Welcome to the segment of the Crux podcast called Disaster Strikes.

While our regular episodes focus on survival stories where people overcome incredible odds,

this segment examines outdoor adventures that ended in tragedy.

These stories are meant to paint a clear picture of how quickly things can go wrong in the wilderness

and the cascade of decisions, often small and seemingly reasonable in the moment that can lead to devastating outcomes.

By studying these incidents respectfully and thoroughly, we can all learn valuable lessons that might save lives.

The stories are difficult,

but the education they provide is invaluable. I'm your host, Julie Henningson, and today we're taking you to the very edge of human experience. And I'm Casey. Today we're diving deep, literally,

into one of the most controversial deaths in extreme sports history. Picture this. It's October 12, 2002. The Caribbean waters off the Dominican

Republic are crystal clear, an impossibly deep blue that seems to go on forever.

On the surface, boats bobbed gently in the morning swell.

Cameras are rolling, crowds are watching, and 171 meters below, that's 561 feet deep, deeper than the Washington Monument is tall,

a young French woman is about to attempt something that will either make her a legend or kill her.

Her name was Audrey Mester.

She was 28 years old.

A marine biologist turned world record free diver.

And she was married to the most famous free diver on the planet.

In less than nine minutes, she would be dead.

And more than 20 years later, people are still arguing about whether it was an

accident or something much darker. Before we dive into Audrey's story, let's just talk a little bit

more about the world she lived in. So free diving, also called apnea diving, is exactly what it sounds like. You take one breath at the

surface and you see how deep you can go. It's kind of like free climbing, but, you know, water

...