Herbert Nitsch aims for 800 feet with the help for Breitling products in the Breitling Extreme 800.

Written by: Vanessa Formato

Freediving may not be what most people think of when they think about extreme sports. Breitling, one of the most respected names in premium sports watches, knows that extreme diving represents one of the final frontiers for testing human endurance. Alongside their brand ambassador, Herbert “The Flying Fish” Nitsch, Breitling aims to prove just how incredible the human spirit– and their equipment– is with the Breitling Extreme 800 event.

The Breitling Extreme 800 will be a No-Limits Apnea dive. No-Limits Apnea is a diving discipline recognized that involves competitive breath-holding. Divers submerge to extreme depths with the help of metal bars, or “sleds,” and may dive in any way that they prefer. This kind of freediving is extremely dangerous, and many apnea diving organizations are hesitant to recognize it due to the dangers involved. Over the years, many divers have died while attempting No-Limits divers.

According to Nitsch’s website, he has “set 31 world records in all [eight] official disciplines [ratified] by the World Governing Freediving Federation A.I.D.A.” Nitsch has been setting records since 2001 and holds like current 700-foot record.

Nitsch is also well-known among divers for the techniques he employs to dive to such extreme depths, which he will surely employ during the Breitling challenge. Nitsch empties his breath into a small bottle at an early point in the descent, which he then using during the rest of the dive to aid in equalization.

In the recently released trailer for the event, Nitsch can be seen wearing one of Breitling’s professional watches, the Superocean Chronograph II. Breitling is one of the preferred chronograph lines for aviators and divers (Nitsch is a former pilot as well as a diver). It may be safe to say that Breitling is making a wise choice in publicizing such an extreme dive: Nitsch will be acting as a live billboard for the brand. If a Breitling watch can survive the most extreme feat ever attempted by the “Deepest Man on Earth,” then it is surely worth the premium price tag.

While Breitling announced the Extreme 800 event earlier in 2011, it will not be happening until the summer of 2012. Nitsch has a gargantuan task ahead of him to train for and the year will surely be necessary for training purposes. Nitsch does not see the 800-foot mark as the stopping point: his ultimate goal is to successfully freedive to 1000 feet.

Nitsch and Breitling fans will be updated on Nitsch’s progress up until the day of the Extreme 800 through Breitling’s website.