Molchanovs

𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗖𝗠𝗔𝗦 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗩𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗧𝗛

𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟵 (𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟮𝟲): 𝗖𝗪𝗧-𝗕𝗙 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻

The 2026 CMAS World Championship Freediving Depth in Roatán, Honduras, was closed out on August 26th by the women’s competition in CWT-BF. There were no attempts at new world records in the Senior category, yet the day was quite eventful.

In short:
° 23 athletes participated
° Realized depth ranged from 17m (56ft) to 110m (361ft)
° 2 red cards were issued
° 4 yellow cards were given

In total, there were 4 announcements of dives to 100m (328ft) or deeper. Nonetheless, the bronze medal was eventually given for a 95m (312ft) dive.

𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗮 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗮 (𝗜𝗧𝗔) and 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗕𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗮 (𝗣𝗢𝗟) were both heading to 95m. Maria Bobela turned early at a depth of 89m and was eventually ranked 7th, while Mara Guida completed her dive as planned, improving her official personal best result by 11m! But at that moment, she probably couldn't have guessed that she would stand on the podium.

𝗜𝘀𝗮𝗯𝗲𝗹 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘇 𝗔𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗮 (𝗘𝗦𝗣) dived next, on her way to a depth of 99m (325ft). But her ear failed her—Isabel wasn't able to equalize and turned early at 17m (56ft), withdrawing from the race for medals.

A bid for a new CMAS Masters 1 World Record of 100m (328ft) was made by 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗮 𝗣𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶 (𝗜𝗧𝗔). It's admirable that a 53-year-old athlete not only competes in the Senior category but also keeps claiming medals. Unfortunately, the claim wasn't successful this time. Linda reached the announced depth and even returned to the surface conscious and focused. But likely her recovery breaths weren't enough, so during the surface protocol, the athlete lost consciousness for a second and woke up in the hands of the safety team—a red card and disqualification.

The following two dives of the teammates 𝗞𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗻𝗮 𝗦𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗸𝗮 (𝗨𝗞𝗥) and 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗶𝗮 𝗭𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗼𝘃𝗮 (𝗨𝗞𝗥) to 103m (338ft) and 110m (361ft), respectively, were successful and beautiful. Nataliia only looked a bit tired with purple lips at the surface.

𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗮 𝗭𝗲𝗰𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗶 (𝗜𝗧𝗔), with the deepest announcement of 111m (364ft), was diving for a gold medal. She reached the announced depth, then smoothly emerged and confidently showed the surface protocol with a bright smile. However, the judges weren't charmed and showed a yellow card to mark the dive, which would be later reviewed. And after the review, the card turned red! Unfortunately, the replay video showed that after her turn on the bottom plate, Alessia made a pull 5cm outside the allowed 3-meter zone on the rope. Such a heartbreaking disqualification!

As a result, the winners are as follows:

𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗶𝗮 𝗭𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗼𝘃𝗮 (𝗨𝗞𝗥) - 110m (361ft) - Gold
𝗞𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗻𝗮 𝗦𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗸𝗮 (𝗨𝗞𝗥) - 103m (338ft) - Silver
𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗮 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗮 (𝗜𝗧𝗔) - 95m (312ft) - Bronze

And with that, the 2026 CMAS World Championship Freediving Depth is officially over! Congratulations to all the athletes! You did your best, and each of you is a winner and an inspiration, regardless of the numbers.

We send our gratitude to the event organizers, Roatán Freediving School & Training Center, Esteban Darhanpe, and head of safety Daniel Arias Córdova for a smooth and safe competition—thank you!

But the competition isn't over just yet. See you in a month at the 𝗔𝗜𝗗𝗔 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗻𝗲𝗮 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 in Limassol, Cyprus!

𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗖𝗠𝗔𝗦 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗩𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗧𝗛

𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟴 (𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟮𝟱): 𝗖𝗪𝗧-𝗕𝗙 𝗠𝗲𝗻

August 26th was the penultimate day of the 2026 CMAS World Championship Freediving Depth in Roatán, Honduras, where the men competed in CWT-BF. It seems like after a complicated CNF day, the men decided to finish the Championship in a calm manner—there were no blackouts the entire day! There was only one (extremely disappointing!) red card and several yellow cards for early turns and dolphin kicks.

