Audrey Mestre (August 11, 1974-October 12, 2002) was a French world record-setting free-diver. is the 223rd day of the year (224th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... is the 285th day of the year (286th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... Freedive photographer Free-diving is an aquatic sport, considered an extreme sport, in which divers attempt to reach great depths unassisted by breathing apparatus. ...

Early life

Born in Saint-Denis, Île-de-France to a family of snorkeling and scuba diving enthusiasts, at age two she was already swimming and by age thirteen was a seasoned scuba diver. She was still in her teens when her family moved to Mexico City and, fluent in the Spanish language, she eventually studied marine biology at a university in La Paz, Mexico. Saint-Denis is a commune of France, in the Seine-Saint-Denis département, of which it is a sous-préfecture. ... Capital Paris Land area¹ 12,011 km² Regional President Jean-Paul Huchon (PS) (since 1998) Population  - Jan. ... A snorkeler amid corals on a coral reef near Fiji. ... Scuba diving is swimming underwater while using self-contained breathing equipment. ... Nickname: Motto: Ciudad en movimiento Location of Mexico City in central Mexico Coordinates: , Country Mexico Federal entity Federal District Boroughs The 16 delegaciones Founded c. ... This article is about the international language known as Spanish. ... Categories: Baja California Sur | Mexican state capitals | Cities in Mexico | Stub ...

Relationship with Francisco "Pipín" Ferreras

In 1996 her interest in underwater sports led to her meeting the renowned free-diver, Francisco "Pipín" Ferreras. They immediately developed a relationship and Mestre soon moved to Miami, Florida to live with Ferreras. There, Audrey Mestre took up serious free-diving and with Ferreras as her instructor she was soon reaching record depths. In 1999 the two diving aficionados married and the following year off the coast of Fort Lauderdale, Audrey Mestre broke the female world record by free diving to a depth of 125 meters (410 feet) on a single breath of air. A year later she broke her own record, by descending to 130 meters (427 feet). Free-diver with monofin, ascending. ... Francisco Ferreras, best known as Pipin (born January 18, 1962) is a Cuban free-diver. ... For other uses, see Miami (disambiguation). ... Nickname: Coordinates: , Country United States State Florida County Broward Established 27 March 1911 Government  - Type Commission-Manager  - Mayor Jim Naugle Area  - City  36. ...

Death

On October 4, 2002, with a dive team under her husband's supervision, she made a practice dive off Bayahibe Beach in the Dominican Republic to the unheard of depth of 166 meters (545 feet). After more deep dive practices, eight days later she prepared to attempt a dive to 171 meters but at the bottom a problem developed with the lift balloon as she started her ascent. A dive that should have been no more than three minutes resulted in her remaining underwater for more than eight and a half minutes. By the time her husband was able to bring her unconscious body to the surface it was too late and she was pronounced dead at a hospital on shore. is the 277th day of the year (278th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ...

Her death shocked the diving world, many experts in the field were critical of her husband, alleging he pushed her too far, too fast and for a lack of proper safety procedures during the dive that took her life.

Awards and accolades

Audrey Mestre was cremated, her ashes scattered at sea. In 2002, she was inducted posthumously into the Women Divers Hall of Fame and in August 2004 a book that tells her story was written by her husband and published under the title The Dive: A Story of Love and Obsession (ISBN 0-06-056416-4). Bluegrass artist Lou Wamp released an instrumental tribute entitled Audrey's Last Dive in 2005.

Filmography

The Dive is a proposed movie based on the story of Ferreras and Mestre. It will be directed by James Cameron and has a tentative 2008 release. James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a three-time Academy Award winning director, producer and screenwriter. ... 2008 in film is expected to feature another battle of the sequels, as many properties release new installments, including: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Indiana Jones 4, The Incredible Hulk, The Mummy 3, The Dark Knight, Jurassic Park 4, Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, Bond 22, Madagascar 2: The...