Loic Leferme 28/8/1970 - 11/4/2007
Today, April 11th 2007, at 11:40 this morning French World Champion freediver Loic Leferme died during a no limits freediving training session in the bay of Villefranche sur Mer in Nice, France.
“The line was blocked because of something under water, I do not know what”, declared one of his team mates, Cédric Palerme.
Loic attempted a freediving training dive to 170 meter as preparation for his upcoming world record attempt in July. But at the bottom something went terrible wrong and Loic was unable to come back to the surface immediately. He was rescued by a safety scuba diver and immediately after that transported to the beach were medics tried to bring him back with reanimation. Unfortunately with no effect.
Below you’ll find up to date news to what’s happening.
Update April 12th 2007, 17:29: Guillaume Nery, very close friend of Loic, writes his story down on deeperblue.
Dear friends
in the name of his family, his friends, and his team, I would like to thank you for your support and your kind messages
Everybody here is very chocked and we don’t realize exactly what does it mean.
Unfortunately, I was not on the boat yesterday to help the team.
But what I can tell you about what we know:
Loic attempted to dive at -171m. We didn’t feel the moment he stopped and we don’t know if he touched the bottom plate (he forgot his dive watch). After 2min, we start the counterweight system. Everything was ok until 2min 40sec, when the counterbalance was slowing down and completely stopped. Loic was supposed to be around 80 and 90m.
Then the team tried to make the maximum to pull the rope but nothing came… They tried to fix the rope in an other boat to help the ascent… only fews meters (we dont know exactly).
At the same time, the safety freedivers dived many times around 20 meters and nothing appears. At least, Olivier Heuleu, who was one of his best friend, dived with the Nitrox tanks (which is normally used by Loic for decompression) to find him.
Around 30meters, he found him unconscious. He doesn’t remember what he saw (sled or not, anker or not), the only thing he remember is that it was a big shit. After 6min 30 sec of immersion, Loic surfaced.The team cut the rope and anker and went directly to the port where the fireman were waiting.
After 30 min, they declared Loic was dead
We spent hours and hours with Loic, Claude, Cedric, Christophe and all the others trying to understand what happened exactly. Unfortunately, we had to cut everything and the sea took the secret with him. We can only make assumptions: Something hanged the roap and the sled: a fishing net, an underwater cable, a wreck… we absolutely don’t know. Did Loic tried to put the lanyard out? did Loic realize what happened? Did he try to come up with his own power?
We absolutely don’t know
The only thing I can promise you is that the team made the maximum very very quickly.. They acted as professionals and anybody else could have made better.
Loic always told me that he didn’t care about the depth.
He wanted the freediving family remember his philosophy and his way of diving.
Reading your comments, he succeed.
Friendly
Guillaume
More updates if you read further…
Update April 12th 2007, 15:15: And here is a Dutch News Item that was on the major newschannel today.
Update April 12th 2007, 14:48: Finally found a good and pretty accurate English written article here.
Update April 12th 2007, 13:37: Found another piece of information in the papers. In short they said something was wrong and that everything got stuck at 20 meters depth. Like their normal operation, what they train regularly, a (scuba or free)diver descended to get Loic and immediately at the surface they started treatment with reanimation and oxygen. Cedric Palerme is more clear in this article where he says there was something more going on than a normal blackout.
Eric Fattah, a highly respected freediver from Canada with a big knowledge about the physics and physiology of freediving says: “Reading about the tragedy on the net, one website commented on the fact that Loic’s fatal dive was 171m — the same depth that killed Audrey Mestre. What a sad but remarkable coincidence. In another sad parallel between the two tragedies, in both cases, the first report came back something like this: ’something happened down there, but we don’t know what.’ It’s more than just a statement– take a moment to understand what that statement really implies.”
Update April 12th 2007, 9:06: Two French news videos from France3 are online in streaming windows media format. Video 1 - Video 2
Update April 12th 2007, 8:30: Lot of coverage of the tragic event by the media. Most of the articles make use of the same press release. It was even on the main news channel this morning in the Netherlands. I must say that I didn’t see really any negative approach to the news. It’s all pretty respectfull, as it should be. Here again a small translated article that gives some new opinions.