In short:
° 29 athletes participated
° Realized depth ranged from 50m (164ft) to 127m (417ft)
° 1 red card was issued
° 5 yellow cards were given
° 1 new CMAS Para-Freediving World Record (pending)
° 1 new CMAS Masters 1 World Record (pending)
° 1 new CMAS Masters 2 World Record (pending)
° 1 new CMAS Masters 3 World Record (pending)
° 1 new CMAS Continental Record for the Americas (pending)

The day was traditionally opened by 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗞𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻 (𝗜𝗡𝗧), who dived to 54m (177ft) of depth and set a new CMAS Para-Freediving World Record, 1m (3ft) deeper than his previous world record in the discipline.

Afterward, the athletes were diving more or less successfully, and there was a strong anticipation that the day’s results would be nearly identical to the start list, but then came a twist. 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗺𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗹𝗮 (𝗙𝗥𝗔) had the second deepest announcement of the day at 117m (384ft). He successfully reached the bottom plate and looked to be emerging fully conscious, yet several meters before the surface, he pulled the rope. So, instead of the attempted silver, he got a red card!

𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗲𝘆 𝗠𝗼𝗹𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘃 (𝗜𝗡𝗧) was diving next. His announcement was 127m (417ft), 2m (7ft) shallower than his recently set absolute World Record of 129m / 423ft (AIDA Asian Freediving Cup 2026 Panglao, Bohol, Philippines), yet equal to his CMAS World Record set in 2025. Alexey successfully reached the bottom plate and headed back to the surface. The athlete was likely tired after four intense competition days, or hadn't trained the discipline for a while, because his kicking technique looked odd. Also, Alexey was so relaxed and slow that, from the side, it seemed like he almost wasn't moving up. Nonetheless, after an enormously long time underwater (a dive time of 5 minutes 25 seconds!), the athlete arrived at the surface slightly shaken by hypoxia. But he pulled himself together and showed the surface protocol for a white card and his fourth gold medal at the Championship! During the after-dive interview, Alexey mentioned that even in his long and glorious career, this was the first time he managed to collect all four gold medals in all the disciplines! Congratulations to the fourfold World Champion—you are the greatest!

The silver went to 𝗣𝗶𝗼𝘁𝗿 𝗞𝘂𝗯𝗶𝗮𝗸 (𝗣𝗢𝗟). He made a confident and beautiful dive to 111m (364ft). This was Piotr's second silver medal at the Championship. Congratulations to the Vice-Champion!

The bronze was shared by 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗮𝗱𝗮 (𝗘𝗦𝗣) and 𝗦𝗮𝗺𝗼 𝗝𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗼 (𝗦𝗩𝗡). Both athletes performed a 104m (341ft) dive with no mistakes!

The Masters athletes also didn’t stay idle and set new CMAS Records in all three categories. 𝗘𝘂𝗴𝗲𝗻 𝗚𝗼𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 (𝗔𝗨𝗧), in the M1 category, made a sharp dive to 100m (328ft). 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗻𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗥𝗼𝘀𝗵𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻 (𝗜𝗧𝗔), in the M2 category, dived 88m (289ft). And 72-year-old 𝗦𝗮𝘂𝘃𝗲𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗼𝗰𝗼 (𝗙𝗥𝗔) performed an impressive dive to 79m (259ft) of depth—4m (13ft) deeper than his previous PB!

Congratulations to all the winners! For the men, the Championship is over; they can now rest and wait for the after-party. But the women still must perform their last dives in CWT-BF on August 26th. Don't miss the broadcast on CMASTV! The first Top Time is scheduled for 8:45 am (UTC−6), which is around 5 pm in Europe and 11 pm in Asia.

𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗖𝗠𝗔𝗦 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗩𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗧𝗛

𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟳 (𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟮𝟰): 𝗖𝗡𝗙 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻

August 24th marked the 7th competition day of the 2026 CMAS World Championship Freediving Depth in Roatán, Honduras, and it was a quiet one. The women competed in CNF and were cautious in their announcements, likely impressed by the parade of men’s disqualifications on the previous day (12 red cards out of 30 dives!).

