I Could Never Live Without the Sea!
Born in Syracuse, this free diving pioneer holds as many as thirteen world records in the No Limit class, all of which were achieved in the period from 1960 to 1974. Inspired by Maiorca's achievements, famous movie director Luc Besson directed the legendary film The Big Blue.
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Born in Syracuse, this free diving pioneer holds as many as thirteen world records in the No Limit class, all of which were achieved in the period from 1960 to 1974. Inspired by Maiorca's achievements, famous movie director Luc Besson directed the lege
Born in Syracuse, this free diving pioneer holds as many as thirteen world records in the No Limit class, all of which were achieved in the period from 1960 to 1974. Inspired by Maiorca's achievements, famous movie director Luc Besson directed the legendary film The Big Blue.
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I Could Never Live Without the Sea!
Born in Syracuse, this free diving pioneer holds as many as thirteen world records in the No Limit class, all of which were achieved in the period from 1960 to 1974. Inspired by Maiorca's achievements, famous movie director Luc Besson directed the legendary film The Big Blue.
The Italian Apnea Academy free diving courses, organized for the past 14 years at the end of May in Rovinj, featured this year Enzo Maiorca, the king of the underwater world and holder of numerous world records in this extreme sport. This Italian and world famous free diver achieved as many as 13 world records in the period from 1960 to 1974, including the very first dives to the depth of 50 and later 101 meters in the No Limit class.
In the company of his daughter Patrizia Maiorca, a proud world record holder herself who managed to dive to the depth of 70 m with weights in 1987, and Umberto Pelizzari, founder of the Apnea Academy and one of the most famous free divers in the world today, we talked about his love for sea depths and the big blue.
- The sea is the great love of my life and I could never live without it. It is my passion and my choice, something I have enjoyed without boundaries yet at the same time with utmost respect during my entire free diving experience. And today, just like when I was young, I am still guided by the words of my co-citizens, fishermen from Syracuse, who say that the sea can straighten even the curliest of hairs - said Enzo Maiorca, the king of the underwater world who started swimming when he was four and made his first “famous” dive when he was twelve.
- Back in 1943, as a twelve-year-old boy, I found a mask left by the American soldiers in the yard next to my family home in Syracuse. It seemed interesting to me, so I used it for my first dive after fixing it with a lot of imagination, glue, tape and rope. - Of course, his first dive was not a famous one. It lasted only ten seconds, remembers Enzo Maiorca, a great lover of the sea, smiling.
He talked about his passion for the sea with an undying spark in his eyes.
- That’s a whole new world, a whole new dimension. As a little boy, I imagined the sea as a monster whose skin had to be peeled off to reveal and experience all of its beauty and fullness. Looking from the surface towards the depths, it seemed, due to the interplay of air and light, as if the underwater world was a place where coins were made. The colors spilled one over the other and I often thought that the underwater world was the product of a crazy painter who lost his mind, mixed and spilled all the colors, thus creating a magical rainbow. That is what the sea was and remains for me - said Enzo Maiorca.
In his long and rich career he broke numerous records, so we were interested to find out which one of his great results was his favorite.
- All of my records have a history of their own and it is difficult to set any of them apart. Still, there is one dive that I remember especially, mainly because it turned out to be a dangerous one. In 1974, I was set to break a record by diving to the depth of 90 meters near the island of Capri. My attempt was covered by the RAI TV crew whose cameraman was waiting for me in the sea, trying to record my descent with his camera. However, hoping to get a better view, he came too close to me and ran into me with full force and equipment. The hit was strong and painful and my mask was smashed. That moment was extremely dangerous and my disappointment turned into great fury and anger.
- So, the 90 meter record was not achieved that day. When was it achieved?
- Seven days later; after I explained my failure to myself by saying that „I was punished by the sea“. To be more precise, the first attempt was made in the waters near the island of Capri, which was a mistake. The second attempt was made in the waters near my birth island of Sicily and the record was broken - said still vital Maiorca, the first man in the world to dive to the depth of 50 and later 101 meters.
It is an interesting fact that, inspired by Maiorca’s achievements, famous movie director Luc Besson directed the legendary film The Big Blue.
- When asked: how is the sea to be loved and what are his messages for young extreme athletes, he said that achieving a record was not always the most important thing.
- What is most important is that, in addition to having a great love for the sea and diving, you respect the sea and its nature at every moment. The one who doesn't respect the sea is either crazy or has a death wish, said Enzo Maiorca, a living free diving legend and a man who, according to his own words, could never live without the sea.
