India, Sept. 12 -- Ever held your breath in a swimming pool, gone underwater and tried to stay there for a bit? You've actually been freediving without knowing it. Now, imagine taking it up a notch, drawing an epic breath, and going deeper and deeper, staying submerged for several minutes, on lung power alone. In international freediving circles, this is exactly what India has been doing. Young men and women have been taking their first breaths in an unfamiliar sport. They're reaching new depths and setting the first records for India along the way.

No, we're not dominating the field - not yet. The Russians, Italians and French have been at it for decades and hold most of the global records. But India has entered with something of a spla...