Freediver Scott Amos has become the first Bermudian to break the 200ft barrier in an international competition.

Mr Amos smashed his own previous record by 11 metres to reach an ocean depth of 61 metres using just a monofin.

Mr Amos, who travelled to the Cayman Islands last month to take part in the Deja Blue 8 event, also set a new Bermudian record for the pool static breath hold of five minutes and 27 seconds.

“From my point of view it was a case of job done at this competition,” Mr Amos said. “I have never been to 200ft before so to get into that club was a special achievement. I was elated and relieved at the same time.

“It was much more of a mental barrier than a physical one; everything in your body is telling you that you need to breathe but you just have to keep your calm and your concentration.

“The dive itself took two minutes and six seconds in total; so you’re travelling at around one metre per second as you go down and then go back up.”

Mr Amos and Chris Duperreault were the only Bermudians to take part in this year’s freediving competition.

As well as setting new Bermudian records in the static breath hold and the Constant Weight freediving category, where divers fin-kick to depth, Mr Amos also set a national record in the Constant Weight category with no fins by reaching a depth of 42 metres.

Meanwhile, Mr Duperreault set a new Bermudian record in the free emersion category, where participants pull themselves down a long line, of 40 metres.

Mr Amos added: “One of the main reasons I am competing is to get more people interested in freediving and enjoying Bermuda’s marine environment.

“I strongly recommend anyone that is interested should attend classes with a reputable freediving school to enjoy it safely.

“I have had several inquiries about classes but I still need to get my teaching certification which I’ll be working towards over the next year or so. Until then my personal recommendation is Performance Freediving International who are pioneers in freediving education and have the most respected system in North America.

“Their founder and my original instructor, Kirk Krack, has been to Bermuda on several occasions to teach locals and has also held breath hold and diving classes for very high-profile clients from Hollywood A-listers to US Navy Seal teams and even Oracle Team USA.

“It is through him that I will be seeking to achieve my certification.”