The woman considered to be the greatest free diver ever is missing and presumed drowned after a recreational dive in the Balearic Sea on Sunday.
Natalia Molchanova, 53, was diving with three others off Ibiza on Sunday when she failed to return to the surface after a dive without fins to about 35m, her son Alexey Molchanov told the New York Times.
Molchanova holds 41 world records and is a 23-time world champion in free dives.
Her record dive without the use of fins is 71m.
She was diving in a part of the Balearic Sea where currents at the surface and at depth can be unpredictable and powerful.
When Molchanova failed to surface, her companions conducted a brief search before calling for help. An initial search by a flotilla of private boats, the coast guard and helicopter failed to find her.