ORLANDO, Fla. – Many of us, at some point, have tried to hold our breath for as long as we can -- probably when we were young while competing with friends.
In the extreme sport of free diving, it's not just about holding your breath for as long as possible. It's also about going several feet down into the ocean waters -- or springs, like one Central Florida woman does -- all without the help of an oxygen tank.
Krystal Jiménez, 21, is pushing her limits using just a pair of goggles, fins and a wetsuit.
Jiménez said diving is her way of connecting with Mother Nature and how she relaxes and enjoys the beauty of Florida.
"When I'm down there, I'm not thinking about anything else. I'm just thinking about what I can see," Jiménez said.
[RELATED: Brevard County woman opening sanctuary for neglected, forgotten animals | Students' careers take flight early with Seminole High School's aviation program]
Jiménez was 8 when she first experienced the depths of springs and oceans. Her passion led her to eventually become a free diver.
"It's one breath, so it's not going to be a long time that I'm going to be down there. So while I'm down there, I try to see as much as I can," Jiménez said.
In the competitive diving world, athletes take one breath and are pulled down hundreds of feet by a weight placed on a cable. Once they've reached their mark, they have to inflate a balloon that launches them back up to the surface.
Jiménez uses a weighted belt, which is 15 pounds. For her, it's not about how long she can hold her breath -- which is an average of three minutes -- but about how it makes her feel.
"I focus on how I feel when I'm floating and how free I feel and how close I feel to nature when I'm down there. I feel almost part of it," she said. "A lot of people think it's an adrenaline kind of thing, but it's the complete opposite. When you're down there, you want to be as calm as possible."
On average, Jiménez can dive down 40 feet on a single breath. Last year, she broke her record at Blue Hole Spring when she reached 50 feet.
"I relaxed. I kept going, and it was the most amazing experience ever. It was about four minutes that I was going down there, which was my record time. The hole looks really small, but once you fit in it, it's almost like a giant room," Jiménez said.
Free diving is a sport where, unlike running, climbing or swimming, divers descend into cold waters where there is no air. Jiménez is well aware of that, which is why she always has a buddy with her by her side: her father, who swims close to her on every dive.
"It is a dangerous sport. Towards the end, when I think, 'OK, it's a good time to start going up,' as I'm going up, my body wants to freak out. It wants air. It gets a little bit anxious," Jiménez said.
Despite that element of danger, it has its perks. Free diving has taken Jiménez to explore more than 80 beaches and dozens of springs in the state, as well as underwater caverns. During a visit to the Bahamas, she even encountered a shipwreck that was 20 feet below the water.
"Right away, I was like, 'I need to see that,' and I was like, 'How deep is it?' And he was like, 'Oh, 15, 20 feet,' and I was like, 'I could do that," Jiménez said. "I remember seeing it from a distance, and I just went right to it. It was amazing."
So where does she find her inspiration? She says it comes from free diver and spear fisher Kimi Werner.
"She actually does free diving on the side, not as (a) competitive sport, and that's why I admire her. She does it (for) the same reason. It just brings her to this world that she loves so much," Jiménez said.
Just like Werner, Jiménez hopes her hobby will help highlight some of Florida's natural beauty.
“I would love to inspire people to see -- just to see -- what’s in their backyard. Especially in Florida. There (are) springs everywhere,” Jiménez said.