free diving
noun
variants
or free-diving
: the sport of diving and swimming beneath the surface of water especially to considerable depth without a portable breathing device and typically with a face mask and one or two flippers
That's the essence of free diving, a sport defined by lung capacity and physical endurance. Taken broadly, "free diving" encompasses everything from floating face down in a swimming pool … to plunging more than 500 feet on a weighted sled … .—Logan Ward
called also skin diving
Cite this Entry
“Free diving.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/free%20diving. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.
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