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But IAFD president Carlos Serra, who was present, says Mestre's problem began when the air bag would not inflate properly, delaying her ascent. At 394 ft., according to Serra, she appears to have passed out and fallen off the sled. Serra concedes that there was a shortage of safety divers underwater ready to come to her aid. Says Serra: "We are still trying to address certain things, mechanical things, that are not explained yet."
Ferreras released a public statement after the accident saying that "the only people responsible for this are myself, for introducing Audrey to the sport, and Audrey, for deciding to practice it." For that reason he said he would not disclose "any information whatsoever" about Mestre's accident. But Rudi Castineyra, director of the Miami-based FREE (Free Diving Regulations and Education Entity), another group that records deep dives, says Ferreras "has a moral obligation to let us know what happened. This could save many other lives." Three days before she died, Mestre completed a practice dive to 558 ft., and the IAFD posthumously posted that as a new world record. There's little doubt others will try to break it. --Reported by Jeanne DeQuine/Miami and Tala Skari/Paris