The Dive: A Story of Love and Obsession - Softcover

A world-champion competitor in the deadly sport of freediving tells the heart-wrenching story of his life with and without his beloved wife, Audrey, who died trying to break his own record.

Francisco 'Pipin' Ferreras, a native of Cuba, is a world champion in the dangerous and controversial sport of freediving, in which athletes test the limits of their minds and bodies by diving to unthinkable depths without oxygen tanks. Audrey Mestre was a beautiful French marine biology student researching the physiology of freediving. When she decided to base her studies on the legendary Pipin, a passionate romance was born.

Pipin and Audrey soon married and moved to Miami, where she took up the sport herself and proceeded to break the female world record (115 metres). They became freediving's power couple, constantly training together and encouraging one another. But on 17 October 2002, Audrey pushed her body too far and died off the coast of the Dominican Republic while attempting to break the world record – which was currently held by her husband.

Now, for the first time, Pipin tells his own story. He addresses the controversy that has followed him throughout his career and defends his sport and his own records against criticism from peers. And Pipin opens up as never before, providing what no interviewer has been able to capture: a glimpse into the heart of a complex and haunted man. In his own words, he relates the tragic story of his relationship with Audrey – a unique and complicated tale of love and competition taken to the extreme.

A pioneer in the sport of freediving, Pipin Ferreras established the world record, 162 metres, on 18th January 2000 – his 38th birthday. He lives in Miami, where he still dives.