During the 20th century, man has been able to break numerous barriers and bypass medical and physiological opinions, which announced that one could not descend to these depths without breathing underwater. Some of the most notable historical moments have been these:
- In 1913, the Greek freediver Georgios Haggi Stotti descended to a depth of 60 meters to recover an anchor from the Italian ship Regina Margarita. This man could be the first to descend more than 80 meters in apnea.
Beginning in the 1940s, a series of new apnea records began:
- In 1949, the Italian Raimondo Bucher reached 30 meters. In 1952, he achieved 39 meters.
- In 1953, another Italian, Alberto Novelli, descended to 41 meters.
- In 1959, the current world record for static apnea was established, by Robert Foster, with 13 minutes 42 seconds, achieved after breathing 100% oxygen for half an hour.
- In 1960, Anerio Santarelli, compatriot of the above, descended up to 50 meters in apnea.
- Constant weight: the fairest. The diver descends and ascends with the force of his fins and a constant ballast.
- Variable weight: the diver can descend in a sled weighted by a cable with up to 35 kilos of ballast and ascend with the fins.
- No limits: the sled has no ballast limit on the descent (it is determined by its ability to compensate). He ascends with a balloon full of air that he uses when reaching the depth reached.
- Free apnea: the freediver ascends and descends without fins along a taut rope lying at the bottom.
- Dynamic apnea: in this modality that is usually performed in the pool, the horizontal distance reached underwater is measured.
- Dynamic apnea without fins: Herbert Nisch (AUS) men's record with 134 m. and Nathalie Desreac (FRA) women's record with 95 m.
- Dynamic apnea with fins: Herbert Nisch (AUS) men's record with 181 m. and Nathalie Desreac (FRA) women's record with 150 m.
- Static apnea: measures the time that the diver is able to remain statically submerged. It is usually done in a swimming pool.
- In 1963, again an Italian named Enzo Maiorca reached 53 meters.
- In 1964, the Polynesian Tetake Williams exceeded 59 meters.
- In 1965, Jacques Mayol reached 60 meters. In 1976 he tried again, descending to 101 meters in a total time of three and a half minutes. In 1979 he managed to descend to 110 meters, with variable weight.
- In 1967, the American Robert Crof managed to descend to 64 meters. In 1971 it reached 73 meters.
- In 1989, an Italian woman, Angela Bandini, was the first to surpass 100 meters, reaching 107 meters, of varying weight.
- In 1991, the Belgian nationalized Cuban Pipín Ferreras reached 120 meters in variable weight. In 1996 it established 130 meters in the "No limits" mode. In 2000 he set the apnea record in the unlimited modality (IAFD) with 162 meters, in Cozumel (Mexico).
- The Italian Umberto Pelizzari would take the record from him in 1993, with 123 meters in the "no limits" mode. On September 20, 1997, he managed to reach 115 meters in the variable weight modality. On October 18, 1999, and after a total time of 2 minutes 29 seconds, Umberto Pelizzari managed to descend to a depth of 80 meters in the constant weight mode. Umberto Pelizzari reaches 150 meters "without limit" by the AIDA, after a dive of 2 minutes and 57 seconds, in Santa Margherita, Liguria (Italy), on October 24, 1999.
- In April 1996, Andy Le Sauce (France) sets the static apnea record (AIDA) with 7 minutes and 35 seconds, on Reunion Island (France).
- On May 9, 1998, the American Tanya Streeter breaks the CMAS women's freediving record with 113 meters, in Grand Cayman. Later she would hold the women's title with 67 meters, achieved on September 19, 1998 in the waters of Sardigna (Italy).
- On June 6, 1998 Audrey Mestre (France) reached 115 meters in a tandem with Pipín Ferreras. On May 13, 2000, on the island of La Palma (Canary Islands-Spain) in the unlimited modality, he achieved 125 meters of depth. Audrey Mestre broke her own record, achieved in Spain in the year 2000, reaching the incredible depth of -130 meters, in Ft. Lauderdale (Florida-USA), on May 18, 2001.
