Long Island (Bahamas)
CWT	AIDA	123 m (404 ft)	9 December 2009	Long Island (Bahamas)
FIM	AIDA	114 m (374 ft)	19 April 2010	Long Island (Bahamas)
CWT	AIDA	124 m (407 ft)	22 April 2010	Long Island (Bahamas)
FIM	AIDA	120 m (394 ft)	25 April 2010	Long Island (Bahamas)
NLT	Guinness WR	253.2 m (831 ft)	6 June 2012	Santorini

72m = AIDA Lake Record; after 2001-12-31 AIDA International no longer separated the records achieved in a lake from those in the sea.

Personal bests

Discipline		Result	Accreditation

Time	STA	9:04 min	AIDA

Distance	DNF	138 m	AIDA
Distance	DYN	183 m	AIDA

Depth	CNF	83 m	AIDA
	CWT	124 m	AIDA
	FIM	120 m	AIDA
	VWT	142 m	AIDA
	NLT	253.2 m 214 m	Guinness WR AIDA
	SP	107 m

Filmography

Documentaries and TV

2017: Herbert Nitsch, The Deepest Man On Earth, by UPROXX – Video on YouTube
2016: Supertalent Mensch: Körperbeherrscher, by Terra X – Video on YouTube
2013: Back from the Abyss / Züruck as der Tiefe, the multiple award-winning documentary by Red Bull Media House - Trailer Back from the Abyss: Video on Vimeo and Video on YouTube
2012: La Dernière Frontière, by Camera Lucida - Video on YouTube
2011: The man who can hold his breath for nine minutes – Inside the Human Body: First to Last, by BBC One- Video on YouTube
2009: Apnoetauchen: Neun Minuten ohne einen Atemzug, by Focus Online – Video on YouTube
2009: Stefan Raab by TV Total Video on Vimeo
2009: Aeschbacher by SRF Video on Vimeo

Publicity

2017: Hyundai Fuel Cell Car Unveiling, by Hyundai - Video on Vimeo and Video on YouTube
2011: Extreme 800, by Breitling - Video on YouTube

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Kingston, Gary (30 June 2012). "Deep underwater diving, without a safety net". The Vancouver Sun. p. 53. The current [no limits apnea] world record is 214 metres by Austrian Herbert Nitsch, dubbed the "Deepest Man on Earth".
^ "Free-diving disciplines". The Miami Herald. 18 July 2003. p. 346. Retrieved 2 August 2024. Dynamic Apnea: Men's world record (without fins): Herbert Nitsch (Austria), 439.6 ft, Nov 24. 2001, Wiesbaden, Germany.
^ "Diving: Freedivers to compete in Kona event". Hawaii Tribune-Herald. 27 October 2002. pp. 1, 12. LeMaster, who completes the Kona contingent on the U.S. team, is the U.S. record holder for constant weight dives at 265 feet. Herbert Kitsch holds the world record at 86 meters or 282 feet.
^ ^a ^b "InsideTrack: A look at the latest landmarks in the world of adventure". The Daily Telegraph. London, England. 6 January 2007. Retrieved 2 August 2024. Herbert Nitsch has just broken the world record. The Austrian freediver managed to hold his breath for a staggering nine minutes and four seconds during the recent World Championships in Egypt. The 36-year-old also set a new depth record in "constant weight". This is where a diver descends and ascends using fins. He reached 364 ft (111m).
^ "Can you fathom that?". Edmonton Journal. 14 September 2004. p. 36. Retrieved 31 July 2024. Two freedivers have set depth records off the Greek Island of Spetes.... The second record was set Sunday by Austrian Herbert Nitcsh, who reached 66 metres finless. Nitsch, 31, broke his mark of 62 metres set Friday.
^ Sortal, Nick (22 May 2011). "Man of Great Depth". South Florida Sun Sentinel. pp. 1G and 9G. Retrieved 2 August 2024. In May 2009, Stepanek logged the deepest constant weight dive ever, going 400 feet (122 meters) in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt. But Herbert Nitsch went two meters deeper in April 2010 in the Bahamas, so Stepanek will try again, back in Egypt in October.
^ "World Records". AIDA International. Archived from the original on 6 December 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
^ Cocking, Susan (5 September 2013). "El cubano abandonó hace 10 ańos el buceo libre después de que su esposa murió haciendo el mismo deporte. Esta vez, quiere honrar su memoria". El Nuevo Herald. Miami, Florida. pp. A1. Retrieved 31 July 2024. el récord mundial de 702 pies en "no limites" establecido en el 2007 por Herbert Nitsch, de Austria en las costas de Grecia. [the world record of 702 feet in "no limits" set in 2007 by Herbert Nitsch, from Austria, off the coast of Greece.]
^ Campbell, Matthew (15 April 2007). "'Fish man' dies 20 metres from safety after deep dive". Calgary Herald. The Times (London). p. 10. last year, Nitsch notched another world record of 183 metres.
^ "Herbert Nitsch Receiving Treatment After Failed Record Attempt - DeeperBlue.com". www.deeperblue.com. 6 June 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
^ Drs. Oz & Roinen (19 June 2018). "Breath easier with anthocyanin flavonoids". LNP Always Lancaster. Lancaster, Pennsylvania. pp. B6. Retrieved 31 July 2024. The [freediving] record currently is 253.2 meters (831 feet) set by Herbert Nitsch in 2012.
^ "Guinness World Records, Deepest no-limit freedive (male)". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
^ "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 295471 Herbertnitsch (2008 QM11)" (9 February 2019 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
^ McKie, N (2004). "Freediving in cyberspace". Journal of the South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society. 34: 101–3. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2013.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)