A New York man trying to set a freediving record died Sunday after he surfaced from a depth of more than 200 feet . Nicholas Mevoli , a 32-year-old from Brooklyn , hoped to reach 236 feet ( 72 meters ) with one breath of oxygen and without the assistance of fins . When he surfaced , he flashed the OK sign and then lost consciousness 30 seconds later , organizers said . Mevoli was going for a record at Dean 's Blue Hole in the Bahamas . At 663 feet ( 202 meters ) , it is considered the world 's deepest blue hole in seawater . The 10-day competition brought together 56 divers from 21 countries who took part in a variety of events . Vertical Blue , which puts on the annual event , said it was trying to figure out what happened . `` Competition freediving has an enviable safety record but the sport can never be risk-free , something understood by all freedivers , '' it said in a statement . In freediving , divers plunge to depths and resurface using a single breath , shunning breathing equipment such as oxygen tanks . Freediving thrills as worries dissolve . For thousands of enthusiasts , freediving offers an experience like nothing else . `` The joy of being in the water , suspended in silence , at that depth , is incredible , '' said William Trubridge , who has won more than a dozen world championships . In a CNN iReport , Trubridge described what it 's like . `` There 's a lot of physiological changes that happen , '' he said . `` The main thing which is n't experienced in any other sport is what 's called the 'blood shift , ' which is where all the blood is squeezed in from your extremities , and at the same time your lungs are becoming crushed by the weight of the water column above you . So you get blood pooling in the lungs . '' `` It 's a mental sport as much as it is a physical one . One of the beautiful aspects of it is that it forces you to be in the moment . It 's almost impossible to be in the water and at the same time contemplating problems . As soon as you get in the water , that all dissolves and you 're just there . '' In 2006 , he lost consciousness before getting to the surface . He also lost his sense of taste , which has never returned . There are no clear figures on how frequently deaths and injuries occur . `` The statistics are a bit murky , '' Outside magazine reported . `` Some deaths go unreported , and the numbers that are kept include people who freedive as part of other activities , like spearfishing . But one estimate of worldwide freediving-related fatalities revealed a nearly threefold increase , from 21 deaths in 2005 to 60 in 2008 . '' Photographer Logan Mock-Bunting , who captured stunning images of a 2012 competition , said that despite dangers , serious freedivers are hardly reckless . They 're followed by safety divers and can be brought back to the surface , where a medical team is on hand . `` Ultimately , it 's the professionalism and constant training of these staff that give the athletes the utmost confidence that they can push their limits and work at top levels , '' Mock-Bunting said . `` The system around them is so strong . '' The South Florida Dive Journal breaks down the steps to freediving , from lowering your heart rate to gliding `` with virtually no exertion . '' `` You begin to imagine the efficiency of function a fish or dolphin must realize with their superior hydrodynamic designs , '' the journal says , `` and wonder why you took so long to experience this natural euphoria . '' Watch what freediving looks like . Freedivers 30 meters under the sea . Wingsuit flier Victor Kovats dies after cliff crash horror . Photos : Pushing the limits of freediving .
Marco Mevoli hoped to reach a depth of 100 meters . He lost consciousness after he surfaced . Scientists are trying to figure out what happened .