"An infant will reflexively breaststroke when placed underwater and comfortably hold his breath... longer than many adults."
James Nestor is an author and journalist who has written for Outside, Scientific American, Dwell, National Public Radio, The New York Times, The Atlantic, Men's Journal, the San Francisco Chronicle Magazine, and others. His 2020 nonfiction book, Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, was an international bestseller, debuting on the Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times bestseller lists and spe
"If you were to split a seashell in half and look at it, thats whats happening in your nose. ...[A]ll of this ...evolved for a reason... [A]ir that comes in through the nose is slowed down... filtered... humidified and its conditioned, so by the time it gets to your lungs, your lungs can absorb that oxygen so much easier."
"I watch several more competitors... Many cant make it... They resurface with blood running... from their noses, unconscious, or in cardiac arrest. ...And somehow, this sport is legal."
"The ocean is the last truly quiet place left on Earth."
"[T]here is no oxygen tank at the end of the rope, and if there had been... their lungs would have exploded... and their blood would have bubbled with nitrogen before they reached the surface. ...The human body can withstand the pressures of a fast three-hundred-foot... ascent only in its natural state. Some humans handle it better than others."
"Other than ... freediving is the most dangerous adventure sport in the world."
"[B]est of all, divers will tell you, "Its open to everyone.""