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Dive
A world-champion competitor in the deadly sport of freediving tells the heart-wrenching story of his life with and without his beloved wife, Audrey, who died trying to break his own record. Francisco 'Pipin' Ferreras, a native of Cuba, is a world champion in the dangerous and controversial sport of freediving, in which athletes test the limits of their minds and bodies by diving to unthinkable depths without oxygen tanks. Audrey Mestre was a beautiful French marine biology student researching the physiology of freediving. When she decided to base her studies on the legendary Pipin, a passionate romance was born. Pipin and Audrey soon married and moved to Miami, where she took up the sport herself and proceeded to break the female world record (115 metres). They became freediving's power couple, constantly training together and encouraging one another. of the Dominican Republic while attempting to break the world record -- which was currently held by her husband. Now, for the first time, Pipin tells his own story. He addresses the controversy that has followed him throughout his career and defends his sport and his own records against criticism from peers. And Pipin opens up as never before, providing what no interviewer has been able to capture: a glimpse into the heart of a complex and haunted man. In his own words, he relates the tragic story of his relationship with Audrey -- a unique and complicated tale of love and competition taken to the extreme.
288 pages, Paperback
First published July 27, 2004
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February 13, 2015
Before reading this book, I absolutely knew nothing about freediving. I didn’t even know it was a sport to begin with. And I’d never heard of freediving’s super couple, Francisco (Pipín) Ferrares and his wife Audrey Mestre. It just suddenly came on my radar one day (see Watch This for more info about that!) But after that little piece of news, I knew I had to find out more about not only Pipín and Audrey, but the sport as well.
What is freediving?
Well, freediving is a form of underwater sport where a person sees how deep they can go in the ocean (usually) on a single breath. No oxygen tanks, no breathing apparatuses, nothing. Just you and your lungs. The diver goes down to the desired feet using a pole like structure. Once they reach their mark, they then ascend to the surface. There’s been some controversy over whether it’s an actual sport or not. Some people think it’s nothing more than an underwater version of Cirque de Soleil. But since there’s a committee to judge world records and such, it has been recognized by some as legitimate. Though I doubt it’ll ever earn its place as an Olympic sport.
From what I’ve read, it’s also an extremely dangerous sport. The human body is simply not naturally built for holding air in for insanely long periods of time. Heck, I can’t even hold my breath underwater for more than a minute, and I’ve been swimming my entire life. Just like any other sport, your body takes a beating over time. Blackouts, decompression sickness and burst eardrums are a common thing among professionals the older they get. What makes this so dangerous than sports such as football or baseball is that you’re underwater. Which means if you run out of breath, take too long or black out, you could drown. And drowning is NOT PRETTY.
The story of Audrey Mestre is tragic. A French born marine biology student living in Mexico, she meets
Pipín Ferrares while doing a thesis paper for one of her college classes. Pipín Ferrares has already made a name for himself on the free diving scene, as a championship free diver from Cuba (now living in Mexico).They fall deeply in love and, before long, Audrey picks up the sport that made him so famous to begin with. Breaking records right and left, they seem like an unstoppable team; the aging diver and his young protégée, ready to take on the free diving world by storm.
Unfortunately, this would not be the case. On October 12th, 2002, Audrey attempts to break her husband’s world record (and that of another lady free diver) by diving 170 meters. Yeah, you read that right. 170 meters. I’m not that good at math or anything, but that’s REALLLLLLLY deep. During the dive, things go horrifically wrong when a malfunction with the lift balloon (the thing that helps divers ascend to the surface) malfunctions. A dive that should have taken a little less than three minutes ends up taking more than 8 minutes, and Audrey winds up drowning.
The whole dive was riddled with probs from the start. There was just an overall uneasy feeling about the whole thing, not the right people on the ship (aka paramedics and breathing equipment), and perhaps most dangerous of all, a malfunction of one of the breathing apparatuses. The debate on that is a subject of controversy in the free diving world. Some say it was an honest mistake. Others say that Pipín deliberately forgot to fill it, essentially murdering his wife (from what I’ve read, I think it’s highly unlikely this is the scenario. Pipín may be a narcissist, but he’s not a murderer). What really happened, we’ll never know, but it was an absolute tragedy.
The Book
I thought this book was a very interesting look at a little known sport. I think it’s also a wonderful character study that shows what can happen when competition, ambition and borderline narcissism can do to a person. Why do I say narcissism? Because after reading this book, I’ve come to the conclusion that Pipín Ferrares is pretty close to one. Reading this book, you’d think this was the “Oh, Look How Great Pipín Ferrares Is” book, not a book about Audrey Mestre and the celebration of her life and achievements. Pipín doesn’t shy away from his successes at all, and never fails to take an opportunity to gloat about himself. Dude, even the cover doesn’t shy away from it. Those are his records on there, not Audrey’s.
