Deep down into the big blue

Li Da, a Chinese underwater model, freedives with jellyfish in a mermaid suit in western Pacific country of Palau. [Provided by Yue Hongjun to China Daily]

For some this sport may seem like dicing with death, but for others it has become the ultimate adrenaline rush

This is simply going to take your breath away: Put on a mask, don a pair of fins and plunge into the deep blue. Welcome to the sport of freediving, in which there are no air tanks, no mechanical equipment, just you plunging into the water and staying well under the surface with just one breath.

It is a young sport with an ancient lineage, some early human fishers having dived to gather sponge, abalone, oysters and pearls without breathing apparatus. Modern freediving originated in Europe and grew in popularity over the 20th century.

To many a sport in which some proponents compete at a depth of more than 100 meters sounds dicey to say the least, but with proper training the sport is safe and enjoyable and is catching on in China.

One of the Chinese national record holders, Wang Aolin, first became acquainted with freediving when he was holidaying in the Philippines four years ago. He was a competent scuba diver at the time, but when he saw freedivers in the ocean unencumbered by bulky breathing equipment he decided to give it a try.

Wang, who was born in Kunming, Yunnan province, in mountainous southwestern China, says he used to be afraid of water because as a child he nearly drowned.

"As I did more training I gradually overcame my fear. There is a sense of accomplishment when you can achieve something you had at first thought was impossible."

Since then, Wang has become hooked on freediving and is unrelenting in his training.

"I just want to go deeper and deeper, 20 meters, 30 meters, 40 meters."

As is apparently the case with many freedivers, Wang says that at one point he was too preoccupied with figures, and because of that he could not break his personal 80 meter record.

"Fortunately I met Aharon Solomons, an instructor known worldwide. He told me I should forget the numbers and simply focus on the process of diving.

"His words brought back to me the pleasure I had had when I started freediving. So I let go of all those figures relating to depth that were clogging my mind, and I made breakthroughs to the next level."