Top 10 World Record Freedives of 2025
Ranked by Just How Insane They Were
By Deena Lynch
Contributor Aleksandr Bogdashkin
Zsófia Törőcsik in the breathe-up before a dive that redefined what was possible for women in freediving. © @seawater_uw_photographer.
2025 will be remembered as one of the most explosive years in freediving history. Across pool and depth disciplines, athletes didn’t just edge past existing records — many shattered them, redefining what the human body can achieve on… one. single. breath.
To keep things fair (and fun), we’ve ranked the Top 10 World Record Freedives of 2025 by margin over the previous record, starting with the smallest improvements and diving toward the most jaw-dropping leap of the year.
Cue the drum roll.
#10 Legends Holding the Line
Alenka Artnik & Alexey Molchanov | Constant Weight
Alexey Molchanov, our CEO, pushed the CWTB record to 127m at Deep Dominica.
The countdown begins with two icons of depth freediving.
In July at Vertical Blue, Alenka Artnik reached 123 meters in Constant Weight (CWT), matching Alessia Zecchini’s AIDA world record from 2023. With that dive, the two now share the absolute mark in the discipline with a powerful statement of consistency and longevity at the top.
Later in the year at the AIDA World Championships in Limassol, Alexey Molchanov descended to 126 meters in Constant Weight with Bifins (CWTB), equaling Arnaud Jerald’s performance from earlier in the season. And Alexey wasn’t quite done yet! On December 1st at Deep Dominica, he pushed the CWTB record to 127 meters, marking his 41st career world record, and achieved this with the Molchanovs PRO Hyper Fiberglass Bifins.
These were precise, controlled, high-stakes dives and required absolute mastery from these two legends at the top of their game.
Records
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Alenka Artnik — 123m CWT
09.07.2025 · Vertical Blue · Dean’s Blue Hole, Bahamas -
Alexey Molchanov — 126m CWTB
26.09.2025 · AIDA World Championships · Limassol, Cyprus
Alexey Molchanov — 127m CWTB
01.12.2025 · Deep Dominica Freediving Competition
#9 Pool Powerhouses
Mateusz Malina & Kai Chan | Dynamic No Fins
Ninth place takes us into the pool and into the brutal world of Dynamic No Fins (DNF).
At the CMAS World Championships in Athens, Mateusz Malina extended his own DNF world record in a 50-meter pool to 239.5 meters, improving his 2024 mark by 1.5 meters. Weeks later, at the AIDA World Championships in Japan, Kai Chan pushed the distance even further to 240 meters.
While AIDA does not differentiate records between 25-meter and 50-meter pools — meaning Mateusz’s 250m dive in a 25-meter pool from 2022 still stands officially — completing 240 meters in a 50-meter pool can be regarded as an “absolute” benchmark due to the reduced number of turns and increased oxygen cost.
Two elite performances, separated by centimeters, showcasing the razor-thin margins at the top.
Records
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Mateusz Malina — 239.5m DNF
20.05.2025 · CMAS World Championships · Athens, Greece -
Kai Chan — 240m DNF (Unofficial)
29.06.2025 · AIDA World Championships · Wakayama, Japan
#8 Trading the Crown
Arnaud Jerald | Constant Weight with Bifins
At eighth place is a familiar rivalry and a brilliant display of consistency.
At Vertical Blue, Arnaud Jerald first equaled Alexey Molchanov’s 125m CWTB world record, then five days later pushed it to 126 meters. Two months after that, Alexey matched Arnaud’s new mark, continuing a rivalry that has defined the discipline since 2019.
Between the two of them, Arnaud and Alexey have advanced the CWTB record from 108 meters to 126 meters which is an extraordinary progression. Though both athletes dive with Molchanovs bifins, they use different models and techniques, reflecting how equipment choice is deeply personal at the elite level.
Records
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Arnaud Jerald — 125m CWTB
01.07.2025 · Vertical Blue · Dean’s Blue Hole, Bahamas -
Arnaud Jerald — 126m CWTB
06.07.2025 · Vertical Blue · Dean’s Blue Hole, Bahamas
#7 Breaking the CNF Barrier
Petar Klovar | Constant Weight No Fins
Few records in freediving carry as much emotional weight as Constant Weight No Fins (CNF).
In May, Petar Klovar reached 103 meters CNF at the Freediving World Cup in Sharm El-Sheikh, finally surpassing William Trubridge’s legendary 102m record from 2016.
Why does this rank seventh despite its historic importance? Because CNF progresses in painfully small steps and this record moved forward by “just” one meter, or 0.98%. But anyone who understands CNF knows that a single meter at this depth can represent years and years of work.
Only five people in history have gone beyond 90 meters in CNF. The 100-meter barrier was once considered nearly impossible. Petar’s dive wasn’t just a number but a long-awaited breakthrough for the discipline. An incredible moment in freediving history.
Record
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Petar Klovar — 103m CNF
26.05.2025 · Freediving World Cup · Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt
#6 The Longest Laps
Mateusz Malina | Dynamic with Monofin
Mateusz Malina appears again in our Top 10 list and for good reason.