In short:
° 17 athletes participated
° Realized depth ranged from 36–77m (118–253ft)
° 2 red cards were issued
° 1 yellow card was given

Of the three deepest announcements, only one was intriguing: 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗕𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗮 (𝗣𝗢𝗟) was aiming for 70m (230ft), 2m (7ft) deeper than her official personal best (PB). The current absolute World Record holder—𝗞𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗻𝗮 𝗦𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗸𝗮 (𝗨𝗞𝗥), who holds the record with 88m (289ft)—announced a 77m (253ft) dive, 11m (36ft) shallower than her PB. And 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗮 𝗭𝗲𝗰𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗶'𝘀 (𝗜𝗧𝗔) announcement was unexpectedly the 3rd deepest of the day—65m (213ft), 9m (30ft) shallower than her PB.

Unfortunately, Maria's dream didn't come true; she turned early at a depth of 64m (210ft) and received a yellow card. And because of the 7-point penalty, Maria ended up ranking 6th in the discipline.

Kateryna and Alessia predictably and easily completed their dives and received white cards. Congratulations to the Champion and Vice-Champion!

𝗝𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗔𝗴𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗼𝗻 (𝗙𝗥𝗔) dived to 64m (210ft). Her dive didn't look easy, but the athlete held strong and didn't get confused by the movements of the competition platform on the waves, which caused her airways to dip during the surface protocol. As the dip wasn't the athlete's fault, judges gave Jade a white card. Jade is relatively new to freediving, and this is only her second year competing at the World Championships. And yet, she's already received her first medal. Congratulations!

Last year's bronze medalist, 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗮 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗼𝘇𝗼𝘃𝗮 (𝗜𝗡𝗧), briefly lost consciousness on the surface after a dive to 61m (200ft) and received the first red card of the day. The last red card went to 𝗝𝗲𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 (𝗨𝗦𝗔), who was the only female athlete in the Masters 1 category. Her dive was the last of the day amidst heavy rain, and while she successfully reached her announced 35m (115ft), she blacked out several meters below the surface.

We hope to have a more exciting competition day with more athletes participating on August 25th, when the men will compete in CWT-BF. This is the penultimate day at the Championship; don't miss the broadcast! It is available on CMASTV. The first Top Time is scheduled for 8:45 am (UTC−6), which is around 5 pm in Europe and 11 pm in Asia.

𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗖𝗠𝗔𝗦 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗩𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗧𝗛

𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟲 (𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟮𝟯): 𝗖𝗡𝗙 𝗠𝗲𝗻

On August 23rd, the men competed in 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗪𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗡𝗼 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝘀 (𝗖𝗡𝗙) at the 2026 CMAS World Championship Freediving Depth in Roatán, Honduras. To be honest, we’d like to ask for the previous boring days back—the weather was perfect; there was no visible current, and yet there were still 12 red cards out of 30 dives! The day’s red cards numbered more than all the previous days combined for both men and women. Have the athletes overestimated themselves after a rest day?

In short:
° 30 athletes participated
° Realized depth ranged from 41–95m (135–312ft)
° 12 red cards were issued
° 1 new CMAS Para-Freediving World Record (pending)
° 1 new CMAS Masters 1 World Record (pending)
° 1 new CMAS Masters 2 World Record (pending)
° 1 new CMAS Continental Record for the Americas (pending)

The day launched successfully; 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗞𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻 (𝗜𝗡𝗧) set another CMAS Para-Freediving World Record, diving 41m (135ft) deep. The following two athletes also received white cards. But then, things took a turn for the worse: 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴-𝗬𝘂 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝗴 (𝗧𝗣𝗘), returning from 65m, experienced a blackout at a depth of 20m (66ft).

Even athletes who performed their earlier FIM dives with no-fins technique failed to execute their CNF dives. They either ascended using the rope or asked the safety team for a ride.

Eventually, the bronze landed in the hands of 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗮𝗱𝗮 (𝗘𝗦𝗣), whose announcement of 77m (253ft) was the 7th deepest dive on the start list. 𝗦𝗮𝗺𝗼 𝗝𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗼 (𝗦𝗩𝗡), who had the 5th-deepest announcement of 83m (272ft), got close to the medal after successfully returning to the surface. Alas, during the surface protocol, he leaned back and dipped his head in the water—red card.

