Deep Water | Tortoise Investigates

Episode 2: Fair Play

Date: November 18, 2025
Host: The Observer (Lydia Gard)
Summary by: [Your Name]

Overview

In this episode of “Deep Water,” journalist and freediver Lydia Gard explores the growing controversy of doping in the world of competitive freediving, focusing on the rumored use of performance-enhancing drugs by top Croatian athletes. By weaving together personal stories, expert accounts, and community tensions, Gard unpacks the unique challenges freediving faces as an emerging sport—and the moral, ethical, and safety questions triggered as athletes push human limits ever deeper.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Allure and Drive of Freediving

• Lydia meets her coach, David Mellor (“Mela”), in Greece and discusses the addictive nature of freediving:
  • “Addicted... We all say, don’t chase the numbers, right? We all chase numbers. But it’s the way you chase the number.” (Mela, 03:39)
  • Mellor admits every new depth achieved raises the bar for the next: “I remember saying... 50 meters is deep enough. And the minute I did 50 meters, there had to be 55... I’m sure, you know, 105, it’ll be more.” (Mela, 03:50)

2. The Rise of the Croatian Controversy

• The atmosphere post-world record:

  • During a major competition, a new diver breaks a world record, but the celebration is muted. Mela recalls:
    • “I remember being on the boat... world record being broken and very few people clapping. And I thought it was strange...” (Mela, 05:22)
  • Rumors quickly begin to swirl that the diver, Petar Klover, and his coach, Vitamir Maretić, are doping (06:04).

• Public personas and changing norms:

  • Gard notes their Instagram feeds: “Poster boys for masculinity... clips of jumping into the pool on a noose... big following... a lot of young aspiring divers are watching. It was unsettling. I had a sense that something was about to change.” (06:30)

3. Suspicion & Signs: Alcohol, Anonymity, and Testing

• Anomalous behavior post-dive:

  • Gary McGrath, another high-profile diver, recalls:
    • “Some bottles of whisky brought out—really high-end whisky... 11 in the morning, neat whiskey... five minutes after you’ve come up.” (Gary, 10:14)
  • The diuretic effect of whisky could mask substances, a rumored tactic to evade doping controls (11:13).

• Athlete perspectives:

  • “For the first 10, 12 years, I never even thought once about how doping could be used to advance my free diving...” (Gary, 12:29)
    • But, he adds, if someone believes a drug helps, they’ll take it: “It’s people. It’s got nothing to do with the sport in itself.” (Gary, 12:29)

4. What Counts as Doping in Freediving?

• WADA’s generic, non-specific rules:

  • “You know, the Wada list is for all sports, it’s not specifically for free diving. And this is where I think it’s fallen behind." (Mela, 13:15)
  • Freediving requires calm and a slow metabolism; typical “stimulant” drugs from other sports would be a disadvantage (13:24).

• Focus on Benzodiazepines:

  • The alleged substance is benzodiazepines, giving a mental edge by reducing anxiety—but they are not currently on the WADA list for banned substances (14:12).
  • “If you’re taking a prescribed drug that is not being used for the purpose that it was made for, and you’re taking it to enhance your performance, whether it’s on the WADA list or not, in my mind is cheating.” (Mela, 15:07)

• Risks and unknowns:

  • Gard highlights dangerous side effects—compromised judgment, physical risk of blackout or lung damage (17:08).

5. The Sport’s Small Community, Silence, and Fear

• Closed ranks and the cost of speaking out:
  • Gard observes: “From the moment I started this investigation, I’ve been staggered by how many people are keen to talk... but I’ve been more alarmed by how many are scared to be named.” (21:46)
  • Mela: “Nobody wants to speak up.” (24:24)
  • The intertwining roles in competition (divers, judges, organizers) create conflicts of interest and prevent transparency (22:47–23:44).

