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Natalia Molchanova, Champion Free Diver, Is Feared Dead After Dive

Natalia Molchanova, widely regarded as the greatest free diver in history, wore her favorite purple wet suit Sunday on a chartered boat off the coast of Formentera, an island near Ibiza. Only 1.5 millimeters thick, the wet suit was low buoyancy, designed specifically for divers like her who want to go deep on a single breath. It was a Molchanova, the brand she started with her son, Alexey.

With clear skies and a light breeze on the Balearic Sea, off the eastern coast of Spain, Molchanova attached a neck weight — a pound or two, at most — that would help her descend.