'Record-breaking' US man dies during free-diving competition in Bahamas

A record-breaking American free-diver had reportedly lost his life after attempting a new record by spending 3 minutes 38 seconds under water in the world's deepest known blue hole, Dean's Blue Hole, in the Bahamas.

Officials for Vertical Blue, a championship event in the sport of free diving held in the Dean's Blue Hole, monitored and announced Nicholas Mevoli's progress by sonar, and all was progressing smoothly until he had trouble at 68 metres and seemed to turn back.

Mevoli was hoping to reach 72 metres on a single inhalation, with no fins or supplemental oxygen.

However, the Sydney Morning Herald reports that instead of heading to the surface, Mevoli decided to dive down again in an attempt to reach his goal and achieve his second American record, although he shot into the darkness into what would be the last dive of his life.

The report mentioned that although Mevoli appeared to be fine when he re-surfaced, however, his words were garbled, his eyes wide and blank and he tipped backward into the ocean and lost consciousness, following which he lost his life despite continued revival attempts for the next 90 minutes.

A New York resident, Mevoli was a relative newcomer to the sport and when he dived to 100 metres in May, he became the first American to break that barrier, unassisted in three minutes and 45 seconds.

According to the International Association for the Development of Apnea, the governing body of the sport, Mevoli is the first athlete to die in an international competition in its 21-year history, the report added.