Deep Water Ep4: Don’t Hold Your Breath – Summary

Episode Overview

In Episode 4 of "Deep Water" from Tortoise Investigates and The Observer, host Lydia Gard delves deeper into the freediving world’s doping scandal. The episode probes the pervasive influence of doping rumors—particularly the use of benzodiazepines (benzos)—on the sport, the culture of secrecy and fear, and the impact of money and professionalism on freediving ethics. Through interviews with coaches, athletes, and anti-doping experts, Gard explores whether freediving’s core values are eroding under pressure and asks if it’s even possible for the sport to remain "clean."

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Community Divided, Rumors Escalating

• Lydia’s Investigation: Lydia has spoken to over 50 freedivers—judges, medics, coaches, and athletes—revealing strong, conflicting opinions about doping and widespread rumor-mongering.
  • "Everyone has a strong opinion on the subject of doping, and everyone has an opinion on the scandal on the Croatians. But much of what I'm hearing is still passed on. Rumor, gossip, and to a certain degree, it's a misinformation cascade." (01:42)
• The community is described as "at war with itself," marked by fear, defensiveness, and reluctance to talk publicly.

2. The ‘Breakthrough’ Voice Note – Benzo Confessions

• Lydia receives a privately sent voice note from top athlete Witomir Mareti discussing his own experimentations with benzos (diazepam).
  • He both warns against using them and admits having tried them himself in competition, paradoxically giving "explicit permission" to experiment. (03:08–05:34)
  • "He talks about wanting to see benzos added to the doping list. He says he's realised that there are so many athletes abusing them." (04:15)
  • "But he also casually says he has tried them a few times himself, including in a pool competition. And he says, if you really want to try it, yeah, you can. Why not? It's not against the law." (04:48)
• This reveals a complex, ambiguous attitude among top figures—publicly anti-doping but privately less rigid.

3. Interview with Boris Spyich: Culture, Corruption, and Money

• Lydia meets Boris Spyich, former Croatian national coach, in Greece. Spyich emphasizes that doping is only a facet of a bigger cultural issue: the encroachment of business, money, and professionalization into the sport.
  • "You are now being very romantic about things and I don't like it. Okay, let me remove the pink sunglasses... PD area is always going to be there. Take any serious sport. It's always a serious [issue]." (07:16)
  • He notes the shift from sport for sport’s sake, to financial motivation: "It became a business...and from that point on, things kind of went south." (10:06)
  • The desire to win—driven by ego, monetary rewards, and social status—is causing athletes to compromise ethics, while the system itself is becoming harder to regulate (09:00–11:27).

Notable Quote:

• "Our problem is not PEDs. Our problem is human nature. And human nature will never change." – Boris Spyich (12:02)

4. Societal & Moral Reflections

• Spyich and Lydia debate whether it's possible to keep any competitive sport truly "clean," given human nature and survival pressures.
  • "If you want to be professional, be ready to eat shit. Be ready to embrace the suck. Be ready to go to the darkest place you can imagine to be the first. And once you are first, ask yourself, was it worth it?" – Boris Spyich (13:11)

5. Allegations, Culture, and the Limits of Regulation

• Lydia recounts direct claims from sources alleging regular benzo use by prominent divers like Witomir and Petar—despite public denials.
• She recognizes, per Boris, that individual doping matters less than the overall culture, which normalizes shortcuts and undermines the sport's integrity (17:08–18:59).
  • "This is about more than doping. It's about the lengths people are willing to go to win, the risks they're willing to take...in the pursuit of glory, money and medals." (17:52)

6. Conversation with Travis Tygart (US Anti-Doping Agency)

• Tygart explains that doping and equipment-related "enhancements" (like altitude tents) occupy a gray area: rules define the line, not nebulous notions of fairness.
  • "I go back to sport is nothing more than agreement to rules... If it's not in the rule, it's not illegal." (21:39–22:48)
• He emphasizes the importance of culture and leadership in establishing standards, and the dangers when sports self-police without external oversight (23:15, 24:30).
  • "The truth eventually is going to come out...the power of the culture...how every individual, if they can muster the bravery and the courage, can change the culture for the good." – Travis Tygart (20:40)
• Whistleblowers are rare because institutions reinforce silence: "The system doesn't want it." (25:37)

7. The Core Dilemma: Human Nature vs. Idealism

• Both Spyich and Tygart assert that athletes, even in grassroots sports, will push to the limits unless structural and cultural change occurs.
  • "Let's not be naive that athletes will walk right up to the line... Do what you do up to the line in order to win." – Travis Tygart (27:12)
  • Lydia reiterates the bleak prognosis for freediving’s future, echoing past warnings: without substantive change, "someone is going to die" because of the culture and lack of enforcement. (28:02)
  • "...the advice from those who are far more hardened to this than me is: don’t hold your breath." (28:32)

Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• On the rumor mill and community fracture:
  • "That's indicative of a community at war with itself." – Lydia Gard (02:15)
• On the reach and impact of doping culture:
  • "Most people are not aware how deep this water goes and what future will bring...I think it's about the value of standard of the society. Basically, our society is corrupt." – Boris Spyich (08:33)
• On money entering freediving:
  • "When you bring like money into freediving, it's like anywhere else in the world, a lot of money, people will do anything to get it. At that point, morals become really questionable." – Boris Spyich (10:09)
• On moral complexity and advice to professionals:
  • "If you want to be professional, be ready to eat shit...go to the darkest place you can imagine to be the first. And once you are first, ask yourself, was it worth it?" – Boris Spyich (13:11)
• On the failure to address doping and corruption:
  • "If, you know, people can make rife allegations, have proof, maybe, but the sport sticks its head in the ground and pretends like nothing's going on...detracts from what we’re trying to produce." – Travis Tygart (23:15)
• On whistleblowers:
  • "The system doesn't want it, right?...Whistleblowers are shunned many times." – Travis Tygart (25:37)
• On the inevitability of rule-pushing:
  • "Let's not be naive that athletes will walk right up to the line...Do what you do up to the line in order to win." – Travis Tygart (27:12)
• On sport culture's consequences:
  • "Winning for ego, glory, money or power...it doesn't really matter what the motivation is. If the mindset is to win at all costs, then we've come full circle..." – Lydia Gard (28:02–28:32)

Key Timestamps

• 02:15 – Lydia on community fracture and rumors
• 03:08–05:34 – Witomir Mareti’s benzo voice note revelation
• 07:16–13:37 – Boris Spyich on culture, corruption, and the impact of money on morals in freediving
• 17:08–18:59 – Direct accounts of substance use by top athletes and the persistence of rumor vs. evidence
• 19:02–24:30 – Travis Tygart on anti-doping, rules, culture, and leadership failures
• 25:37–27:42 – Barriers to whistleblowing and why athletes remain silent
• 28:02–28:32 – Lack of safeguards and warnings about freediving’s future

Episode Tone

• Reflective, Investigative, Candid: Lydia’s reporting is marked by honesty and self-doubt, seeking truth amid gossip.
• Realistic but Sobering: Guests emphasize the inevitability of cheating and moral compromise where winning is at stake.
• Nuanced: Explores not just “who is cheating,” but “why does it matter,” and “can any sport, anywhere, stay clean?”

In Summary

Episode 4 of Deep Water takes listeners from private confessions to philosophical debates, questioning whether it’s ever possible to keep freediving (or any sport) pure in the face of mounting financial pressures and a culture of silence. The doping scandal becomes a lens for exploring the deeper, more troubling human and societal impulses that shape all athletic competition. The episode ends with a warning—don’t hold your breath for real change.