New world record 122m / 400ft

BIO

Arnaud Jerald is a world-class freediver—among the very best freedivers on earth. He has 8 World Records to his name—including, most notably, the Constant Weight Bi-Fins World Record, which he set in July at Dean's Blue Hole in the Bahamas, at the 2023 edition of Vertical Blue, the Wimbledon of freediving. Constant Weight Bi-Fins (CWTB) is one of the sport's four competitive depth disciplines, and Jerald's specialty discipline. His latest World Record-setting depth, 122 meters, marks the first time any human has reached 122 meters in CWTB competition.

Born and raised in Marseille, France, Jerald began freediving at a young age. Due to his dyslexia, school was a challenge, but he found great solace and freedom diving in the waters off of Marseille. As he describes it, at the bottom of the ocean, he opened his eyes and found a place where he felt safe, a place he could call home, a place where he could breathe freely. In 2017 he began to dive competitively and he reached 100 meters at 21 years old, becoming the youngest freediver in history to achieve that depth. Reflecting on the achievement, he marveled that there are more people who have gone into space than people who have dived to 100 meters with only a single breath.

In 2019, Jerald broke his first Constant Weight Bi-Fins World Record with a dive to 108 meters. In 2021, he won the CWTB Gold Medal at the Freediving World Championships in Kas, Turkey. In addition to his World Championships titles and his 8 World Record-setting dives, Jerald holds 12 national records and is a three-time CWTB Gold Medal winner at the French National Championships, making him one of the most accomplished freedivers in the history of France, a nation that has a longer history than most with the sport. Out of the water, Jerald is sponsored by Richard Mille—making him one of the few freedivers to ink an endorsement deal with a luxury-watch company. Jerald remains to this day based in Marseille.