Freediving - The Tanya Streeter Experience

#sxsw #9f9limits SXsports

More than a decade ago, in the summer of 2002, I broke my 7th Freediving World Record with a dive to 160m/525ft in the "No Limits" discipline. I would go on to break 3 more WRs, but this one still stands.
I dearly wish it didn't.
Loss of life and serious injuries have resulted in other divers' attempts to go deeper, and a different light has been shed on my sport, and my record. ESPN's "Nine for IX - No Limits" film, aired in the summer of 2013, took an in-depth look at the safety procedures implemented by my team (lead by my husband, Paul Streeter), and those implemented by the team of Audrey Mestre, (lead by her husband, Pipin Ferraras) who died during her WR attempt. She is not alone in this fate, and others who didn't perish remain permanently injured.
We all have limits, we just don't know where they are. To "Redefine Your Limits" is to discover your human potential. I had to hold my breath to find mine, but you don't! This session is part of the brand new SXsports programming at SXSW 2014.

Presenters

Paul Streeter

Pres

Camelot Custom Homes

I have 37 years of experience in construction during which time my work has taken me from the UK to the Cayman Islands, China and Austin, TX. The only break I took from this career was to manage my wife, Tanya Streeter's, freediving career from 2001-2004. During that time I oversaw all aspects of managing her sponsors, appearances, film projects and competitive events. In 2002 she became the deepest freediver (male or female) in the world with a dive to 525ft on a single breath of air. Of the ten World Records she set, this is the only one that has not been beaten in over a decade and is the longest standing freediving world record in history.

Tanya Streeter

World Record Freediver & Environmentalist

Born and raised in the Cayman Islands, and sent to England for boarding school at just 9 years old, Tanya is an independent soul with a passion for adventure. The success of her freediving career, combined with a "media friendly" appearance and astute management by her husband Paul, has afforded Tanya much publicity. She has appeared on many primetime shows, charming hosts like David Letterman, Conan O'Brian, Ellen DeGeneres as well as their counterparts around the world. Tanya was inducted into the Women Diver’s Hall of Fame in March 2000 and was honored at The Women’s Sports Foundations Annual awards ceremony in New York as one of the world’s top 80 female athletes for 2003. Also in 2003, Tanya joined company with members of the British Royal Family and (then living) Mother Theresa in being among the only living people featured on British stamps (Turks & Caicos Islands), a story which was covered extensively by British media for having “upset the Queen”. Towards the end of her freediving career, Tanya began her television career with a well-received series for the BBC which saw her freediving all around the world, showcasing her knack for extraordinary interaction with marine creatures. She was nominated for a "Best Presenter" award at the International Film Festival with Sir David Attenborough, and her underwater performance with marine iguanas, sea lions and penguins in Galapagos won over the voters.

Tanya says her freediving has always been about self-exploration, but her passion for travel has also lead her to explore deep under the ice of Antarctica as part of a team put together by The Smithsonian Institutes' United States Antarctic Program, and to the depths of the Botswana bush to survive completely "Alone In The Wild" for a TV series by the same name (Discovery Europe TV).

But her true passion is for everything ocean related, and she strives to globally promote good ocean ethic. In addition to currently serving as international patron for The Plastic Oceans Foundation and the World Society For The Protection Of Animals (WSPA), she has served as a spokesperson for The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, The Coral Reef Alliance, Bite-Back (shark protection), The Scuba Trust (disabled diver charity).

In August 2008 Tanya and Paul welcomed their daughter Tilly Annina Andrus Streeter to the family. Being a mother is Tanya’s latest and greatest passion and she feels that every challenge she has faced underwater and above has been preparing her for this role as a parent. She remains passionate about protecting the aquatic environment so that future generations can enjoy it.