Last year's World Champion in CNF, 𝗣𝗶𝗼𝘁𝗿 𝗞𝘂𝗯𝗶𝗮𝗸 (𝗣𝗢𝗟), announced a 2m-deeper dive than last year—93m (305ft). But like Samo, Piotr didn't complete the surface protocol. So the silver literally slipped through Piotr's fingers and went to 𝗣𝗲𝗱𝗿𝗼 𝗧𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗮 (𝗠𝗘𝗫). Pedro not only performed a clean and strong dive to 86m (282ft) but also set a new CMAS Continental Record for the Americas! Maybe the secret of his successful dive was a conservative announcement—3m (10ft) shallower than his previous official personal best (PB) of 89m (292ft), which he reached just a month ago at the Deep Dominica Depth Competition AIDA.

𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗲𝘆 𝗠𝗼𝗹𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘃 (𝗜𝗡𝗧), who doesn't usually enjoy CNF, also made a modest bid of 95m (312ft), which is 5m (16ft) shallower than his 100m (328ft) PB. That 100m dive is the current CMAS World Record; it was set in the same place 3 years ago during the 7th CMAS World Championship Freediving Depth, Roatán, Honduras 2023. This year, Alexey's dive was super confident, with impressive technique and clean surface protocol. He even looked fresh on the surface! This is his 3rd white card and 3rd World Champion title at this year's Championship.

In the Masters category, athletes didn't take risks and, therefore, successfully set two new CMAS World Records. Masters 1 athlete 𝗘𝘂𝗴𝗲𝗻 𝗚𝗼𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 (𝗔𝗨𝗧) dived to 74m (243ft), while Masters 2 competitor 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗻𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗥𝗼𝘀𝗵𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻 (𝗜𝗧𝗔) performed a 72m (236ft) dive.

To sum up, the podium in the senior category is as follows:

𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗲𝘆 𝗠𝗼𝗹𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘃 (𝗜𝗡𝗧) - 95m (312ft) - Gold
𝗣𝗲𝗱𝗿𝗼 𝗧𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗮 (𝗠𝗘𝗫) - 86m (282ft) - Silver and new CMAS Continental Record for the Americas
𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗮𝗱𝗮 (𝗘𝗦𝗣) - 77m (253ft) - Bronze

On August 24th, it is women’s turn to compete in CNF, and we’re hoping they will get fewer red cards! The online broadcast is available on CMASTV. The first Top Time is scheduled for 8:45 am (UTC−6), which is around 5 pm in Europe and 11 pm in Asia.

𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗖𝗠𝗔𝗦 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗩𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗧𝗛

𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟱 (𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟮𝟭): 𝗖𝗪𝗧 𝗠𝗲𝗻

August 21st was the reserve day at the 2026 CMAS World Championship Freediving Depth in Roatán, Honduras. The men finished their performances in CWT, which were cancelled on the first competition day—August 17th. Frankly, it was rather boring (in a good way): a couple of red cards for failed surface protocols, several early turns, and not a single blackout. No surprises and no drama!

In short:
° 24 athletes participated
° Realized depth ranged from 46–131m (151–430ft)
° 2 red cards were issued
° 5 yellow cards were given
° 1 new CMAS Masters 2 World Record (pending)
° 1 new CMAS Continental Record for the Americas (pending)

The winners were defined as predicted. The gold went to (you‘ll never guess it) 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗲𝘆 𝗠𝗼𝗹𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘃 (𝗜𝗡𝗧). Alexey performed a conservative dive of 131m (430ft)—5m (16ft) shallower than his personal best (PB) and absolute World Record of 136m (446ft). Nonetheless, the result was 15m (49ft) deeper than the second-deepest dive of the day. 𝗣𝗲𝗱𝗿𝗼 𝗧𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗮 (𝗠𝗘𝗫) reached 116m (381ft) of depth (3m / 10ft shallower than his PB) and won silver.

The bronze was given to 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗺𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗹𝗮 (𝗙𝗥𝗔). Diving with bifins, Guillaume reached 113m (371ft) and was so happy to return to the surface, conscious and in control, that he initially forgot about the surface protocol. Fortunately, the athlete remembered it just in time and managed to show it within the 20-second limit.