He was also dangerously ambitious, more when it came to Audrey then when it came to himself.
The times in this book that I thought Pipín was being emotionally genuine was when he was talking about Audrey, Yes he pushed her and yeah, he might have seen her sometimes as more of a way for him to be famous again then an actual person. But from reading this book, you’ll walk away without a shred of doubt in your mind that he loved Audrey passionately. It practically drips of the page (but not in a corny way). He portrays Audrey as a saint, a Mother Teresa, the woman who made him a better man.
And judging from the snippets I’ve heard about her from interviews and what not, his sentiment is generally agreed upon. She was beautiful not only on the outside, but on the inside as well.
Overall Opinion
Despite some grammatical errors, this was a generally well-written book. It took the reader on an inside look into the world of free diving. Not only the scientific aspects, but the emotional and physical aspects as well. It shows what can happen when someone is pushed too far, and the extreme obsessions some people would go to be the best in the world.
Watch This!:This book would have never crossed my radar on things to read if it hadn’t been for one little fact. A couple of months ago, news broke that James Cameron and Gary Ross were going to produce and direct (respectively), a movie based on this book and the life of Audrey Mestre. And who was the lucky actress attached to star as her? The lovable, huggable, adorably awkward, eternally endearing, immensely talented Jennifer Lawrence!!
I have no doubt she’ll do a fantastic job, but knowing Hollywood, things could change in a heartbeat. But if all goes well, the film gets made, and Jennifer Lawrence is still starring as Audrey, you can bet everything that I’ll be going to see it!
In the meantime, while you’re waiting for the movie, I would suggest you go watch the riveting documentary, The Truth Behind the Deep. It does a good job looking at both sides of the story and how much of an impact these two made on the free diving community.
What is freediving?
Well, freediving is a form of underwater sport where a person sees how deep they can go in the ocean (usually) on a single breath. No oxygen tanks, no breathing apparatuses, nothing. Just you and your lungs. The diver goes down to the desired feet using a pole like structure. Once they reach their mark, they then ascend to the surface. There’s been some controversy over whether it’s an actual sport or not. Some people think it’s nothing more than an underwater version of Cirque de Soleil. But since there’s a committee to judge world records and such, it has been recognized by some as legitimate. Though I doubt it’ll ever earn its place as an Olympic sport.
From what I’ve read, it’s also an extremely dangerous sport. The human body is simply not naturally built for holding air in for insanely long periods of time. Heck, I can’t even hold my breath underwater for more than a minute, and I’ve been swimming my entire life. Just like any other sport, your body takes a beating over time. Blackouts, decompression sickness and burst eardrums are a common thing among professionals the older they get. What makes this so dangerous than sports such as football or baseball is that you’re underwater. Which means if you run out of breath, take too long or black out, you could drown. And drowning is NOT PRETTY.
The story of Audrey Mestre is tragic. A French born marine biology student living in Mexico, she meets
Pipín Ferrares while doing a thesis paper for one of her college classes. Pipín Ferrares has already made a name for himself on the free diving scene, as a championship free diver from Cuba (now living in Mexico).They fall deeply in love and, before long, Audrey picks up the sport that made him so famous to begin with. Breaking records right and left, they seem like an unstoppable team; the aging diver and his young protégée, ready to take on the free diving world by storm.
Unfortunately, this would not be the case. On October 12th, 2002, Audrey attempts to break her husband’s world record (and that of another lady free diver) by diving 170 meters. Yeah, you read that right. 170 meters. I’m not that good at math or anything, but that’s REALLLLLLLY deep. During the dive, things go horrifically wrong when a malfunction with the lift balloon (the thing that helps divers ascend to the surface) malfunctions. A dive that should have taken a little less than three minutes ends up taking more than 8 minutes, and Audrey winds up drowning.
The whole dive was riddled with probs from the start. There was just an overall uneasy feeling about the whole thing, not the right people on the ship (aka paramedics and breathing equipment), and perhaps most dangerous of all, a malfunction of one of the breathing apparatuses. The debate on that is a subject of controversy in the free diving world. Some say it was an honest mistake. Others say that Pipín deliberately forgot to fill it, essentially murdering his wife (from what I’ve read, I think it’s highly unlikely this is the scenario. Pipín may be a narcissist, but he’s not a murderer). What really happened, we’ll never know, but it was an absolute tragedy.
