Venezuelan man sets world freediving record in underwater tunnel network

LONDON - A 34-year-old man from Venezuela has set a new world freediving record in an underwater tunnel network by making it 150m through a system of caves with no breathing apparatus.ll Carlos Coste had to help him was a torch to light the way and a monofin - a single giant flipper worn on both feet - to propel him along.

Guinness World Records officials told him he would need to exceed 75m to set a new record and Carlos, 34, kicked his way to glory by covering double that distance.

But it was the first time a freediving record had been attempted in underwater caves as he took his bid to a watery passage known as Dos Ojos, a colossal cave network twisting 31 miles under Yucatan in Mexico.

“I have been doing competitive diving for 10 years and this is by far the most bizarre run I have ever made. To achieve this is a dream come true for me. I have been interested in speleology [the study of caves] since I was a little boy and to combine this with my profession as a freediver was amazing,” the Sun quoted Coste as saying.

The brave man, who was already a multiple record holder in freediving, can ghol his breadth for seven minutes but completed the stunt in just two minutes and 30 seconds.

“It’s not about speed. It’s about striking a balance between many factors. With monofins you can achieve the fastest speeds possible but for something like this you don’t want to be frantically kicking your way through the cave. “It really feels like you are flying through the cave and you have to adopt a position like Superman with your arms stretched out in front of you,” he added.

Carlos became the first person to descend to more than 100m just by pulling on a rope in October 2003. (ANI)