𝗞𝗶𝗺 𝗗𝗮𝗵𝗹𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗻 (𝗦𝗪𝗘) could have placed fourth, but he turned early at 97m (318ft) out of his announced 104m (341ft). So, fourth place was shared between 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗮𝗱𝗮 (𝗘𝗦𝗣) and 𝗞𝗮𝗶 𝗫𝗶𝗮𝗼 (𝗖𝗛𝗡), who both dived to 103m (338ft). During Fran's performance, a local barracuda made a surprise on-screen cameo, adding some excitement to the day.

61-year-old 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗻𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗥𝗼𝘀𝗵𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻 (𝗜𝗡𝗧) seemed to be the only one (besides the barracuda) who pushed his limits. He touched the 100m (328ft) barrier, improving his official PB by 18m (59ft) and setting a new CMAS World Record in the Masters 2 category. Congratulations on an impressive dive!

Also, we would like to take a moment to remember this day in freediving history. On August 21, 2023, at the CMAS 7th Freediving Depth World Championship 2023, which also took place in Roatán, Honduras, 𝗔𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘃𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗸𝗼 (𝗜𝗡𝗧) set a new absolute World Record in CWT diving to 134m (440ft). Since 2012, Andrey has remained the only athlete who, at least for a short while, managed to outperform Alexey Molchanov in his favorite discipline.

August 22nd is a well-deserved rest day at the Championship. The competition will resume on August 23rd, when women will perform in 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗪𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗡𝗼 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝘀 (𝗖𝗡𝗙). The current unchallenged leader in CNF and absolute World Record holder of 88m (289ft), 𝗞𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗻𝗮 𝗦𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗸𝗮 (𝗨𝗞𝗥), is present at the Championship. Make sure you don't miss her dive! The online broadcast is available on CMASTV. The first Top Time is scheduled for 8:45 am (UTC−6), which is around 5 pm in Europe and 11 pm in Asia.

𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗖𝗠𝗔𝗦 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗩𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗧𝗛

𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟰 (𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟮𝟬): 𝗙𝗜𝗠 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻

On August 20th, it was the women's turn to compete in 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗜𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗙𝗜𝗠) at the 2026 CMAS World Championship Freediving Depth in Roatán, Honduras. The weather finally took pity on the athletes, and the day went on normally.

In short:
° 24 athletes participated
° Realized depth ranged from 45–107m (148–351ft)
° 2 red cards were issued
° 1 yellow card was given
° 1 new CMAS World Record (pending)

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗱𝘀

The day started even more confidently than all the previous ones, with the first eight athletes receiving white cards.

There were only two red cards throughout the entire day, but they were significant. First, 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗮 𝗣𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶 (𝗜𝗧𝗔), who competes in the Senior category but qualifies for Masters, dived to 100m (328ft). The dive could have qualified as a Masters 1 CMAS World Record. But on her dive, after completing the protocol, she leaned backward and the back of her head fell into the water. This is illegal according to the rules, so the judges initially issued a yellow card to review the incident. After the review, the card turned red.

The second red card went to 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗮 𝗭𝗲𝗰𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗶 (𝗜𝗧𝗔). As on the first competition day in CWT, she and 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗶𝗮 𝗭𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗼𝘃𝗮 (𝗨𝗞𝗥) were tied, but this time, they were both aiming not only for the World Champion title but also for a new World Record. Alessia reached the announced depth and grabbed the tag, but her ascent was too relaxed and slow (dive time of 4:13). Unfortunately, she lost control for just a second at the surface and went underwater, after which she was immediately caught by the safeties. Alas, this is an undisputed red card and disqualification.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀

The other leading athletes performed their dives flawlessly, and the most remarkable thing is that the top four places were taken by the same athletes and in the same order as last year!

Drum roll: the world champion and record holder is 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗶𝗮 𝗭𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗼𝘃𝗮 (𝗨𝗞𝗥). Nataliia dived to a depth of 107m (351ft) and back much faster than Alessia, with a dive time of 3:40. The dive was 6m (20ft) deeper than at last year's Championship, and according to Nataliia, it was good, but not exactly easy. Nataliia had a 3-second hang at the bottom plate while trying to locate a tag. Nevertheless, at the surface, Nataliia maintained control and quickly completed the surface protocol. As the athlete herself said after the performance, it was a "redemption dive" after a disappointing first day, when Nataliia lost consciousness at the surface after a 121m (397ft) dive with a monofin.