NICE, Apr 11, 2007 (AFP) - 15h14
Loïc Leferme “was far from being insane furious” (responsible underwater sports)
Loïc Leferme, the apneist deceased Wednesday close to Nice, “was very involved, it was surrounded by a very effective team and it was far from being insane furious”, indicated Antoine Maestracci, person in charge for the commission apnea to the French Federation of studies and underwater sports (FFESSM). The FFESSM does not recognize the apnea “No limits” which Loïc Leferme practiced, because of its “extreme” character: “the apnea No limits it is extreme. They are a little as the pioneers who made the rise of the Everest formerly”, said to AFP Mr. Maestracci. “It is not an activity which we can recommend to general public”, it added. The team of the CIPA (international Center of diving and apnea) of Nice, whose Loïc Leferme was one of the members, is famous for her very professional character: “They are excellent pros, very the very good ones. They know the risks. Simply, it is that one is not fish”, continued Mr. Maestraccci. The FFESSM, whose vocation is to promote the general public underwater sport, account some 150.000 bachelors. Evoking Loïc Leferme and its team, another person in charge for the FFESSM, which does not wish to be named, also “their very great experiment underlined”. “These people-there do not play apprentice-wizard, they are sporting truths. What they do, they does it with a very great know-how”
Update 15:59: I was looking for some facts but it goes around very fast. Wikipedia is already updated. The English version and the French version.
Update 15:43: Official press release on Loic his website. In short it happened this morning at 11:40. Training was part of his next world record attempt that he had planned for July. Below the translated by google text and the french text.
ENGLISH: The french freediver loic leferme was vicitime this morning, wednesday April 11, 2007 at 11h40 in roads of villefranche sur mer (the Alpes-Maritimes) of an accident of apnea of A a failure of the system of against-poid.
By going up its descent of entrainmenet has -170m within the framework of its preparation for its attempt at record of the world envisaged next July, loic leferme is deceased uites of this accident.
The team of loic A reassembles the inanimate plunger then it was evacuates towards the wearing of Nice, while receiving first aid emergency. It was taken charges some with the port by the firemen and the samu which have tent to revive it during 45 mn.
FRENCH: l’apneiste fancais loic leferme a ete vicitime ce matin, mercredti 11 avril 2007 a 11h40 en rade de villefranche sur mer (Alpes-Maritimes) d’un accident d’apnee du a une defaillance du systeme de contre-poid
En remontant de sa descente d’entrainmenet a -170m dans le cadre de sa preparation pour sa tentative de record du monde prevu en juillet prochain, loic leferme est decede des uites de cet accident
L’equipe de loic a remonte le plongeur inanime puis il a ete evacue vers le port de nice, tout en recevant les premiers soins d’urgence. Il a ete pris en charge au port par les pompiers et les samu qui ont tente de le ranimer pendant 45 mn.
Contact Presse Urgence:
Katia Rasori
Katia@vcomk.com
06 27 36 57 92
Update 14:59: Some extra info from this article
The French apneist Loïc Leferme, 36 years, recordman of the world of absolute in-depth diving in 2004, died Wednesday in middle of day on the wearing of Nice after an accident of diving at the time of a drive with Villefranche-on-Sea (the Alpes-Maritimes). “The cord was blocked because of something under water, I do not know what”, declared one of his close relations, Cédric Palerm, monitor in Cipa (international center of diving and apnea) which was on the boat at the time of the accident.
The firemen tried in vain to make him a cardiac massage, specified Pierre Tramoni, principal private secretary of the mayor of Nice. In addition to the firemen, the police force and a medical examiner were in middle of day on the wearing of Nice, where the body of the apneist was transported.
Update 14:48: The newspaper Le Monde has more news. Freely translated:
ICE (Reuters) - the French apneist Loïc Leferme, 36 years, former recordman of the world of absolute in-depth diving in 2004, found death at the time of an accident in the course of drive, learns one near the rescuers. Loïc Leferme tried to equalize its record with 171 meters of depth, with the entry of the roads of Villefranche-on-Sea, close to Nice, when the system enabling him to go up on the surface was seized up. “It remained at the bottom. The body was then re-installed by a plunger first-aid worker but it was not possible to revive it”, one specified with the Nautique club of Nice. Loïc Leferme had beaten on October 30, 2004 the record of the world of diving “No limit” - regarded as the discipline queen of the apnea - by reaching 171 meters of depth, in the same roads of Villefranche-on-Sea. This record was beaten by the Austrian Herbert Nitsch in August 2006 in Croatia with 183 meters of depth.
14:10: Just received terrible news from Jean Pol Francois, President of AIDA Belgium, which states that Loic Leferme died this afternoon during freediving training. Below is the translated message.
“I announce a quite sad news to you which causes a shock in the world of the apnea. Loic Leferme would be deceased this morning during a drive. I do not have any additional information yet on the circumstances of this accident. An advertisement was made this midday with the French TV. The world of the apnea is in mourning after the disappearance of Loic.”
13:58 hours: The original message of Jean Pol Francois
Bonjour à tous,
Je vous annonce une bien triste nouvelle qui provoque un choc dans le monde de l’apnée. Loic Leferme serait décédé ce matin au cours d’un entraînement. Je n’ai encore aucune information complémentaire sur les circonstances de
cet accident. Une annonce a été faite ce midi à la TV française. Le monde de l’apnée est en deuil après la disparition de Loic.
Jean-Pol FRANCOIS
Président AIDA Belgique ASBL
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