The Deepest Breath

Alessia, how do you feel about death?

Honestly, I've never thought about it.

I think if someone has to die, they will.

Honestly, I don't think about death. I'm not afraid of death.

I've never thought free diving could lead to death.

Okay, look at me.

Alessia was born in the afternoon, at around 20 to five.

That night, I lay awake in bed, thinking

about my wife, about my daughter.

You never forget it.

When you long for something...

you can't forget it.

This is one of Alessia's school essays.

"Do you ever think that the people around you, your classmates,

your friends, your parents,

don't understand your dreams?"

I want to achieve my dream at all costs.

I want to become a famous free diver.

Natalia Molchanova is my greatest idol.

I want to be just like her, a world champion.

I'm really embarrassed about this great dream of mine.

It sounds like one of those things you say when you're a kid

when asked what you want to be when you grow up.

There are only a few people who understand my dream.

My dad is one of those people.

He understands my passion for the sea and for free diving.

I'd do anything to make my dream come true.

If you don't have a dream to spur you on, you won't make it.

But the price you pay

is so high.

Alessia and Steve.

Their connection was very strong.

What brought them together?

I've always believed

that nothing ever happens to us by chance.

There's always a connecting thread.

Something that leads you down a certain road.

By the time I was 13, I knew what I wanted to do.

It wasn't easy to find a class when I was a kid.

They were all men.

I remember Alessia turning up with her dad.

This little girl with blue eyes.

I remember that I didn't even hear Alessia's voice. She just laughed.

I think I had done about 100 meters.

It took us many years to reach those numbers.

The kid did 105 meters.

That's when you ask yourself some questions!

How will it all end?

We went to some competitions for free diving in the sea.

They dived from the boat using a rock as a counterweight.

And I said, "Let's see how deep I can go."

By holding your breath,

you get to understand a lot more about yourself.

I managed to descend to 52 meters.

To see such a young girl

reach such depths

attracted a lot of attention.

And then the federation releases a statement

banning under-18s from taking part in official competitions.

In my darkest moments, I cried.

There were arguments with my father, with my coach.

At that moment, I said, "What am I going to do now?"

What's your name?

- Stephen? - Yes.

- Huh. Are you Christian? - Yes.

- In Ireland, we are... - Protestant?

No, Catholic.

Yes?

I wanted free diving to be my life.

So even though I saw four years as a really long time,

I said, "Okay. Come on, let's keep doing this."

Plenty of others would have said, "Okay."

"I'll do something else."

But not her. She carried on regardless.

She continued going to the pool,

to the sea.

Then you realize there's something that drives her.

Once she turned 18...

she suddenly arrived, like a rocket.

She immediately showed her potential.

150 meters in the pool.

At first, it was, "Wow."

But Ilaria was better.

I certainly wasn't expecting this result.

Here's Alessia Zecchini. Near the 200-meter wall.

Let's see if she turns.

No, she's coming out.

It was really tough.

I knew if I pushed more, I wouldn't have come out well.

Go on, Ilaria!

When someone out there is stronger than you,

it becomes another motivation.

I had to improve so much to set an Italian record.

For me, it took watching Natalia's videos to realize how I could get there.

My advice is that mental relaxation

is the foundation of free diving.

If we want to be successful underwater,

we should be relaxed, not running towards some goal.

That's good. Stop.

An amazing 224-meter performance.

Congratulations for this new Italian title.

Yes, it's amazing. At last!

With the lads in Ethiopia.

Diving the Arch has left a lasting impression on me.

I don't know. Of course, it's a dream.

Really, a dream for every athlete, I think.

But it's really difficult.

I want to improve by a few meters.

In fact, I hope to go well beyond 90 meters,

to then touch the three-digit number in a couple of years.

Everybody must have a dream and put all their effort in.

And really, everything is possible.

The deeper I'm diving,

the pressure compresses the air in my lungs,

until my lungs are the size of my fist.

After 30 meters, the pressure pushes me down.

It's called the free fall.

And this is, for me, the best part.

It feels like you are flying.

The silence, it's unique.

It's like being in the last quiet place on the Earth.

Safety, keep your distances.

Come on, Alexey.

3'30, it's a very long dive time.

Andrea, you go down as well.

- Trouble. - Yeah.

We're on day three of training.

I'm really pleased, because I've already beaten my personal best.

I've done 88 meters.

Excellent dive.

Can I have a message regarding the competition?

This time, I'm going to get the world record.

Thank you.

When I dive,

I often imagine myself swimming...

like a whale or dolphin.

Alessia Zecchini was extraordinary.

Her dive was extremely elegant in every respect.

Ninety-four meters.

- How many meters? - Ninety-four.

Wow. With Zecchini, we're not gonna stop.

It was all too surreal.

I was shocked.

It was really sad because she was so strong.

After Natalia's accident,

I began to realize that it could be dangerous.

I was going deeper and deeper.

It's black. It's dark. You feel locked inside.

You can see things that don't exist.

I was too scared.

I wanted to turn around and go back.

I didn't feel safe.

For you, what is success in life?

I suppose success is fulfilling your aspirations, goals, dreams.

I'm currently living in Egypt, where I run a free diving center.