Freediver Sets Depth Record, Claims She Saw the Bottom of the Ocean and 'It Was Disappointing'

Freediver Natasha Abyssal has set a new women's constant weight world record of 134 meters, descending on a single breath to a depth that she described at her post-dive press conference as 'profoundly underwhelming.' 'Everyone talks about the deep ocean like it's this mystical frontier,' Abyssal said, still wrapped in a thermal blanket. 'I've now been deeper than almost any human without equipment, and I can report that it is dark, cold, muddy, and there was a tire down there. A Bridgestone. At 134 meters. That's my report from the abyss.' The dive, conducted off the coast of the Bahamas, took three minutes and forty-seven seconds. Abyssal descended along a weighted guide rope, reached the target depth, retrieved the proof tag, and ascended in what judges confirmed was textbook form. 'The descent was transcendent,' Abyssal allowed. 'The light fades, the pressure builds, the world narrows to a single point of focus. And then you reach the bottom, and it's silt. Just silt. And the tire. I don't want to keep coming back to the tire, but it was really there and it really detracted from the moment.' The record surpasses the previous mark of 130 meters set in 2024. The depth verification team confirmed the tag retrieval and the tire, noting it was 'not part of the course setup' and has since been retrieved for environmental reasons. Abyssal says she will attempt 140 meters next year but has tempered her expectations. 'I imagine there will be more mud,' she said. 'Possibly a shopping cart. The ocean floor is basically a parking lot once you get past the pretty parts.' Her coach has suggested she focus on the athletic achievement rather than the aesthetics of the seafloor. Abyssal agreed this was 'probably healthier.'