Since beginning her competitive freediving journey in 2017, Heike Schwerdtner from Germany has steadily risen to become one of the top athletes in the sport. Her dedication and consistent improvement across multiple freediving disciplines have led to outstanding performances at both national and international levels.

At the 2024 AIDA Pool World Championship in Kaunas, Lithuania, Heike finally cemented her place in history by setting a new world record in static apnea with an astonishing 9 minutes and 7 seconds breath hold. This achievement surpassed an 11-year-old record previously held by the late Russian freediver Natalia Molchanova, a legendary figure in the sport.

Heike chose to wait for official confirmation, including passing all doping tests, before announcing her record to ensure the integrity of her accomplishment. Her careful approach reflects her commitment to the highest standards in the sport.

How long have you been freediving?
I have been freediving just for fun since maybe 2013. Serious training for comps I do since roughly 2017. 

How did you discover freediving and why do you freedive?
I am a scuba diver and was a competitive diver off springboard and swimmer. So I was since my childhood connected with water. 

One day there was a freediving workshop at a lake not far away from my hometown Regensburg in Bavaria/Germany. I followed my intuitions and booked this course. This was my beginning.

Why I am freediving? 

I like this kind of lifestyle: Moving in and under the water, in the pool and in the sea, feeling my body under water, being in nature combined with sport, feeling me in Gym and during streching,  to be everywhere in the world with this special freediving family, eating and drinking in a healthy way, meeting regulary freediving friends for training and of course I like this mental challenge before and during the dive and the great feeling after a for me perfect dive. I love this hormon cocktail of dopamin and endorphines...

How does freediving help you in developing yourself in other areas of your life?
It helps me to live a more healthy daily life and to learn to stay present in the moment. 

At what point did you decide to start competing and what led you to this decision?
Actually, I planned to join my first competition just as a coach. But a couple of weeks before Monika Hopf, a German judge, talked me into starting as an athlete. 

I was quite successful at this comp and a few experienced comp freedivers told me to push further and to apply for the national team. And so I did.

What is your favourite discipline and why?
Static,  because I don`t get lactic legs and I love to be completly focussed on me. Being motionless and detached from my environment.  

Which discipline do you find the most challenging and why?
Depths, maybe because I don`t train? I am a bit afraid of big depths, and would need to train a lot on equalisation. But I enjoy freediving for fun a lot in the open sea. 

What freediving goals do you hope to achieve this year?
I have no special goals, because I already achieved with my worldrecord in static more than I hoped for this year. Maybe just to have perfect, easy feeling comp dives. 

What is your best tip for someone who is just starting freediving?
Do a beginner course and if you want to participate at comps, look for a good coach. 

Do you do any other sports (to compliment freediving, out of pure interest, other reasons)
I am going to gym, sometimes rowing or running, sometimes swimming, nothing special.

Any fun/interesting things we should know about you?
When I started freediving in a workshop and did static first time in my life, I got nightmares afterwards and decided to never do static again. Luckily I changed my mind. :-)

How can people reach you?

Insta: heike_schwerdtner 

FB: Heike Schwerdtner