Estrella Navarro-Holm, 33, is a marine biologist, model, and record-holding free diver from La Paz, Mexico. She is the first Latin American woman to medal in international freediving, holding her breath for more than six minutes. Beyond her athletic feats, Navarro recently drove 94 miles from La Paz to Miraflores to donate a wheelchair and inspect an adaptive diving boat for people with disabilities.
Navarro is one of Baja California Sur’s most accomplished athletes, earning recognition at home and abroad for her ocean conservation work and freediving achievements. She is part of a pioneering effort to make freediving accessible to people with disabilities.
The Pulmo Foundation, in partnership with Navarro and the La Paz Directorate of Inclusion and Diversity, organized Mexico’s first inclusive freediving session. More than 15 participants, including children with autism, cerebral palsy, spinal muscular atrophy, and spinal cord injuries, took part.
The event delivered inspiring moments: one participant set the day’s static apnea record, holding his breath for 2 minutes and 36 seconds, on his first attempt. An eight-year-old boy swam more than 25 meters on a single breath, drawing admiration from all.
“These achievements are more than numbers,” the foundation said in a statement. “They are testaments to resilience, determination, and the unifying power of the sea.”
Pulmo Foundation director and founder David Arvizu added that “This is only the beginning. Our vision is to break barriers, open doors for more people with disabilities, and eventually host a national inclusive freediving championship here in Baja California Sur. The ocean belongs to everyone.”
Arvizu invited people with disabilities to join the program and called on public and private organizations to support the mission. “Working together, we can create more opportunities for inclusion and well-being.”
Navarro’s freediving career began almost by chance. Taught to swim by her father, a coach, she later earned a degree in marine biology from the Autonomous University of Baja California Sur. Just three months after learning freediving techniques, she broke her first Mexican national record. Since then, she has broken national records 26 times, claimed two world championships, and defended her titles 21 times. In 2017, she set a depth record of 75 meters in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. She currently holds Mexico’s static apnea record at six minutes and five seconds, a mark she will soon defend.
Beyond competition, Navarro campaigns to protect the Gulf of California and natural treasures such as Espiritu Santo Island, urging the public to see ocean conservation not as a trend but as an urgent necessity.
The Pulmo Foundation can be reached at fundacionpulmo.org, on Facebook and Instagram, or by phone at (624) 264-3341.