Second place went to 𝗞𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗻𝗮 𝗦𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗸𝗮 (𝗨𝗞𝗥), with a dive to 102m (335ft), 4m (13ft) deeper than last year. On the surface, Kateryna looked fresh and cheerful, as if the dive had been a breeze.

Third place went to 𝗜𝘀𝗮𝗯𝗲𝗹 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘇 (𝗘𝗦𝗣), with a successful dive to 96m (315ft), also 4m (13ft) deeper than at the 2025 Championships. It was a very long dive, lasting over 4 minutes, but the athlete surfaced in complete control and performed a clean surface protocol. Fourth place went to 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗕𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗮 (𝗣𝗢𝗟), with a dive to 92m (302ft), 8m (26ft) deeper than last year.

On August 21st, most of the men will perform their CWT dive for the first time, as the first day of CWT was cancelled due to bad weather.

𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗖𝗠𝗔𝗦 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝗜𝗡 𝗙𝗜𝗠

On August 20, at the 2026 CMAS World Championship Freediving Depth in Roatán, Honduras, 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮 𝗭𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗼𝘃𝗮 (𝗨𝗞𝗥) set a 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗖𝗠𝗔𝗦 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗜𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗙𝗜𝗠) 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝟭𝟬𝟳𝗺.

The performance took 3 minutes and 40 seconds, with three seconds spent on the bottom plate searching for the tag. During the after-dive interview, Natalia mentioned that she didn't remember that moment clearly. Yet, on the surface, she was focused and in control and completed the surface protocol within 8 seconds.

The achieved result is 3m deeper than the previous CMAS World Record in FIM, set by 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗮 𝗭𝗲𝗰𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗶 (𝗜𝗧𝗔) at the Camotes Freediving Challenge 2024, Camotes, Philippines, and is equal to the AIDA World Record in this discipline, set by 𝗭𝘀ó𝗳𝗶𝗮 𝗧ö𝗿ő𝗰𝘀𝗶𝗸 (𝗛𝗨𝗡) at the AIDA Lastovo Super Deep Week 3, Lastovo, Croatia, at the beginning of this month.

Natalia has been setting world records since 2017. This is her third World Record after almost a 4-year break from competitions, following her return last year, strong as ever. In 2025, she won 3 gold medals at the Championship in Mytikas, Greece. And in 2026, Natalia has already set three new world records:

° 106m in FIM and 112m in CWTB during the Only One AIDA Event in May 2026
° 107m in FIM during the CMAS Championship

Congratulations, Natalia! We can't wait to see and enjoy your other dives and records during the Championship! We hope you will enjoy them, too!

𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗖𝗠𝗔𝗦 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗩𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗧𝗛

𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟯 (𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟭𝟵): 𝗙𝗜𝗠 𝗠𝗲𝗻

August 19th became the first full competition day for men at the 2026 CMAS World Championship Freediving Depth in Roatán, Honduras. The athletes competed in 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗜𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗙𝗜𝗠) and, the athletes were kind enough to follow our predictions.

In short:
° 32 athletes participated
° Realized depth ranged from 42–133m (138–436ft)
° 2 red cards were issued
° 8 yellow cards were given
° 3 new CMAS World Records
° 2 new CMAS Continental Records

𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗖𝗠𝗔𝗦 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀

The day was opened by a successful 65m (213ft) dive by para-freediver 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗞𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻 (𝗜𝗡𝗧). His performance became a new CMAS Para-Freediving World Record in FIM, 2m (7ft) deeper than the previous record he set a year ago. Alexander has been a freediver since 2013. In 2020, he survived a dreadful motorbike accident where he lost both his legs. Nonetheless, Alexander not only recovered but also returned to the sport. What a spirit — congratulations!

Another world record was set in the senior category by 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗲𝘆 𝗠𝗼𝗹𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘃 (𝗜𝗡𝗧). Alexey dived to a depth of 133m (436ft), improving the previous CMAS FIM World Record by 1m (3ft) and repeating his own official personal best (PB) achieved according to AIDA rules in 2023. It's the 44th world record in Alexey's freediving career, so it might just have seemed like just another Tuesday for him. But during the after-dive interview, Alexey mentioned that this was his first dive at this year’s championship, so he wasn't feeling at ease, even losing the rope several times upon surfacing. Fortunately, the athlete managed to focus, do proper recovery breaths, and complete the surface protocol on time. Congratulations to the champion!

