De profundis for freedivers who pushed life to the limit

Sport; One Breath: Freediving, Death and the Quest to Shatter Human Limits; By Adam Skolnick; Corsair, €20

Nick Mevoli died aged just 32, doing the thing he loved to do most

Nick Mevoli seemed born to be a freediver. His parents claim to have conceived him while skinny-dipping late one night at their home in Florida. When he was a toddler, the family dog nudged him into a swimming pool, where he lay serenely gazing up at his frightened grandmother.

As Mevoli rose to the top of his chosen sport, he expressed strong opinions about the philosophy behind it. “Emotions can be a great ...