Herbert Nitsch

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Herbert Nitsch
Herbert Nitsch.jpg
Born (1970-04-20) 20 April 1970 (age 55)
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).

Contents

Nitsch has held 33 world records across eight freediving disciplines recognised by AIDA International and one in the traditional Greek discipline of Skandalopetra.

Competitive freediving

During his career, Nitsch has held 32 world records across eight AIDA-recognised disciplines: Dynamic Apnea, Dynamic apnea without fins, Static Apnea, Constant Weight, Constant Weight without Fins, Free Immersion, Variable Weight, and No-Limits. Currently AIDA is no longer involved in No-Limits events.

Dynamic Apnea and Dynamic without Fins

Nitsch's first Dynamic Apnea record made in January of 2001 was also the first world record with a monofin. Prior to that, bi-fins (stereo fins) were used. His last Dynamic Apnea record of 183 m (600 ft) set in 2002, was bested by Tom Sietas.

During Nitsch's first Dynamic without Fins record of 131 m (430 ft), he introduced the neckweight (a weighted thick necklace, which he made by filling a bicycle innertube with lead pallets). The neckweight allowed him to swim more horizontally and hydrodynamically underwater compared to a weight belt around the waist. Tom Sietas beat Nitsch's last 2001 distance of 134 m (440 ft). [2]

Constant Weight and Constant Weight without Fins

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.

In April 2009 he set a Constant Weight world record Vertical Blue competition at the Dean's Blue Hole in the Bahamas of 114 m (374 ft) [5] and 120 m (394 ft). In 2010 he improved this to respectively 123 m (404 ft) and 124 m (407 ft) [6] at the same location.

His record of 66 m (217 ft) for Constant Weight without Fins, set in 2004, [7] was beaten by 14 m in 2005 by Czech free-diver, Martin Štěpánek.

In October of 2007, he set the Constant Weight without Fins record to 83 m (272 ft) during The Triple Depth in Dahab, Egypt, and went on to push the Constant Weight record to 112 m (367 ft) during the World Championships in Sharm. Herbert also won the AIDA Individual World Championships.

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] .

Free Immersion and Variable Weight

Nitsch dove to a Free Immersion world record of 100 m (328 ft) in September 2003 (the first freediver to reach this depth in a competition), 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.

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), which he improved later that year to 112 m (367 ft), and in 2010 to 114 m (374 ft) and 120 m (394 ft) [8] 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.

In December of 2009 at the Dean's Blue Hole in the Bahamas, Nitsch broke three world records in three subsequent days: 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). [9]

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

No Limit freediving

Nitsch holds the No-Limits record and the title of "Deepest man on Earth" [1] in which the diver uses 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 No Limit world record [10] in Spetses, Greece in June 2007 when he descended to 214 m (702 ft), [1] [11] beating his own subsequent records of respectively 172 m (564 ft),183 m (600 ft), and 185 m (607 ft). [12]

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). [13]

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), [14] a Guinness World Record, [15] but ten minutes after the dive he began experiencing serious symptoms of decompression sickness. [16] [17] 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 as a pilot and Captain for Tyrolean Airways for fifteen years. He flew full-time from 1995 until 2008, and thereafter part-time until late 2010.

Awards and honors

The asteroid 295471 Herbertnitsch, discovered by Italian amateur astronomer Vincenzo Casulli in 2008, was named in his honor. [18] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 27 August 2019 ( M.P.C. 115895). [19]