And a gentle reminder to all those amateur or soon-to-be amateur athletes making their first competition dives: it's okay to be nervous, you should still go for it!

In the second half of the day, 51-year-old 𝗘𝘂𝗴𝗲𝗻 𝗚𝗼𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 (𝗔𝗨𝗧) impressed us with a 106m (348ft) dive. This became a new CMAS World Record in the Masters 1 category. Congratulations!

𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝗙𝗶𝘃𝗲

Unlike the women on the previous day, all the men from the top five completed their dives as planned, so there are no surprises here. 𝗣𝗶𝗼𝘁𝗿 𝗞𝘂𝗯𝗶𝗮𝗸 (POL; PB 118m / 387ft) and 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻 𝗥𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 (SVK; PB 114m / 374ft) both performed 116m (381ft) dives and shared second place on the podium. Piotr played it safe, diving 2m (7ft) less than his PB, while Martin pushed his PB 2m further. And the effort paid off! Martin has just won the first World Championship medal of his freediving career.

Because of the shared silver, there is no bronze for this discipline, which could have gone to pool champion 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗺𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗹𝗮 (𝗙𝗥𝗔), who performed a smooth dive to 112m (367ft). Following him in 5th place was 𝗣𝗲𝗱𝗿𝗼 𝗧𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗮 (𝗠𝗘𝗫) for his 105m (344ft) performance.

Special mention goes to 𝗫𝗶𝗮𝗼 𝗞𝗮𝗶 (𝗖𝗛𝗡) and 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗠𝗰𝗖𝗮𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗹 (𝗚𝗕𝗥) for their no-fins technique. For both athletes, CNF is the discipline where they achieve the most impressive results. Xiao Kai's CNF PB is 85m (279ft), and Harry McCahill‘s is 81m (266ft). The former used the rope to pull himself at least part of the way to the surface, while the latter completed the entire dive using CNF technique. Both athletes received white cards because, according to the rules, any swimming technique is allowed in FIM, even if an athlete doesn't touch the rope at all.

To sum up, the winners are as follows:
𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗲𝘆 𝗠𝗼𝗹𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘃 (𝗜𝗡𝗧) - 133m (436ft) - Gold and a new CMAS FIM World Record
𝗣𝗶𝗼𝘁𝗿 𝗞𝘂𝗯𝗶𝗮𝗸 (𝗣𝗢𝗟) and 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻 𝗥𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 (𝗦𝗩𝗞) - 116m (381ft) - Silver

Congratulations to the winners!

We’re looking forward to the 3rd competition day, when the women will compete in FIM. 𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗖𝗠𝗔𝗦 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱, so make sure you don’t miss it! The online broadcast is available on CMASTV (https://tv.cmas.org/sportitemset/6a5a0635bbeb39066cc5bd51). The first Top Time is scheduled for 8:45 am (UTC−6), which is around 5 pm in Europe and 11 pm in Asia.

𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗖𝗠𝗔𝗦 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝗜𝗡 𝗙𝗜𝗠

𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗲𝘆 𝗠𝗼𝗹𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘃 keeps hunting for new world records. On August 19, at the 2026 CMAS World Championship Freediving Depth, Roatan, Honduras, the athlete set a 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗖𝗠𝗔𝗦 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗜𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗙𝗜𝗠) diving at a depth of 𝟭𝟯𝟯𝗺.

The dive took 4 minutes and 47 seconds and seemed to be very relaxed. The deconcentration was so complete that at some moments Alexey was losing the rope, making us really nervous. Nonetheless, on the surface he was focused and completed the surface protocol within 5 seconds.

The achieved result is 1m deeper than the previous CMAS World Record set by 𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗿 𝗞𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗮𝗿 (𝗛𝗥𝗩) during the CMAS 6th Freediving Outdoor World Championship 2022, Kas, Turkey. However, according to the AIDA rules, Alexey has already dived to this depth during Vertical Blue 2023, Long Island, Bahamas. Now, the athlete repeated the feat not in the "vertical pool" of the Dean's Blue Hole, but in the open waters of the Caribbean Sea.

