Deep breath. The Observer newspaper, now owned by Tortoise, has just launched a new investigative series looking into the extreme sport of free diving. It is a sport where divers try to go as deep as they can with a single breath, with growing popularity even attracting the attention of the International Olympic Committee.
“For a while now, rumours have been circulating that there are drugs that can shortcut that process, overcome the anxiety, override the body's warning signs to get you deeper,” says host and travel writer Lydia Gard. “When I first heard the rumours, I was stunned. The idea of being 100 metres deep is already so intimidating. Why would you add more risk?”
Gard unpacks the doping allegations, speaking to whistleblowers and looks at an audacious plan to catch the dopers. It’s a highly engrossing series, and well crafted.
