For this Malaysian female freediver, the sport is therapeutic and meditative

Azua is the current national record holder for freediving, at 41m. — Photos: Garmin Malaysia

THERE’S a saying among freedivers that they are all lousy swimmers.

While swimmers move fast in water, freedivers – those who dive underwater without breathing apparatus – do quite the opposite; they dive vertically into the deep blue and hold their breath for as long as they can. When they sense that the oxygen in their lungs is starting to deplete, they swim upwards and breathe again.