Kriti Mehrotra
As a documentary living up to its title in every way imaginable, Netflix’s ‘The Deepest Breath’ can only be described as equal parts astonishing, bewildering, exhilarating, and heartbreaking. That’s because it shines a clear light upon the world of free diving through the eyes of none other than Alessia Zecchini, a world record holder to have faced her fair share of underwater horrors. So now, if you simply wish to learn more about her — with a specific focus on her overall background, driving motivations, career trajectory, as well as current standing — here’s what we know.
Who is Alessia Zecchini?
It was reportedly back when Alessia was a young girl growing up in Rome, Italy, that she first fell in love with the depths of open water, just for it to continue expanding as the years passed by. The truth is she hadn’t even reached adolescence by the time she realized her calling, driving her to work twice as hard to prove herself for not only personal satisfaction but also the doubters. “Do you ever think that the people around you — your classmates, your friends, your parents — don’t understand your dreams?” she’d once penned in a school essay expressing her real self.
Alessia then continued, “I want to achieve my dream at all costs. I want to become a famous free diver. [Russian diving athlete] Natalia Molchanova is my greatest idol. I want to be just like her, a world champion… I’m really embarrassed about this great dream of mine. It sounds like one of those things you say when you’re a kid upon being asked what you want to be once you grow up. There are only a few people who understand my dream. My dad is one of those people. He understands my passion for the sea and for free diving. I’d do anything to make my dream come true.”
And she did. Alessia began training at local swimming pools as soon as possible before completing her first federal apnea (temporary cessation of breathing) course at the tender age of 13. Thus came her initial regional competitions, wherein she did wonders by crossing over 50 meters while abiding by every rule — in other words, she easily did 100+ meters roundtrips with no oxygen. But alas, this unwaveringly determined teen had to slow down a little in the mid-2000s after the federation banned under-18s from any official tournament owing to the several safety risks involved.
Though Alessia still continued to train to the best of her abilities, all the while attending rallies with the Italian national team despite the fact she couldn’t participate in top categories for ranks. This obviously changed once 2010 rolled around, leading to her first Italian championship and her first medal (silver) a year later at the age of 19 — she earned this exact same placing in 2012 too. So these positions are ultimately what earned this teen a spot in both the indoor as well as outdoor national teams, where she was consistently second-best behind a bit more experienced Ilaria Bonin.
We say second best because it’s true; it admittedly took Alessia watching her mentor Natalia’s interview videos plus a few years of practice to realize she had to calm her mind to achieve her goals. That’s when her tireless perseverance came into play too, resulting in her winning contests, ranking amongst the best, and breaking records, including her idol’s long-held 101-meter free dive mark.
Yet, none of this has been without worries, tragedies, or fears — Alessia grew quite afraid of depths for a while following Natalia’s 2015 underwater disappearance despite the experience; she ostensibly has trouble with understanding when to stop pushing herself; and she lost her boyfriend/safety diver Stephen Keenan during a recreational dive across The Arch of the Blue Hole in Egypt in 2017.
Alessia Zecchini Continues to Thrive as Freediver
Despite everything, Alessia has not stopped competing because she truly believes that letting such anxieties take over would not be a great way to repay those who’ve literally given her their all. In fact, since the summer of 2017, this Italian free diver has set 23 new world records in the pool as well as the sea, all of which she has dedicated to her late boyfriend who gave up his life to save hers.
“[Stephen] will always be with me,” Alessia conceded in the original production. “I remember his eyes and try to remember all the things he’d tell me. To live, to be happy, to believe in myself. I try to remember his hugs. He’s the person who taught me what it really means to hug someone. From his hug, you’d understand how deeply he cared about you and all the feelings you could share together… He will always be in my heart. He’s going to be with me forever because I want him to stay with me for the rest of my life.”
Coming to Alessia’s current standing; well, she’s still taking over the world of free diving by storm with her incredibly innate skills while also serving as an author and an inspiring public speaker. This world explorer is actually a 38-time Freediving World Record holder, a 17-time World Championship, a 3-time European Championship, and the author of ‘Apnea’ (or ‘Freediving’) (2021). We should even mention her latest record is an astounding 123 meters (404 feet), which she set at the AIDA Oceanquest Philippines in the early summer of 2023, making her the “Deepest Woman on Earth.”
Read More: How Did Safety Diver Stephen Keenan Die?