The Book
I thought this book was a very interesting look at a little known sport. I think it’s also a wonderful character study that shows what can happen when competition, ambition and borderline narcissism can do to a person. Why do I say narcissism? Because after reading this book, I’ve come to the conclusion that Pipín Ferrares is pretty close to one. Reading this book, you’d think this was the “Oh, Look How Great Pipín Ferrares Is” book, not a book about Audrey Mestre and the celebration of her life and achievements. Pipín doesn’t shy away from his successes at all, and never fails to take an opportunity to gloat about himself. Dude, even the cover doesn’t shy away from it. Those are his records on there, not Audrey’s.
”I was the king of free diving. I was in the business of endorsing diving products, filming underwater documentaries, and setting world records.”
”I carried a collection of magazine and newspaper clippings in my back pocket, and I wasn’t shy about showing them around.
He was also dangerously ambitious, more when it came to Audrey then when it came to himself.
”I told Carlos, again, that Audrey could break 180, and he told me, AGAIN, that I was getting dangerously ambitious. ”
The times in this book that I thought Pipín was being emotionally genuine was when he was talking about Audrey, Yes he pushed her and yeah, he might have seen her sometimes as more of a way for him to be famous again then an actual person. But from reading this book, you’ll walk away without a shred of doubt in your mind that he loved Audrey passionately. It practically drips of the page (but not in a corny way). He portrays Audrey as a saint, a Mother Teresa, the woman who made him a better man.
”Oh Audrey. My beautiful Audrey. My little water goddess.
”Audrey was an unusually good and loving person, and everyone she came in contact with felt it right away.”.
And judging from the snippets I’ve heard about her from interviews and what not, his sentiment is generally agreed upon. She was beautiful not only on the outside, but on the inside as well.
Overall Opinion
Despite some grammatical errors, this was a generally well-written book. It took the reader on an inside look into the world of free diving. Not only the scientific aspects, but the emotional and physical aspects as well. It shows what can happen when someone is pushed too far, and the extreme obsessions some people would go to be the best in the world.
Watch This!:This book would have never crossed my radar on things to read if it hadn’t been for one little fact. A couple of months ago, news broke that James Cameron and Gary Ross were going to produce and direct (respectively), a movie based on this book and the life of Audrey Mestre. And who was the lucky actress attached to star as her? The lovable, huggable, adorably awkward, eternally endearing, immensely talented Jennifer Lawrence!!
I have no doubt she’ll do a fantastic job, but knowing Hollywood, things could change in a heartbeat. But if all goes well, the film gets made, and Jennifer Lawrence is still starring as Audrey, you can bet everything that I’ll be going to see it!
In the meantime, while you’re waiting for the movie, I would suggest you go watch the riveting documentary, The Truth Behind the Deep. It does a good job looking at both sides of the story and how much of an impact these two made on the free diving community.
May 30, 2012
I always glance at the "staff picks" shelf at our local library and this was sitting on it the last time I went in. It went into my bag because 1) I'm a SCUBA diver and am fascinated by the world beneath the ocean's surface; 2)I watched "Big Blue" years ago and could not believe people would plunge to unimaginable depths on a SINGLE breath; and 3) I'm always up for a good love story. This book did not disappoint. Sure the writing itself was mediocre, and the writer himself has several character flaws (that I would argue contributed to the tragedy in this story) but I couldn't put this darn book down this past weekend. I still can't even comprehend Pipin's obsession with his "no limits" diving -- take a huge breath and hold it, climb onto a weighted sled to plummet FIVE FOOTBALL FIELDS below the ocean's surface, hit the mark below, then release a balloon that rockets you back to the ocean's surface, all in less than 4 minutes (you hope). And he describes in excruciating, horrifying detail all the physical effects for doing this to your body (and the countless ways you can die or be permanently disabled). So I keep reading with a lot of skepticism and inability to think this "sport" would ever become mainstream, and THEN he meets his soulmate who loves the ocean as much as he, and, you guessed it, starts "no limits" diving with him. And they share their passion and you get all wrapped up in their lovestruck life when, of course, she tragically dies on one of these insane record-setting dives. On the anniversary of her death he did a commemorative dive to honor her and set the record, but has he ever dived since? Has someone else broken his record? Why do people do stuff like this??????
January 7, 2008
I wish I could love somebody like he does.
May 13, 2019
consigliato anche ai profani/non praticanti l'apnea. Come tutte le storie che nascono dal cuore anche questa ti colpisce...
