Stig Severinsen: Superhuman or Dolphin in Disguise
At the tail end of 2020, 4x freediving world champion Stig Severinsen came out of retirement one more time to set a new Guinness World Record after a 7 year hiatus. I got the chance to interview Stig and his trusty sidekick Bøf (Stig never goes anywhere without him) about his new world record.
How did you feel during the swim?
This swim was a great dive where I could let go and completely “surrender” in the state of Flow and let time dissolve. It is a very different experience diving in the ocean, with waves, currents, and wind.
Also, the salt water, more limited view etc. makes it very special and distinct from any diving in a swimming pool. I was very happy that I ended the dive with a strong finish and a big smile — that is how I teach all my students to end their performance and I still think this is an important lesson to pass on to the world — especially in these times of great challenge on a global scale.
How long did you train? What did the training and preparation involve?
This record has taken all of 2020 to prepare and finalize — that is also why I have decided to name it “The 2020 Dive”. I had to order a new specialized and highly customized monofin from Molchanovs (the “merman” or dolphin tale I have on my feet) and even a special suitcase to put the monofin in since we can no longer travel with those big fins inside the airplane. With Corona restrictions, tax payments with customs etc. this process alone took several months! Then I had to train with the fin, adopt a new style, and make sure the monofin became a natural extension of my body.
By some random chance or godly intervention, there was a little dolphin living in the Limfjord of my home town Aalborg all summer. So I would train with him and every time I jumped in the water, he would find me and swim under my belly — upside down. It was quite obvious to me he also felt socially isolated, since dolphins usually live in large family groups called pods.
I have also trained with very high tech swim goggles, called FormSwim. They provide real-time data on a smart display inside — in front of my right eye — so with a glance I can see the time elapsed, my pulse rate, and other important metrics. It is fun to be able to test the latest technology in swimwear and I could even link the goggles to my Garmin 6X Sapphire watch and track all swim practice from GPS on satellite maps.
To also raise awareness on plastic pollution and new and alternative ways to deal with this, I use special socks in my monofin (to protect my toes from scratches and blisters) that are made of a nonwoven material made from recycled PET fibers (old bottles) from a company called Fiberpartner using a so-called Primaloft Bio-Technology. The socks are biodegradable in the ocean (it will take about 2–3 years), so if I drop my socks, they will not end up as ocean plastic.
My breath hold practice actually started way back in March and April 2020, when I was in Corona lockdown in Malaga in Southern Spain, where I am lucky to also live and have a second home. I would do Static Apnea in my pool (breath holds) — usually, I do 3 or 4 dives in a row — ranging from 5–8 minutes.
The first week of March I had been filming with the Discovery Channel in Zanzibar in Africa where I was training Danish tennis legend Caroline Wozniacki and her entire family in the Breatheology Method, so they did both breathwork, mindset training and breath holding — both in a swimming pool and in the deep sea. So there I also got some great training since I also acted as Main Safety Diver and dove many times up and down the line every day. On a funny side note, it can be mentioned that the husband of Caroline, David Lee, who is a former All-Star professional basketball player, has been afraid of water since his childhood. So it was a great challenge to get him into the deep, diving in the middle of the ocean, but he showed remarkable bravery and also found the ability to “surrender” and start loving the water again. So he was my best student even if he did not dive the deepest!
In late August, I trained in an amazing place called Y-40 in Italy — one of the deepest mineral water tanks in the world. Here we also hosted our Breatheology Instructor Certification and we were lucky to finish the training and certify all 30 students from every corner of the world, shortly before Corona again forced a new lockdown.
All September I stayed in Portugal where the weather was perfect for surfing, swimming and running on the beach. There I focused more on bodywork, yoga, and breathing exercises for core strength and stamina.
My final and more specific training was carried out in beautiful La Paz, Mexico where I arrived by early October. I started a more strict training regiment consisting of daily morning yoga and stretching my lungs. I also held my breath every morning in bed since I did not have a training partner to watch me and help in a swimming pool or the sea. Also, because of the Corona restrictions, all swimming pools were closed.
So even if I usually train breath holding in water, and prefer this way of training because the Mammalian Dive Response (MDR) kicks in and helps you get more used to breath holding and being in water, I had to reinvent my training and do it “dry”. I always would start with a light “dive” (breath hold) about 4, 5 or 6 minutes — then increase slowly and end with a 7 or 8 minutes hold. I would record my pulse rate, oxygen saturation and other physiological parameters to store and review.