At the CMAS World Championships Indoor in Athens, he extended his Dynamic with Monofin (DYN) world record to an astonishing 326.5 meters, adding over five meters to his previous best. For context, that’s more than six and a half laps of an Olympic pool on a single breath.
With this performance, Mateusz swept all three dynamic disciplines at the championships, becoming the only athlete since Natalia Molchanova to achieve triple gold at a Pool World Championship. Bravo!
Record
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Mateusz Malina — 326.5m DYN
24.05.2025 · CMAS World Championships · Athens, Greece
#5 Pushing Women’s Depth
Alessia Zecchini | Constant Weight with Bifins
Fifth place goes to Alessia Zecchini, who set a new women’s CWTB world record at 113 meters during the CMAS World Cup in the Philippines.
Alessia surpassed Alenka Artnik’s 111m record from 2023, continuing the steady progression of women’s depth freediving. The Philippines has rapidly emerged, not just as a beautiful destination for fun freediving, but as a key training and competition hub, and records like this show why.
Record
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Alessia Zecchini — 113m CWTB
18.05.2025 · CMAS World Cup · Philippines
#4 The 300-Meter Wall
Mateusz Malina | Dynamic with Bifins
Breaking 300 meters in any pool discipline is a psychological milestone. In Dynamic with Bifins (DYNB), Mateusz Malina became the first man ever to reach that mark.
His 300-meter dive at the CMAS World Championships eclipsed Goran Čolak’s 292.15m record from 2023. It was Mateusz’s third gold medal and third world record of the event — a performance that cemented his dominance before he went on to win two gold medals at the World Games in Chengdu later that year.
Record
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Mateusz Malina — 300m DYNB
21.05.2025 · CMAS World Championships · Athens, Greece
#3 Breath-Hold Royalty
Heike Schwerdtner | Static Apnea
Bronze goes to a breath-hold that reshaped women’s static apnea.
At STA Wars in Sweden, Heike Schwerdtner held her breath for 9 minutes 22 seconds, extending her own world record set the previous year. Later, at the nOxyCup in Hungary, she pushed it even further to 9:30.
Before Heike, static apnea was dominated for nearly two decades by Natalia Molchanova, who held women’s static records from 2005 onward. Watching another Molchanovs athlete push beyond milestones once set by Natalia herself feels like a powerful passing of the torch. While static apnea may appear understated to spectators, there’s no denying of Heike’s extraordinary mental control, perseverance, and composure to deliver a performance like this.
Records
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Heike Schwerdtner — 9:22 STA
21.05.2025 · STA Wars · Sweden -
Heike Schwerdtner — 9:30 STA
15.11.2025 · nOxyCup · Hungary
#2 A Season of Leaps
Julia Kozerska | Dynamic No Fins
Runner-up goes to Julia Kozerska, who redefined what’s possible for women in Dynamic No FinsShe first improved her own world record from 213m to 214 meters at the CMAS World Championships. Then, at the World Games in Chengdu, she stunned the field with 222.5 meters, a massive 3.97% improvement in a single season and a World Games gold medal to match.
Few athletes make jumps like this at the elite level. Julia’s progression was one of the clearest signs of a changing era in women’s pool freediving.
Records
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Julia Kozerska — 214m DNF
20.05.2025 · CMAS World Championships · Athens, Greece -
Julia Kozerska — 222.5m DNF
10.08.2025 · World Games · Chengdu, China
#1 The Dive That Changed Everything
Zsófia Törőcsik | Dynamic with Monofin
Zsófia Törőcsik is the first woman to reach 300 metres in Dynamic with Monofin. © @andras_freediver
And our number one for 2025 is the record that shook the freediving world.
At the World Games in Chengdu, Zsófia Törőcsik became the first woman in history to reach 300 meters in Dynamic with Monofin.
Competing for just three seasons, Zsófia’s rise has been nothing short of extraordinary. Earlier in the year, she posted the longest women’s DYN attempt at the CMAS World Championships, only to lose it to a blackout. At the AIDA World Championships, she set a new AIDA record at 280 meters and then, in August, she touched the 300-meter wall.
With a 6.38% leap over the previous record, this was the largest margin of any freediving world record in 2025. A special mention too, as an incredibly talented Molchanov athlete and newcomer to depth, she also came out on top as Overall World Champion for both pool and depth in 2025. She’s one to keep your eyes on in 2026!
More than a number, it’s a statement about where women’s freediving is headed next.
Record
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Zsófia Törőcsik — 300m DYN
11.08.2025 · World Games · Chengdu, China
Bonus: The Breath That Went Viral
Vitomir Maričić | Oxygen Static (Guinness World Record)
One final mention goes to Vitomir Maričić, who captured global attention with a 29:03 oxygen-assisted static breath hold, beating the previous Guinness World Record by over four minutes.
While not an official freediving discipline, the achievement showcased the extreme limits of human breath-hold potential and introduced millions to freediving through mainstream media.
A Year for the History Books
From one-meter breakthroughs to barrier-shattering leaps, 2025 proved that freediving is still evolving and faster than ever.
Which dive inspired you the most? Let us know, and subscribe to the Molchanovs Magazine for in-depth competition reports, athlete stories, and to follow the moments that shape our sport.
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