Deep Water | Tortoise Investigates

Episode 3: In the Bag — November 25, 2025

Host: The Observer
Reported by: Lydia Gard

Episode Overview

Episode three of Deep Water dives headfirst into the fraught world of competitive freediving and a dramatic doping scandal at the heart of the sport. Lydia Gard investigates what happened when Will Trubridge, a record-holding freediver and event organizer, took it upon himself to confront persistent rumors of doping — especially allegations targeting top Croatian athletes. The episode traces the tense sting operation at Vertical Blue 2023, explores competing regulatory bodies’ responses, and exposes how deep divisions and unresolved questions linger in the freediving community.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Setting the Scene: Vertical Blue under Scrutiny

• Will Trubridge’s Role: Established as one of the world’s leading freedivers and the Vertical Blue competition organizer, Will is “part of the establishment” and commands significant authority (02:31–03:20).
• Doping Rumors: Persistent suspicions point to Croatian divers Petar Klovar and Vitomir Maričić as likely abusers of performance enhancing drugs, specifically benzodiazepines (benzos) (06:10–07:16).

2. Rewriting the Rules and Planning the Sting

• Policy Update: In January, Will updates Vertical Blue’s anti-doping policy to explicitly include benzodiazepines, despite their not being on the WADA list (03:58–04:40).

• Decision for Direct Action: Will decides to lead a surprise luggage search at the airport — a move he calls “a really tough decision” (04:40–05:03).

  “We had realized that the existing strategies, the existing testing in freediving wasn’t sufficient to prevent doping from happening.”
  — Will Trubridge [03:46]

3. The Luggage Search (09:14–14:05)

• Execution: Will, accompanied by police, confronts the Croatians and conducts the search at a police station.

• What’s Found: Numerous pharmaceuticals, notably several types and strengths of benzodiazepines and furosemide, a WADA-prohibited diuretic (10:32–11:05).

• Atmosphere: Tense, with Croatians suspicious; Sanda Dalaja, a Croatian diver, objects to Will secretly recording audio (12:16–12:28).

• Ramifications: Will feels this is a “historic moment,” expecting significant fallout (10:49–11:05).

  “There’s probably more pharmaceuticals in their luggage than I’ve used or had in my possession in my entire life. And that’s not a hyperbole.”
  — Will Trubridge [10:32]

4. Aftermath and Community Fallout

• Evidence Goes Public: Will uploads the finds to the Vertical Blue YouTube channel, which Lydia deems “an extremely unorthodox maverick move” (14:05–15:01).

• Mixed Reactions: Some applaud Will and Vertical Blue; others decry him as “judge, jury and executioner” (15:21–16:37).

  “If your goal is to uphold the principles of fair game and clean sport, well, those principles apply to everyone, including you.”
  — Lydia Gard [16:37]

• Urine Tests: Croatian divers’ tests come back negative, though they remain silent on possessing the substances (16:24).

5. Institutional Response: Divided Authorities, Confusion, and Inertia

• AIDA’s Inaction: Despite documentation, AIDA (the sport’s main governing body) takes little concrete action, appoints a new anti-doping officer who downplays benzodiazepines as non-doping (19:15–21:11).

• CMAS’s Ban: The rival governing body CMAS considers the Croatians’ actions “totally unfair” and issues a 6-month suspension and fines for “ethical violations,” not for doping per se (21:11–25:00).

  “We want to declare that in our competition, in spite of sport, competition is not possible to use any substances. This is the aim. And if you use benzodiazepine, you can go to the other organization to dive or you can stop.”
  — Anna Arzhanova, President of CMAS [25:00]

6. Personal Testimonies: Conflicting Perspectives

• Will’s Justification: Puts himself in Croatian divers’ shoes, claims he would “be ecstatic” if such anti-doping steps were taken if innocent (17:48–18:52).

• Thibaut Guinness’s Account: French diver recalls witnessing Petar Klovar taking Valium before a 100m+ dive, expressing concern for safety more than fairness (30:00–31:18).

• Doubt and Disillusion: Lydia and others ponder if the sport can ever be seen as “clean,” given persistent rumors, the abundance of pharmaceuticals, and mixed regulatory enforcement (26:27–28:12).

  “Does anybody actually believe this sport is clean? I would say the answer has to be no. And so if it’s no, who is cheating? Clearly a prime candidate would be someone who’s carrying a suitcase full of drugs.”
  — Lydia’s Coach [26:55]

7. Ongoing Division and Unresolved Questions

• Freediving’s Fork in the Road: The split between AIDA and CMAS, ongoing lack of clarity about what constitutes doping, and the normalization of benzodiazepine use form an existential threat to the sport’s reputation and Olympic dreams (25:00–26:27).

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On the Emotional Weight of Action:

  “In the end, it fell on my shoulders to make it happen. It was a really tough decision, to be honest.”
  — Will Trubridge [02:23]

• On the Evidence Discovered:

  “There’s probably more pharmaceuticals in their luggage than I’ve used or had in my entire life. And that’s not a hyperbole.”
  — Will Trubridge [10:32]

• On the Public Disclosure:

  “It seems like an extremely unorthodox maverick move to share documentary evidence of an ongoing case. As a journalist, I’m horrified. As a diver with an interest in fair play and clean sport. I’m intrigued.”
  — Lydia Gard [14:05]

• On Divided Leadership:

  “How can two bodies governing one sport have such polarized views of what’s safe and sensible for its athletes?”
  — Lydia Gard [21:45]

• On the State of Freediving:

  “The way I look at things now is that was two years ago. Does anybody actually believe this sport is clean? I would say the answer has to be no.”
  — Lydia’s Coach [26:55]

• On Witnessing Drug Use Firsthand:

  “All I can say is I’ve seen some people clearly with my own eyes taking benzodiazepine before deep dives.”
  — Thibaut Guinness [30:25]

Key Timestamps for Major Segments

• 02:23 — Will Trubridge describes the burden of leading the anti-doping effort.
• 06:10 — Introduction of the Croatian divers at the center of allegations.
• 09:14–10:49 — Details and atmosphere of the luggage search.
• 11:05 — Benzodiazepines and other drugs found.
• 14:05 — Evidence made public online.
• 16:37 — Community response, including accusations against Will.
• 19:15–21:11 — AIDA and CMAS announce contrasting policies and actions.
• 25:00–26:27 — Lydia examines the impact on the sport; CMAS issues disciplinary actions.
• 30:00 — Testimony from Thibaut Guinness about witnessing Valium use.
• 32:37 — Episode preview and reflections on the lengths competitors will go to win.

Final Thoughts

Deep Water’s third episode immerses listeners in the politics, loyalties, and unresolved ethical dilemmas surrounding doping in freediving. The episode is a gripping account of one man’s quest to “save his sport,” the community’s divided allegiances, and the frustrating inertia of sports authorities. It leaves us with lingering questions about transparency, fairness, and the true limits — ethical and physical — of extreme human pursuit.

End of summary.