6. The Community’s Response: Secret Groups and The Sting

• Donny Mac of the Freedive Cafe podcast describes a private group forming to address suspicions around Petar and Vitamir:

  • “I got told that there was, like, a group that was forming... they started discussing ways to kind of, like, find out if they were doping...” (Donny, 24:32–25:13)

• Lack of evidence, and the ‘new wave’ in the sport:

  • Donny on why allegations persisted:
    • “They may not have the whole Zen-like, yogi-like ethos going on, but they are athletes unlike we’ve really ever seen in freediving...” (25:59)
  • Also notes the inadequacy of current testing:
    • “Doping tests are limited to urine samples... they're known as IQ tests because you have to be stupid to fail them.” (Lydia, 27:15)
  • Donny adds: “If you know that your closest competitor is doping... then the culture of doping develops, you know, and then how do you get rid of it?” (Donny, 27:28)

7. A Divided Future for Freediving

• Morality, fairness, and the risk of normalization:

  • Gard: “Maybe using performance enhancing drugs, building a brand around themselves and promoting a version of the sport that you do not subscribe to... influences an incoming crowd of young divers. That will change the norms, the power balance. That will upset people.” (27:40)

• Teaser for next episode:

  • A sense that action is coming:
    • Donny: “And then it all kicked off.” (28:37)
    • Mela: “Will caught them. Whether it was fair or not. He caught them.” (28:49)
    • Donny: “They never took benzodiazepine, ever. And I was like, I saw it with my own eyes.” (28:56)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the drive for greater depth:

  • "I always thought 50 meters was enough ... And the minute I did 50 meters, there had to be 55 ... And I'm sure you know, 105, it'll be more."
    — Mela (03:50)

• On a suspicious world record performance:

  • "I remember being on the boat ... world record being broken and very few people clapping. And I thought it was strange ..."
    — Mela (05:22)

• On the effect of benzodiazepines:

  • "For me, if you're taking a prescribed drug ... to enhance your performance, whether it's on the WADA list or not, in my mind is cheating."
    — Mela (15:07)

• On community silence:

  • "Nobody wants to speak up."
    — Mela (24:24)

• On the amateur/professional divide:

  • "They may not have the whole Zen-like, yogi-like ethos going on, but they are athletes unlike we've really ever seen in freediving ..."
    — Donny Mac (25:59)

• On the inadequacy of current doping tests:

  • "They're known as IQ tests because you have to be stupid to fail them."
    — Lydia Gard (27:15)

• On the normalization and danger of doping culture:

  • "If you know that your closest competitor is doping ... then the culture of doping develops, you know, and then how do you get rid of it?"
    — Donny Mac (27:28)

Important Timestamps

• The Addictive Nature of Freediving – 03:39
• Awkward Celebration & First Rumors – 05:22
• Spotlight on Croatian Athletes – 06:30
• Whisky as Possible Diuretic Cover-Up – 10:14
• Reflections on Doping and Ethics – 15:07
• Physiological Risks of Sedatives – 17:08
• Community Silence & Fear – 21:46
• Intertwined Roles and Lack of Oversight – 22:47–23:44
• Group Forms to Investigate Alleged Doping – 24:32–25:13
• Casual Dismissal of Doping Tests – 27:15
• Escalation to Secret Sting Operations – 28:37

Tone & Style

The episode maintains a tense, investigative tone—with Lydia Gard weaving personal experiences and interviews into broader meditations on risk, community, and ethics. Conversation is candid and sometimes confessional, especially when athletes voice discomfort or uncertainty. The tone is both reflective and urgent as it probes the uneasy intersections between sporting ambition, integrity, and safety.

Conclusion

This episode peels back the surface of the freediving world to reveal its vulnerabilities, from ambiguous rules to the impulse for glory—and the silence born of fear. The doping debate is not just about fairness but about the very survival of divers as the sport grows in visibility. As pressures mount and anonymous tips become coordinated actions, the community is at a crossroads—between purity of pursuit and the dark lures of performance.

This summary omits ads, promotional interludes, and non-content sections. For further context, listen to the episode or follow the series at Observer.co.uk.