Revered freediver Molchanova feared dead
MADRID: The Russian woman considered one of the greatest freedivers of all time is feared dead after she failed to surface after a dive in the Mediterranean.
Natalia Molchanova was diving without fins to a planned depth of 35 metres (115ft) near La Savina port on Formentera, a small island south of Ibiza, where it is feared she may have encountered a strong underwater current.
Molchanova, 53, holds 41 world records in freediving — diving without breathing apparatus — and can hold her breath for nine minutes. In May, she dived to a depth of 71 metres in waters off Egypt.
The local coastguard and the Guardia Civil arrived in the area at 5pm local time on Sunday after Molchanova’s friends reported her missing.
A helicopter monitored the area and private boats joined the search, said Miguel Félix Chicon, head of Spain’s coastguard in the Balearic Islands. “We searched all evening until the sun set. We combed the entire zone and ruled out the possibility that she was near the surface.”
Chicón said Molchanova was believed to be wearing weights, often used by freedivers to help the descent. “Everything suggests she was wearing weights of around six kilos,” he said. Rescue workers, having failed to find Molchanova near the surface, believe she did not remove the weights, pushing the search to the depths of the sea. “The area now being searched reaches depths of around 80 metres. And those depths make things very complicated,” Chicón said.