Past Masters : Brett Revisited
Posted By Nicolas Danan on 5 October 2003
Your record was really a breakthrough in the history of freediving in the US. In '99 you took the record from the legendary Pelizzari and put your name in the AIDA records that had been blanketed with Europeans, Cuban and mainly Italians names.
"I know my record is not anything compared to what they are doing now, but I think that it made others believe if I could do it maybe they could. I may be wrong about this but it just seems that after my record there was a renewed interest in record-setting and freediving in general."
How old were you when you achieved the 81 meters in constant weight?
"I was 36 years young. Its all about training and desire!"
Do you think that the press at the time (U.S and worldwide) had good coverage of your accomplishment?
"No, I don't think it was promoted very well mostly from lack of money. After the record I was left really broke. What press I did receive was really great and I am thankful. "
What are you up to these days in Hawaii?
"I have had many freediving encounters with humpback whales, mantas, pilot whales, sharks and of course dolphins. In fact, I would not trade all the records in the world for the moments I have spent with them out in the blue. I also captain a boat for Dolphin Discoveries that goes out everyday to find dolphins or whales, you know, anything cool. I also teach freediving classes on my own. "
Any "underground" training for future world record breaking that Deeper Blue should know about?
"No, I can no longer justify the amount of time and money it takes to train and do a record. It seems they are getting broken every couple of months! I guess I just don't have the ego for it."
Last but not least, any mermaid encounters so far in your "deep career"?
"Ah, finally you want to know about women... Ha! I have been very fortunate to have met a few very fine women, but I have yet to be married. In fact, I am beginning to think my soul mate died at birth, ha-ha just kidding! There is a student of mine that likes to go freediving topless and has become known all over the island as the "mermaid". "
Brett insisted on adding a few parting words after the interview, especially on his days in the Cayman islands before the world record.....
"When I first started training I lived on Cayman Brac and was inspired by Pipin. I would work a full day at work as a dive instructor then go home and spend at least two hours training. After that all I wanted to do was to go to sleep.
Boys and girls, if there is a special someone you are involved with that you want to get rid of, this will do it! However, it was easy to focus in the Caymans because there wasn't much else to do but drink. Now I only train when I need to train for a competition. As far as the training techniques we used they also have changed. Training got more specific and a lot safer than the old days. I still laugh when I hear about these surfers here in Hawaii that dive down to the sea floor and pick up a rock, trying to run as far as they can underwater, to train for big wave riding. It is like the caveman style we use to practice!"
After emailing a few times with Brett and asking multiple questions, I realized that freediving, at a competition level, is extremely demanding not only physically and psychologically but also financially! Sponsorship in this field is nothing easy. As it is slowly developing into a more recognized sport, sponsorship is easier to find. People like Brett LeMaster, and many many others have helped tremendously in getting that recognition. Through hard work and self discipline, but most of all through passion and desire the limits are getting pushed further and further.
For more info on Brett LeMaster and Performance Freediving, go to:
http://www.performancefreediving.com/team.html
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