Pompe dived off Sharm el Sheikh, in Egypt. She was supported by safety freedivers from Only One Apnea and by trimix divers from Tekstreme, Emperor Divers’ technical diving arm.
Involving descent by sled and a fin back to the surface, Variable Weight is the sport’s second-deepest category, after No Limits.
A first attempt failed before Pompe dived to 126m the next day. She was under water for 3min 16sec, of which 1min 20sec was spent descending.
The dive has been ratified by governing body AIDA, pending the result of a dope test.
It narrowly beat the 125m record of Russian Natalia Molchanova, set just four months ago. Before that, the record had sat for seven years with Briton and Caymanian Tanya Streeter, at 122m.
The dive was filmed by Sharm-based Blue Eye FX. Its footage can be seen at http://vimeo.com/15766339.
Pompe's success was all the sweeter for coming after training difficulties which tested the freediver’s resolve during the fortnight before the dive.
She suffered equalisation problems which nearly burst her eardrums, minor internal lung damage from squeeze, a short surface blackout and dives aborted through stress.
These problems notwithstanding, Pompe intends to go even deeper. She has her eye on Streeter’s No Limits record of 160m, which has stood for eight years.
In No Limits, a sled descent is followed by a balloon-assisted ascent.
Pompe works as a personal fitness trainer and freediving instructor. She is also a keen high-altitude mountaineer who will set out next May to climb Mount Everest without oxygen.
She would like to become the woman who has gone the highest and deepest through the combination of her mountaineering and freediving exploits.
Related links
Annelie Pompe website
AIDA
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