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World snowboarding champion dies while diving on apnea

Australian Alex Pullin, a two-time world snowboarding champion, has died while diving on held breath. The incident occurred Queensland, the athlete’s hometown. The 32-year-old was found dead by a surfer on an artificial reef near Palm Beach, near the Gold Coast town. The findings indicate that Pullin was an experienced freediver. A blackout and drowning

ByTomasz Andrukajtis

Published: July 17, 2020 - 12:35

Updated: July 22, 2023 - 20:21

World snowboarding champion dies while diving on apnea

Australian Alex Pullin, a two-time world snowboarding champion, has died while diving on held breath. The incident occurred Queensland, the athlete’s hometown. The 32-year-old was found dead by a surfer on an artificial reef near Palm Beach, near the Gold Coast town.

The findings indicate that Pullin was an experienced freediver. A blackout and drowning during a solo dive in shallow water was given as the preliminary cause of death. The former world champion never hid his love for freediving and underwater hunting, often posting photos of his upcoming expeditions on his social media.

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Alex Pullin underwater hunting crossbow hunting Notified of the accident, paramedics immediately arrived and spent nearly an hour trying to resuscitate the casualty. Unfortunately without success and eventually they had to give up.

Pullin competed at the 2010, 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics. He carried the Australian flag at the 2014 IO in Sochi. He was a two-time world champion in the snowboard cross discipline and also won the World Cup in 2017. This year he announced the end of his sporting career.

^{Source: Divernet}
^{Photo: Alex Pullin Instagram}

About author

Tomasz Andrukajtis

Editor-in-chief of the DIVERS24 portal and magazine. Responsible for obtaining, translating and developing content. He also supervises all publications. Achived his first diving certification – P1 CMAS, in 2000. Has a degree in journalism and social communication. In the diving industry since 2008.