Ventura-based freediver and spearfisherman Terry Maas has been holding his breath for the past 56 years.
His diving adventures — which he will discuss on July 9, at 7:30 p.m. in the Santa Barbara Harbor’s classroom — have taken him as far as South Africa, Spain, and New Zealand, often as a member of the United States Spearfishing Team. An accomplished author and videographer, Maas has published two books on freediving and shot several informational videos on the sport. His work has been featured on PBS, and in such publications as Sports Illustrated and the Los Angeles Times.
Freediving, or breath-hold diving, is when divers hold their breath for long periods of time underwater rather than using breathing equipment such as a scuba tank. Spearfishing, in which divers use a speargun to catch their prey, often goes hand in hand with breath-hold diving, as it did when Maas first immersed himself in the sport.