November 11, 2015
I decided to read this book because I just finished Deep: Freediving, Renegade Science, and What the Ocean Tells Us about Ourselves, which called into question Ferreras' role in his wife's death. After reading The Dive, I am convinced that Pipin didn't have any criminal intent, but I'm also convinced that Audrey's death was mostly Pipin's fault.
This book was very compelling. The subtitle succinctly described the text: a story of love and obsession. No Limits deep sea diving sounds suicidal with very perks, practical or otherwise. Nevertheless, Ferreras' narration describes diving with enough passion to make me look forward to freediving more and more. I strongly recommend this book to anybody with a love of the ocean and extreme sports.
This book was very compelling. The subtitle succinctly described the text: a story of love and obsession. No Limits deep sea diving sounds suicidal with very perks, practical or otherwise. Nevertheless, Ferreras' narration describes diving with enough passion to make me look forward to freediving more and more. I strongly recommend this book to anybody with a love of the ocean and extreme sports.
October 25, 2012
a fascinating insight into the life of a free diver. I found him to be endearingly honest about his shortcomings although I guess those are no secret, since there is a more negative account of Audrey's last dive from his former partner Carlos. In the end, I think it's important to remember that in scuba you are taught that ultimately *you* are responsible for your gear, your depths, your limits. people who blame pipin squarely take away from the autonomy of Audry, even if she was younger and deeply in love.
I loved living vicariously through Pipin and Audry and enjoyed getting to know more about this sport.
I loved living vicariously through Pipin and Audry and enjoyed getting to know more about this sport.
March 14, 2015
Despite the topic and the author's traditional profession, this book was an amazing narrative about an amazing story. As a certified open water diver, the way in which Pipin, and Audrey, experienced the ocean gives me a new appreciation, and I am grateful that Pipin has allowed such a private, intriguing look into their lives together. I would recommend this to all divers, and anyone who appreciates the life-changing experience under the surface that Pipin has managed to put so well into words.
March 15, 2014
I really enjoyed this book. It combines two of my favorite themes-memoir and extreme human endeavors-to tell a story I wanted to know more about after reading about Pipin and Audrey online. I read this in one day after receiving a used copy from Amazon. Only 4 stars because I think Pipin is likely an unreliable narrator and I am glad I also ordered the book written by Pipin's former dive partner about the same fateful dive!!
July 11, 2014
Love binds us together in mysterious ways. The divers in this story loved each other and their sport of deep diving. I remember my dive instructor saying "nitrogen narcosis can give you a feeling known as 'rapture of the deep'......and then you die.
Also, inspiring for the fitness necessary to do this sport. I'll be swimming, jogging and weight lifting for the rest of my life to get into the shape necessary for my next "deep dive" into literature.
Also, inspiring for the fitness necessary to do this sport. I'll be swimming, jogging and weight lifting for the rest of my life to get into the shape necessary for my next "deep dive" into literature.
January 6, 2010
Ive read this book way to many times to not be in love with it. Everytime i read it i feel more and more like pipin in his diving adventures. I feel the way he feels when he falls in love with audrey and their life up until the tragedy. Their experience and passion together in the water is really inspiring. Very Good Read!
June 21, 2014
I really enjoyed this book: a memoir of a 'free diver' and the love story and tragic loss of his beautiful wife. I don't think I've ever heard of free diving before and it was really interesting to learn about it. A very honest and funny memoir, the author shares his flaws and story quite openly. There were many beautiful passages describing the author and his wife's love of the ocean
August 11, 2008
This book reveals a story of power, obsession, and love. It's hard to put down once you've started. It also leaves you with a feeling of wondering who to believe. I, personally, would love to meet Pipin Ferreras in person. I find his pursuit of perfection simply fascinating.
August 26, 2008
Incredible sport if you are a fan of the water. The writing is something to be desired. But it's interesting to learn about the sport of free diving, and a married couple who competed and ultimately paid a price for the sport's danger.
January 9, 2008
Tale of love and devotion...and a fascinating look at the capacity of the human...
June 28, 2016
Here's my review: http://www.learntodivetoday.co.za/blo...
May 3, 2011
This is a 'real' love story. The incredible life of Pipin Ferreras and Audrey Mestre. A full life of diving adventure and world records.
April 21, 2012
Awesome book! Sad story about life lived to the extremes, haunting.
October 8, 2012
A great true story.
October 3, 2015
Great love story. Well written. Enjoy !
August 24, 2023
Fascinating story written by a guy that only seems to care about himself and achieving fame. Very one sided tale of what really happened.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews