The 2009 AIDA Freediving World Championships start on Wednesday at Dean’s Blue Hole in the Bahamas. Dozens of the world’s top free divers will compete in the tournament, which concludes with finals on December 5.

This year, Herbert Nitsch is the diver to beat. The Austrian diver currently holds the world records for three of AIDA’s eight disciplines, including the ultra-competitive No Limits. With a record 702 feet, Nitsch has free dived almost ten times as deep as most divers can go on scuba.

In this video, Herbert Nitsch shows off his crazy skills by breath-holding it through a flooded cave and the inside of a sunken ship. The man’s a breath-hold Buddha: he seems totally tranquil, even with a layer of rock between him and the open air.

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