New York man dies during freedive competition in Bahamas

A record-holding diver died during a freediving competition in the Bahamas on Sunday. In what officials have said is the first fatality in the sport's 21 years of official competition. American diver Nicholas Mevoli, a 32 year-old of Brooklyn, New York is the victim, was conscious when he surfaced from his 72-meter (236-foot) dive. Which is done without oxygen or fins, but he then blacked out about 30 seconds later, according to the statement by Vertical Blue, which are the ones who ran the freediving event in the Bahamas. His death appears connected to lung damage suffered during the dive. This also marks the first time a competitor has ever died during an officially sanctioned event in 21 years of more than 35,000 competitive dives.There were signs of trouble almost immediately as he surfaced, as the 32-year-old's eyes were blank and his words incoherent, the Times reported. He was then dragged onto a nearby platform and began vomiting blood into the sea, the Times reported. "He lost consciousness, and in spite of great efforts by the doctor and paramedic on site, failed to recover after reaching the local hospital," the AIDA statement said. "Nick appears to have suffered from a depth-related injury to his lungs."Mevoli, who had set a freediving record shortly after taking up the sport competitively in 2012, was described by AIDA as an "extraordinary talent."The competition was halted after his death then.

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