Muscat – The sea once offered Moosa Al Jadidi a place to sit, watch and contemplate. Today, it is where he tests the limits of human endurance, descending into the blue depths on a single breath.

At the AIDA World Championship in Cyprus, the Omani professional freediver and international coach reached 92m in the Constant Weight (CWT) discipline, finishing 12th in the world. 

Held from September 27 to October 10, the championship brought together 180 athletes from 55 countries. Al Jadidi also reached 82m in Free Immersion (FIM) and 80m in the bi-fins discipline, demonstrating his versatility across three demanding categories.

Yet his journey into freediving did not begin with competitive ambition. “My journey into freediving did not begin with swimming. I simply used to sit by the sea and contemplate it. Before embarking on this path, I would go fishing with a rod,” he said.

In 2017, encouraged by a group of young people he met, Al Jadidi decided to try diving. Despite having sustained injuries and fractures since the age of 11, he pursued an interest he had nurtured through extensive reading about the sport.

He enrolled in a course and became an instructor in 2018, determined to introduce more people in Oman to freediving. “I was already interested in the sport and used to read about it extensively. Later, I enrolled in a course, decided to become an instructor, and set out to spread the culture of freediving across the sultanate,” he said.

His first international competition, held in the UAE in 2019, proved to be a turning point. He finished fourth, an achievement that strengthened his resolve to pursue the sport at a higher level.

Three years later, he competed at the AIDA World Freediving Championship in Roatán, Honduras, reaching 60m. His latest performance in Cyprus marks a significant advance in the depths he has achieved on the international stage.

For Al Jadidi, however, the pursuit extends beyond personal milestones.

“My first competition in the UAE was the spark that ignited everything. One of my goals now is to continue this journey and break the world record,” he said.

(Contributed by Asma Al Balushi)