As mentioned, I did not have a training partner for all my water training, so I had to do most training on dry land — which is a bit weird when you are training for a new world record in the ocean ;)
But I knew how effective “Walking Apnea” was, because I have trained this style for the last 25 years, and this is also what I now teach to the Danish Navy SEALS and other Special Operating Units around the world. And of course, to the pro surfers and other athletes that I help.
So after my breath holding in bed, I would walk outside and have the dogs follow me around the garden. Holding my breath and walking for 3 minutes would simulate diving (swimming dynamically with my monofin in the ocean) so this was a great way to prepare for high levels of lactic acid (pain ;) ) and high levels of carbon dioxide loads (CO2 Tolerance Training).
I also focused more on stretching exercises than actually strength and I changed my diet to more organic food (ceviche, guacamole, vegetables and fruits, nuts and loads of coconut water and normal water) and lost about 5 pounds.
Fortunately, I had a “jungle gym” available in the garden 24/7 — so I would train in the early mornings or late afternoon or evening to minimize dehydration and sunburns.
There was a lot of logistical and legal preparation and luckily my good old friend, Luke Inman, owns and runs Cortez Expeditions in La Paz, which is a dive shop specialized in advanced diving, expeditions, filming, and photo assignments.
We needed a lot of legal permits to be allowed to actually dive in La Balandra, because this is a protected marine area and we also needed approval from the Department of Tourism. The beaches had limited access and daily limits on how many people could enter (because of COVID-19) so the training and preparation were not always easy.
I was responsible for the main application with Guinness World Records in London and had a great dialogue and received much help over several months. Even if I have broken Guinness World Records for almost 20 years and know of the “paperwork” involved, I can verify that this is no small feat — swimming for a new world record feels easier at times ;)
The choice of La Paz to set this new Guinness World Record almost came to me in a dream or very clear moment. La Paz literally means “The Place of Peace” and I have enjoyed visiting and training for the last 8 or 9 years. It is a remarkable place with friendly people, easy access to the rich Sea of Cortez, the waters Jacques Cousteau called “The Aquarium of the World”. I guess he was right — I have been blessed to swim with whale sharks, train with sea lions and dolphins and even observe a blue whale up close — the largest animal ever to live on planet Earth.
After days of research on Google Earth, I found three spots that I found highly suitable for my record attempt — because of the placement related to winds, currents, and access. Plus the fact that we could easily change the site, if the conditions changed rapidly, as they often do at sea. Finally, this is one of the most beautiful and serene places I have ever experienced so I wanted this picturesque and strong vibration of nature to show clearly in the final dive and in the video of the record attempt. I am very concerned with all these small details since I dream of the entire dive and concept to ensure maximum impact.
Why did you decide to go for another Guinness World Record after all these years?
The reason to come out of “retirement” and set another official Guinness World Record was mainly because of Corona and the global effect this had on every single citizen on the globe.
I did not think I would do any more records because I felt quite happy and proud about my former accomplishments — the first human ever to hold my breath more than 20 minutes under water. The first person to dive deeper than 200 feet into the ocean without any equipment and the first person to swim 500 feet under ice.
But I felt I still had something to contribute to the world and I needed to create a clear and appealing “message”. As many people might know, I have dedicated my life to helping people breathe better — for optimal health and performance. I do this with my company and online platform, Breatheology, where our mission is to “Make the world breathe better — one breath at a time”. I want to see breath work implemented into every school, every military facility, every hospital, and every senior citizen and nursing home.
When Corona hit Europe in March, 2020, I decided to donate my best selling book “Breatheology — The Art of Conscious Breathing” to the world. It has been translated into 10 languages so this was a great way to reach and help people from all corners of the planet. Since it was an electronic version (eBook as a PDF) it was easy to distribute and to receive. In Breatheology, we also created an online video-course, “Breath Training in Corona Crisis” that followed with the eBook — also for free.
Since then, I am still to see any help or guidance from the World Health Organization (WHO), hospitals, doctors and politicians. I believe they have all failed miserably, in providing information and practical solutions on how to breathe better, stay more active and mentally calm and stress-resilient. Particularly, when sitting home in isolation — and especially when you are lonely or elderly.
So I thought to myself that I still had an important message to the world — especially when the “Second Wave” of Corona hit late 2020 in many areas.
What do you think is the most important takeaway from this new record?
With an official Guinness World Record, I knew that if I prepared well, hired good people to promote and plan everything around the dive (PR manager, Video Editor, Social Media Expert etc/) this performance “The 2020 Dive” would be my way of expressing that in spite of a pandemic, loneliness, travel restrictions, social isolation, training challenges, delay and much more — we still have to stay positive, inventive and look at new ways of doing things. And stay focused on the correct priorities. Taking care of ourselves, each other, and nature.
