Depth: Freediving and New Limits of Human Abilities

During a regular journalistic assignment in Greece, James Nestor saw something that left him completely baffled: a man dove to a depth of 100 meters (the height of a thirty-story building) on one breath and returned unharmed and smiling after four minutes. Could it be a hoax? Or do freedivers have superhuman abilities? But the author was surprised to discover the skill of diving deep and holding his breath for several minutes within himself. This revelation marked the beginning of a major investigation, which Nestor recounts in his book. As he dives deeper into the ocean, he observes whales, seals, and sharks — but above all, he watches people who expand our understanding of what is possible. Depth, it turns out, lies within each of us: incredible abilities are embedded deep in our consciousness and our genes.