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 FederationRecordDateLocation
DNFAIDA131 m (430 ft)27 January 2001 Geneva
DYNAIDA170 m (558 ft)24 February 2001 Geneva
CWTAIDA72 m (236 ft)*16 June 2001 Millstätter See
CWTAIDA86 m (282 ft)11 October 2001 Ibiza
DYNAIDA172 m (564 ft)10 November 2001 Berlin
DNFAIDA134 m (440 ft)24 November 2001 Wiesbaden
DYNAIDA181 m (594 ft)2 February 2002 Vienna
FIMAIDA92 m (302 ft)27 February 2002 Austria
DYNAIDA183 m (600 ft)16 November 2002 Berlin
FIMAIDA100 m (328 ft)5 September 2003 Millstätter See
CWTAIDA95 m (312 ft)5 September 2003 Millstätter See [20]
CNFAIDA50 m (164 ft)6 September 2003 Millstätter See
CNFAIDA62 m (203 ft)11 September 2004 Spetses (Greece)
CNFAIDA66 m (217 ft)12 September 2004 Spetses
NLTAIDA172 m (564 ft)2 October 2005 Žirje (Croatia)
NLTAIDA183 m (600 ft)28 August 2006 Žirje
CWTAIDA111 m (364 ft)9 December 2006 Hurghada (Egypt)
STAAIDA9 min 04 sec13 December 2006 Hurghada
NLTAIDA185 m (607 ft)13 June 2007 Spetses
NLTAIDA214 m (702 ft)14 June 2007 Spetses
CNFAIDA83 m (272 ft)21 October 2007 Dahab (Egypt)
CWTAIDA112 m (367 ft)1 November 2007 Sharm (Egypt)
CWTAIDA114 m (374 ft)4 April 2009 Long Island (Bahamas)
FIMAIDA109 m (358 ft)6 April 2009 Long Island (Bahamas)
CWTAIDA120 m (394 ft)11 April 2009 Long Island (Bahamas)
SKA107 m (351 ft)26 June 2009 Lindos (Greece)
VWTAIDA142 m (466 ft)7 December 2009 Long Island (Bahamas)
FIMAIDA112 m (367 ft)8 December 2009 Long Island (Bahamas)
CWTAIDA123 m (404 ft)9 December 2009 Long Island (Bahamas)
FIMAIDA114 m (374 ft)19 April 2010 Long Island (Bahamas)
CWTAIDA124 m (407 ft)22 April 2010 Long Island (Bahamas)
FIMAIDA120 m (394 ft)25 April 2010 Long Island (Bahamas)
NLTGuinness WR253.2 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

DisciplineResultAccreditation
Time STA 9:04 minAIDA
Distance DNF 138 mAIDA
DYN 183 mAIDA
Depth CNF 83 mAIDA
CWT 124 mAIDA
FIM 120 mAIDA
VWT142 mAIDA
NLT 253.2 m
214 m		Guinness WR
AIDA
SP 107 m

Filmography

Documentaries and TV
Publicity

References

  1. 1 2 3 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".
  2. ↑ "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.
  3. ↑ "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.
  4. 1 2 "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 111 m (364 ft).
  5. ↑ "Freitauchen: Neuer Weltrekord für Österreicher Nitsch". die Presse. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
  6. ↑ "Drei neue Weltrekorde für Wiener Extremtaucher". die Presse. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
  7. ↑ "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.
  8. ↑ "Drei neue Weltrekorde für Wiener Extremtaucher". die Presse. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
  9. ↑ 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.
  10. ↑ "World Records". AIDA International. Archived from the original on 6 December 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  11. ↑ 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.]
  12. ↑ 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.
  13. ↑ "Herbert Nitsch Receiving Treatment After Failed Record Attempt - DeeperBlue.com". www.deeperblue.com. 6 June 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  14. ↑ 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.
  15. ↑ "Guinness World Records, Deepest no-limit freedive (male)". Guinness World Records . Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  16. ↑ Anja Kunz. "Tauchen in der Todeszone: Der Weltrekordmann erzählt" . Retrieved 31 August 2025.
  17. ↑ Rike Fabia Lohmann. "So überlebe ich meine Extrem-Tauchgänge" . Retrieved 31 August 2025.
  18. ↑ "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 295471 Herbertnitsch (2008 QM11)" (9 February 2019 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory . Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  19. ↑ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  20. ↑ 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.

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