Jacques Mayol

Jacques Mayol
Mayol (left) in 1989.
Personal information
NationalityFrench
Born(1927-04-01)1 April 1927
Shanghai, China
Died22 December 2001(2001-12-22) (aged 74)
Capoliveri, Italy
Sport
SportFreediving

Jacques Mayol (1 April 1927 – 22 December 2001) was a French diver and the holder of many world records in free diving.[1] The 1988 film The Big Blue, directed by Luc Besson, was inspired by his life story and that of his friend, Enzo Maiorca. Mayol was one of the screenwriters and authored the book Homo Delphinus: the Dolphin Within Man of his philosophy about the aquatic origins of humans.

  1. ^ "Diving legend commits suicide". BBC News. 24 December 2001. Archived from the original on 14 February 2009. Retrieved 7 May 2010.