London- a woman has broken one of the world's toughest sporting records by holding her breath and diving 122m under the Caribbean.
Human submarine, Tanya Streeter (30) Held her breath for 3 minutes and 38 seconds during her under water odyssey, British newspapers reported.
She beat the woman's free diving record of 95m in the category, which requires the diver to swim to the surface after riding to depths on a weighted sled.
The British woman also narrowly beat the men's record of 120m in her dive on Monday in the Turks and Caiscos Islands of the west coast of Florida.
"I've proved free diving can be done safely and responsibly. The record will probably won't sink until I've read about it, but for now I can say it feels good." Tanya said.
Diving to such depths with out the aid of breathing apparatus is extremely dangerous and the sport has claimed lives.
As the diver descends, the pressure increases and forces the lungs to compress. In addition, the brain can be starved of oxygen, leading to unconsciousness and drowning.
Streeter developed various exercises and techniques to allow her to survive, expanding her rib cage and exhaling heavily before descent. (See Pictures At the botttom of page!!)
� Fiona Fitzpatrick
2003
