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Tanya Streeter made a remarkable dive – on just one breath of air – to the unimaginable depth of 160 metres.

This was a dive that nearly went very badly wrong. As Tanya tells Steve Backshall – himself a world-class adventurer – she blacked-out seconds before she began the dive; she developed nitrogen narcosis – almost like being drunk – and struggled to remember how to release the pin that would return her to the surface. On the way back up she thinks she blacked out for a second time. Tanya is an internationally renowned free-diver. This dive was attempted in the most dangerous category of free-diving known as ‘no limits’. This involves being pulled down to great depths on a sled-like contraption and then released back to the surface – with only the air in your lungs to sustain you.

Tanya’s husband, Paul Streeter, managed this world record attempt; he describes what it was like waiting for his wife to return to the surface. John Garvin, an international expert in technical diving, was safety co-ordinator for the dive and explains the intricate safety set-up and recalls the – literally – breath-taking moments when Tanya seemed unable to return to the surface.

Original recordings from the day – including the emotional sound of Tanya’s mother pleading for her daughter’s safe return – accompany these voices. And, we hear of the tragic fate of the woman who tried to break Tanya’s record.

(Photo: Tanya Streeter. Credit: Lawrence Curtis)