The Athletes Competing in the (New) Vertical Blue
Cetma Composites: Shark Vela
28 May 2025
To the Maldives with Pelizzari and Apnea Academy
6 June 2025
As already announced, Vertical Blue is back—with a brand-new format! The Instagram page gave us a sneak peek of the athletes who will be competing at Dean's Blue Hole. Here's the lineup of freedivers who will be present from July 1 to 11
Alenka Artnik: 16 world records and a personal best of 122 meters. One of the greatest freedivers of all time.
William Trubridge: 18-time world champion and organizer of Vertical Blue! His world record in CNF stood until recently, when it was surpassed by one meter. Will he try to reclaim it?
Alice Modolo: the first French freediver to break the 100-meter mark in constant weight. Also, the first freediver to carry the Olympic torch underwater.
Arnaud Jerald: 8 world records for the French athlete who helped bring renewed attention to the bi-fin discipline in deep diving.
Camilla Jaber: the Mexican freediver and stuntwoman who dives to 86 meters. At least, that’s what we remember! We’ll see if she surprises us with a new PB!
Walid Boudhiaf: the Tunisian record holder with a 150-meter dive in variable weight!
Claire Paris: ocean scientist, freediver, and American record holder.
Davide Carrera: the Italian athlete returns once again to the waters of the Bahamas, with five world records under his belt!
Vera Giampietro: a Swiss freediver with over 20 national records.
Riccardo Sobral: Portuguese, already posting stories enjoying the Bahamian vibes. We’re curious to see if the adaptation will lead him to new depths!
Yadira Sistos: the Mexican yoga instructor is nearing 70 meters in depth, and has surpassed 170 meters in dynamic.
Alfredo Roen: the Spanish athlete holds the national CWT (constant weight) record at 106 meters. Maybe he’ll set a new one!
Salma Shaker: the athlete from Saudi Arabia holds national records in all the disciplines she’s competed in. In a country where freediving is growing, new champions are emerging!
Jani Valdivia: the Peruvian freediver and apnea promoter was introduced to the sport thanks to Trubridge. The “neurosurgeon of the deep” continues to study the world of freediving—both on the surface and in competition.
Simon Bennett: Chilean and national record holder, he also took part in Vertical Blue 2022. We’ll see what’s new from him this year!
Harry Mccahill: British, national record holder in CNF, and a professional instructor and safety diver!
Mathias Llano: the Colombian athlete has already competed in the AIDA Colombian Cup. We’re looking forward to learning more about him in this edition of Vertical Blue!
Many seasoned athletes, lots of champions, and new faces to discover. Vertical Blue is starting again from here. All that’s left is to wait for a competition that promises to take our breath away!
