Dubai: A group of freedivers is taking the breath away of visitors to the Dubai Mall aquarium.
The intrepid bunch of nine freedivers (diving without a breathing apparatus) demonstrates this rare feat while mingling with sharks and other animals.
The display - from May 5 to 8, held every two hours from 2pm-10pm - sees the divers, submerged without oxygen tanks, doing a breath-hold of over three minutes while being surrounded by over 50 species of sharks. As they perform acrobatics, a member outside provides a running commentary.
The idea, as Dubai-based Arnaud Palu, one of the freedivers points out, is to dispel misplaced fears about the danger of sharks and learning to live in harmony with the environment.
"We are showing that not all sharks are dangerous. We can co-exist with other species without being threatened," he said.
Yoga techniques
The freedivers, who are performing under the aegis of the freediving club NoTanx from London, have been trained in yoga breathing techniques.
NoTanx founder Marcus Greatwood explained how freedivers are distinct from the more common scuba divers and snorkellers, as they can remain submerged for long periods of time on just a lungful of air.
He said scuba diving involves training based around using a compressed air tank. Freedivers, on the other hand, use bare minimum equipment and spend months and years, learning to breathe easily underwater, he added.
The nine-member team includes a newcomer and a world champion. From a piano restorer to a stunt co-ordinator, they come from different walks of life.
First of its kind
The Dubai Mall aquarium, which was recently in the news when a leak in its acrylic front wall was rectified, has around 33,000 aquatic animals living in 10 million litres of water.
The ongoing show, believed to be the first of its kind in the world, is free to view. However, those wanting to go inside the tunnel to get a feel of being with the divers will have to pay.
World Records
Freedivers trained by NoTanx use ancient yoga breathing techniques. Some of them have achieved world records diving for over 10 minutes or deeper than 200 metres on a single breath. Unlike scuba divers, freedivers use minimum equipment and dive on just one lungful of air - a state called apnea.