The absolute World Record in this discipline remains with Petar Klovar, who dived to a depth of 137m at the AIDA Mabini Depth Quest 2026, Batangas, Philippines.

For Alexey, this record became the 44th in his illustrious freediving career.

Congratulations, Alexey! You deserved your cake with lots of condensed milk today!

𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗖𝗠𝗔𝗦 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗩𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗧𝗛

𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟮 (𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟭𝟴): 𝗖𝗪𝗧 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻

August 17th was the first competition day at the 2026 CMAS World Championship Freediving Depth in Roatán, Honduras. The men were supposed to compete in 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗪𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 (𝗖𝗪𝗧), but after the 8th performance of the day, the competition was cancelled because of the strong wind and high waves. Yet, 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗞𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻 (𝗜𝗡𝗧) had enough time to set a new CMAS Para-Freediving World Record, diving to 49m (161ft).

The rest of the male athletes will compete in CWT on August 21st.

Thankfully, on the second competition day, August 18th, everything went on as planned, and the women’s CWT performances were undisturbed. However, the overall course of the events resulted in quite an unexpected podium.

In short:
° 23 athletes participated
° Realized depth ranged from 29m–114m (95–374ft)
° 1 red card was issued
° 6 yellow cards were given

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗱

The first 6 athletes performed their dives successfully and with white cards. But then 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗕𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗮 (𝗣𝗢𝗟), who announced a 104m (341ft) dive, turned early at 100m (328ft). On the surface, judges gave her a red card for an assumed double-grab on the turn. Then the following athletes, 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗮 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗮 (𝗜𝗧𝗔) and 𝗞𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗻𝗮 𝗦𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗸𝗮 (𝗨𝗞𝗥), both performed beautiful and confident dives to depths of 105m (344ft) and 108m (354ft), respectively.

The two deepest dives of 121m (397ft) were predictably announced by 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗮 𝗭𝗲𝗰𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗶 (𝗜𝗧𝗔) and 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗶𝗮 𝗭𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗼𝘃𝗮 (𝗨𝗞𝗥). Nataliia dove first, and reached the bottom plate with confidence and a little too much power, knocking her head into it (apparently, the athlete doesn't have an equalisation issue!). The ascent was also confident at first, but closer to the surface, Nataliia looked tired and her technique fell apart. Unfortunately, as she broke the surface, she lost the rope and her consciousness for several seconds, and woke up in the hands of safety divers, receiving the sole red card of the day.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿-𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗵

Alessia dove next, and at 114m (374ft) deep, she grabbed the rope and froze for several seconds without movement, giving viewers quite a scare. Finally, the athlete decided to turn and surface, and received a yellow card for an early turn. This became the deepest dive of the day, but would it be enough points for a gold medal after the penalties?

Let's do some calculations: the announced performance was 121m (397ft), and the realized performance was 114m (374ft). This means the target was missed by 7m (23ft), resulting in a 7-point penalty. There's also -1 point for a missing tag, making the total penalty -8 points. Therefore, her 114m realized performance, minus 8 penalty points, equals a score equivalent to 106m (348ft)!

This after-dive math wasn't easy to figure out; therefore, the final medal distribution changed several times, but eventually, it was settled as follows:

𝗞𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗻𝗮 𝗦𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗸𝗮 (𝗨𝗞𝗥) - 108m (354ft) - Gold
𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗮 𝗭𝗲𝗰𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗶 (𝗜𝗧𝗔) - 106m (348ft) - Silver
𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗮 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗮 (𝗜𝗧𝗔) - 105m (344ft) - Bronze

Congratulations to the winners!

After rewatching the athletes' dives, judges also changed their decision about the dive of 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗕𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗮 and, instead of red, gave her a yellow card with a 5-point penalty (-4 points for missing the announced depth by 4m / 13ft and -1 point for no tag). This allowed Maria to share fourth place with 𝗜𝘀𝗮𝗯𝗲𝗹 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘇 (𝗘𝗦𝗣), who performed a smooth 95m (312ft) dive.

What a twist! We would have lost a fortune here if we had placed actual money on our bets. Here’s to hoping we break even on the next competition day, where the men will compete in Free Immersion on August 19th — good luck to the athletes!