- On October 3, 1998, the Italian Gianluca Genoni reached a new world record with 135 m. in variable weight "No limits", in the waters of Porto Ottiolu (Cercenia-Italy). On October 2, 1999, Gianluca Genoni reached a new world record with 138 m. depth in the "No limits" mode, in Porto Ottiolu (Sardinia-Italy).
- On July 27, 1999, Karoline M. Meyer Dal Toé (Brazil) sets the female static apnea record (AIDA) with 6 minutes and 2 seconds in El Gouna, Egypt.
- On September 30, 1999, in Porto Ottiolu (Sardinia-Italy), the Italian Gianluca Genoni breaks the variable weight freediving record with 122 meters.
- Brett Le Master (USA) breaks the constant weight apnea record (AIDA), on November 22, 1999 in Grand Cayman, with 81 meters.
- On June 22, 2000, the French freediver Loic Leferme managed to descend to a depth of 152 meters in the "No limits" mode.
- Debora Andollo (Cuba) holds the variable weight record with 95 meters, achieved on July 12, 2000 in Parghelia (Italy).
- On October 12, 2000, Gianluca Genoni reached a new record with 125 meters in the variable weight modality, in the waters of Porto Ottiolu (Sardinia-Italy).
- In the waters of Ft. Lauderdale (Florida-USA), on May 19, 2001, Francisco "Pipin" Ferreras and Audrey Mestre broke the world record for freediving, "No Limits-Tandem", reaching a depth of -100 meters .
- The Canadian freediver Eric Fatah broke, around 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 11, 2001, the world record for apnea immersion (AIDA) and (CAFA) with constant weight by reaching a depth of 82 meters. Using a low-volume, flooded mask and with some ballast placed on the back of his neck, he propelled himself with his monofin until he picked up the splint located at -82 m. which was credited as the new record of this difficult modality.
- On Saturday, September 8, 2001, the Brazilian Karolina Dal Toe and the American Audrey Mestre achieved a new world record in the No Limits women's apnea specialty in Tandem. The event took place in the waters of Florida, where they reached -91 Spain in the year 2000, reaching the incredible depth of -130 meters, in Ft. Lauderdale (Florida-USA), on May 18, 2001.
- On October 3, 1998, the Italian Gianluca Genoni reached a new world record with 135 m. in variable weight "No limits", in the waters of Porto Ottiolu (Cercenia-Italy). On October 2, 1999, Gianluca Genoni reached a new world record with 138 m. depth in the "No limits" mode, in Porto Ottiolu (Sardinia-Italy).
- On July 27, 1999, Karoline M. Meyer Dal Toé (Brazil) sets the female static apnea record (AIDA) with 6 minutes and 2 seconds in El Gouna, Egypt.
- On September 30, 1999, in Porto Ottiolu (Sardinia-Italy), the Italian Gianluca Genoni breaks the variable weight freediving record with 122 meters.
- Brett Le Master (USA) breaks the constant weight apnea record (AIDA), on November 22, 1999 in Grand Cayman, with 81 meters.
- On June 22, 2000, the French freediver Loic Leferme managed to descend to a depth of 152 meters in the "No limits" mode.
- Debora Andollo (Cuba) holds the variable weight record with 95 meters, achieved on July 12, 2000 in Parghelia (Italy).
- On October 12, 2000, Gianluca Genoni reached a new record with 125 meters in the variable weight modality, in the waters of Porto Ottiolu (Sardinia-Italy).
- In the waters of Ft. Lauderdale (Florida-USA), on May 19, 2001, Francisco "Pipin" Ferreras and Audrey Mestre broke the world record for freediving, "No Limits-Tandem", reaching a depth of -100 meters .
- The Canadian freediver Eric Fatah broke, around 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 11, 2001, the world record for apnea immersion (AIDA) and (CAFA) with constant weight by reaching a depth of 82 meters. Using a low-volume, flooded mask and with some ballast placed on the back of his neck, he propelled himself with his monofin until he picked up the splint located at -82 m. which was credited as the new record of this difficult modality.
- On Saturday, September 8, 2001, the Brazilian Karolina Dal Toe and the American Audrey Mestre achieved a new world record in the No Limits women's apnea specialty in Tandem. The event took place in the waters of Florida, where they reached -91
