Audrey Mestre, 28; World Champion Free Diver

Audrey Mestre, 28, a world champion free diver, died Saturday while attempting to break a world record in waters 81 miles east of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Attached to a 200-pound weighted sled mounted on a steel cable, Mestre reached 561 feet on a single breath, but apparently blacked out, according to Carlos Serra, president of the Miami-based International Assn. of Free Divers.

Mestre, who was born in northern France, was attempting to break the “no limits” dive world record of 531.5 feet, set by her husband, Francisco “Pipin” Ferreras, in January 2000.

In order for Mestre’s dive on Saturday to be considered a record, she needed to surface safely. The association said it will recognize an unofficial practice attempt three days earlier in which Mestre dived 558 feet and met all the requirements in front of judges.

Two years ago, Mestre broke the female world record in free diving, no limits category, by reaching a depth of 412.5 feet in two minutes, three seconds. Last year, she beat her own mark with a 426.5-foot dive off the coast of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.