Topi Lintukangas—Diving Free
Posted By Peter Scott on 9 December 2002
By now, thanks to television specials and online freediving media like deeperblue.net, we have a good idea of what it means to be a competitive freediver.
Our world record holders and their challengers generally fit the requisite image—blessed with favorable genetics, a professed mystical connection with the ocean, the drive to improve existing techniques and equipment, or else a history of elite-level athletic training—they walk through the crowds at big competitions with their fin tucked under an arm, waving to other "notable" freedivers with the other, in their ubiquitous black neoprene suits, and the Big Blue swagger that comes from having a big set of lungs.
And yet, where's there's yang, there's also yin.
Topi Lintukangas, a Finnish freediver and Suunto employee, set a historical mark in freediving. On November 2, 2002, he dove to -60m without fins or any propulsive aid to put a new unassisted record in the books at FREE (Freediving Regulation and Education Entity).
At first glance, Lintukangas is yet another freediver with a record video
on the Internet, high-profile sponsorships, and significant freediving
prowess—all the makings of yet another contender for a slice of the
international freediving pie, feeding the drive toward individual
competition and rivalry. After all, his new record could easily be seen as a
throwing down of the gauntlet to other freedivers around the world,
freedivers who rest on their laurels after monofin or bi-fin dives to 70m.
If I were a sensationalist, I could have easily made the title of this
article, "Topi Lintukangas is Catching Up—Without Fins!"
If you're looking for the next freediving hero, he's a reluctant candidate. "I am really glad that I've been able to show the world that it is possible to make deep unassisted dives fast and effortlessly," Topi writes via email. "This category is so pure and elegant and the feeling of diving without fins is not like any other type of freediving."
After several years competing as a professional triathlete, Topi grew tired of the intense head to head competition of the World Cup. In 1998, he toyed with the idea of competing in open water long distance swimming. It was a turning point for him when he decided not to swim competitively. "Luckily, I didn't, but instead made a promise to seek peace from what I did in my life. When I bumped into freediving, it offered me a way to dive deep into my mind in total silence and harmony within myself. It was never my intention to compete in it."
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