Stig Severinsen

Stig Åvall Severinsen
Stig Severinsen
Born Aalborg, Denmark
Known for Freediving

Stig Åvall Severinsen (born 1973, Aalborg, Denmark) is a four-time world champion freediver and holder of multiple Guinness World Records. He wrote Træk Vejret – mere energi, mindre stress (2009), published in English in 2010 as Breatheology – The Art of Conscious Breathing.

Background

Severinsen has a degree in biology and a Ph.D. in medicine.[1][2] He began experimenting with holding his breath as a child at the bottom of his parents' pool.[1] He started swimming at the age of 6 and was awarded National Champion four years in a row at 9, 10, 11 and 12. In 1993–2003 he played Underwater Rugby, and was a member of the Danish national team. During university studies in Barcelona, Spain in 1998–99, he played underwater hockey on the Spanish national team. A fascination with long breath holds under water drew him to the world of freediving.

Career

Combining yoga and his knowledge of physiology in freediving, Severinsen became a record holder of four AIDA freediving world records. He achieved two Guinness World Records in 2010: in March that year he swam 236 feet (72 meters) under ice wearing only swimming trunks and goggles, exceeding Wim Hof's record of March 2000 by 47.6 feet (14.5 meters); and in April, after inhaling pure oxygen, he held his breath for 20 minutes and 10 seconds in a tank full of sharks at the Kattegat Centre in Grenaa.[3] In May 2012 he was awarded the record of "Longest time breath held voluntarily (male)" by Guinness World Records for holding his breath for 22 minutes;[4] this record was achieved in a tank at the London School of Diving with the water cooled to 30 ºF (aprox.-1 ºC).[5] In April 2013 in Qorlortoq Lake in east Greenland, he set two new world records for "longest swim underwater - breath held": 500 feet (152.4 meters) while wearing a wetsuit and monofin, taking 2 minutes, 11 seconds,[6][7][8] and the following day, 250 feet (76.2 meters) wearing only swimming trunks.[9][10] He announced that these would be his last record attempts and he would now concentrate on teaching.[2]

Severinsen was chosen "The Ultimate Superhuman" on the Discovery Channel programme Superhuman Showdown, and a documentary about him, Stig Severinsen: The Man Who Doesn’t Breathe, was produced for broadcast on Discovery and on Quest in the UK in October 2013.[8][9][10][11]

In Breatheology Severinsen proposes that through working with the breath, a link can be created between body and mind that enables a person to control stress, increase energy, perform better physically and mentally, alleviate pain and improve health.

AIDA Freediving World Records

Date Record Discipline Location
19 July 2003 166 m Dynamic Apnea without fins (DNF) Aarhus, Denmark[12]
28 Sept 2003 61 m Constant Weight without fins (CNF) Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela
16 June 2007 225 m Dynamic Apnea (DYF) Aarhus, Denmark
7 July 2007 186 m Dynamic Apnea without fins (DNF) Maribor, Slovenia

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Jægesen Wilkens, Kristine (11 November 2013). "Danmarks ekstreme fridykker vælger havet frem for kvinderne". Politiken (in Danish).
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Dansk ekstremdykker slog verdensrekord under is". Jyllands-Posten (in Danish). Discovery Channel. 6 September 2013.
  3. ↑ Weisz, Arnold (1 April 2010). "Stig Åvall Severinsen holds breath for 20 minute 10 seconds, sets record". X-Ray Mag.
  4. ↑ "Longest time breath held voluntarily (male)". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  5. ↑ Grenoble, Ryan (16 November 2012). "Breath-Holding World Record: Stig Severinsen Stays Under Water For 22 Minutes". Huffington Post.
  6. ↑ Voergaard, Peter (5 September 2013, updated 6 September 2013). "Dansker har sat ny rekord i dykning". BT (in Danish). Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ↑ Saxtorph Poulsen, Joachim; Knakkergaard, Klaus (6 September 2013). "Vild rekord: Dansker svømmer under Grønlands is" (in Danish). TV 2.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Christoffersen, Elo (20 September 2013). "Ny verdensrekord: 500 fod under Grønlands is" (in Danish). Dagens.dk.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lynch, Kevin (16 October 2013). "Stig Severinsen sets world record double with pair of daring freedives beneath the ice". Guinness World Records.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Trolle, Mads (16 October 2013). "Dansk vanvidsdykker svømmer 76 meter under isen - uden våddragt: Discovery viser på søndag Stig Åvall Severinsens imponerende rekord". Politiken (in Danish).
  11. ↑ "Stig Severinsen: The Man Who Doesn't Breathe" (in Danish). Discovery Channel (Denmark). Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  12. ↑ McKie, N (2004). "Freediving in cyberspace". Journal of the South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society 34: 101–03. Retrieved 5 October 2013.

External links