We must not let fear and panic take over — we must not be paralyzed and forget to focus on climate change, nature conservation, human health, and well-being.
My main message would be that with breathing practices and even breath holding, we can take the control back to ourselves. Control over our body (health and fitness) and our mind (positive thinking and thankfulness).
Also — the reason I chose 202.0 meters is not coincidental. It represents the year 2020 and is a showcase of accuracy and dedication to hit a very specific number. It is not the first time either that I have chosen a very specific number as a goal.
When I was the first to cross the magical 20-minutes barrier in 2010 — I did it with a dive time of 20 minutes and 10 seconds. Again, this number was specifically chosen as a goal to reflect attention to detail and dedication. Plus — I chose to do this breath hold in a tank full of sharks — to raise awareness that sharks are not just out to kill you, but are actually beautiful animals that we need to understand and respect as they hold a very important role in nature as apex predators. The date I performed the first breath hold over 20 minutes — April 1st — was also chosen deliberately. When you tell many people that you can hold your breath for over 20 minutes, they imagine you are joking and over the world April 1st is known as April’s Fool Day.
Over the last 10 years, the aspect of storytelling has become increasingly important to me. I see and understand the power of delivering messages in a more clear and entertaining light. So — I thought it was time to set a new Guinness World Record 10 years after I was the first person to hold my breath for over 20 minutes — honoring and condensing the year of 2020 into a world record dive performance.
With a fast-paced modern world — now challenged even more by the rise of the coronavirus, I think we can all feel lost at times. Feeling frustrated, lonely and with great concern of what the future might hold.
We are distanced from our bodies and from Nature.
So I hope my latest Guinness World Record, The 2020 Dive, will be an optimistic and gentle reminder that as human beings we can all find our inner Superhuman powers and do remarkable things.
With Conscious Breathing and a positive mindset, we can feel empowered and keep dreaming bigger and reach our goals!
Are there any plans for a new record attempt?
Right now I simply use all my energy and focus to get my message out to the world. So with Team Breatheology and another few collaborators, I am spending all waking hours giving interviews to various media, podcasts, articles etc. speaking about the dive but more importantly how I think the simple strategies and exercises from Breatheology can help hundreds of millions of people in need — without any dangerous or unknown side-effects!
After a big record, it is also important to stop and reflect. Feel the gratitude and understand on a higher level, how the great support I received from family, friends and business partners throughout 2020 helped me create and “crystalize” the year into a simple dive.
One can say this was my “Masterpiece” — at least for this year — and I am happy and thrilled to share it with the world. especially since people of all ages, religious background and political views seem to catch the message immediately and intuitively.
What is your advice for someone that is just taking up freediving or breath holding?
The first advice is to never hold your breath alone underwater. This is a golden rule of any diving or swimming.
My second advice would be to simply get started. Your body is an amazing “machine” — in fact, most people never use or explore their body fully. Thus not knowing what it is truly capable of. Both related to performance but certainly also related to staying healthy or recovering from illness or an accident.
So by making small breath holds (start with a pause of 10 seconds) one can start to experience the wonderful “stillness” and state of bliss or peace. This might not happen the first day — especially not if one feels stressed. But with time, one can learn to hold the breath longer — go against the strongest reflex in life (the urge to breathe) and thus manage to become comfortable in an uncomfortable situation.
This ability to stay calm and make better decisions can be used in all aspects of life.
My third advice would be to download my free eBook or join our free 7-days Breath Hold Challenge. Both are available on our website and thousands of people have joined and given us very positive feedback and warm-felt thank you. You could also watch my TED Talk “Breathholding is the new black” where I explain the many positive benefits of breath-holding and altered mind states.
Especially in these times of new lockdowns and restricted travel and outdoor training, it is great to be able to learn and train in the comfort of your own home.
My fourth and final advice to anyone who is interested in freediving or wants to learn how to hold their breath longer and safer is to find a freediving school somewhere in the world. There are many agencies and teachers available so look around and choose the one who seems to best match your needs and financial situation.
Most importantly, keep an open mind and stay curious about the new adventures awaiting in getting more acquainted with your breathing — and even not breathing.
Once you start to feel all the positive side-effects on your body and mind — maybe even your soul — the onward journey and exploration will never end.
Stig is the founder of Breatheology. A company whose mission is to teach people the correct way of breathing. If you would like to learn more about Breatheology you can go here: Breatheology.com. You can also then decide if he is a superhuman or a dolphin in disguise.
