The following post is part of a brand news series entitled HIGH LIFE. Each week ELEVATION will present a multimedia profile on an inspiring individual who is achieving great things and working hard toward a better future. In this series, we will explore fascinating vocations, passions, and ways of life in diverse places around the globe.
A freediving champion
Nicole Edensbo is a world-class freediver. What does a freediver do, you ask? Essentially – although there are variations on the sport – she holds her breath and dives as deep under the surface of the ocean as possible without the aid of a breathing apparatus or motorized equipment. And Nicole is very, very good at this. She currently holds four national records in Sweden and won the “pool freediving” national championship in both 2018 and 2019. (In pool freediving, the athlete swims horizontally as far as possible without taking a breath.) Remarkably, the 32-year-old did not begin competing in the sport until 2016.
Photo credits: Bastien Soleil – @theoceanismyplayground
Guillaume Estève – @guillaume.esteve
Nicole is capable of holding her breath for over 7 minutes. She can swim horizontally under water for 210 meters (688 feet). Her deepest ocean freedive to date is 86 meters (282 feet) below the surface. For reference, the famed Lilla Bommen tower (shown below) in Gothenburg, where Nicole lives, is exactly 86 meters tall.
Born in Linköping, Sweden, Nicole comes from a family of water lovers. She cultivated her freediving and harpoon fishing skills in Crete, Greece, where she lived and worked before relocating to Gothenburg for university. Although she still holds down a job as a civil engineer, Nicole is dedicating an increasing amount of time to competitive freediving and exploring submerged caves and rock formations. When she’s not underwater, she keeps in shape by running, spinning, strength training, and practicing yoga. She is currently a brand ambassador for two diving gear companies: Fourth Element and Triton.
Click these links to access Nicole’s website and her Instagram feed.
To hear about what motivates Nicole in her own words, watch the brief video below.
The Global Ghost Gear Initiative
Nicole invites ELEVATION readers to learn about and support the Global Ghost Gear Initiative. The organization is the world’s largest alliance committed to solving the problem of abandoned fishing gear. It has three key aims: 1) to improve the health of marine ecosystems; 2) to safeguard human health and livelihoods; and 3) to protect marine animals from harm.
Nicole Edensbo in action
Below are videos of Nicole doing what she does best.
- Competing in the 2019 AIDA World Championships in Villefranche-sur-Mer, France.
2) Swimming 135 meters with just one breath of air.
This is awesome! Well written.
Never did I know the Swedish free diver champ was from my country.