Stephen Keenan

Stephen Keenan (1 December 1977 – 22 July 2017) was an Irish freediving safety diver and co-owner at Dahab Freedivers.^[1] He held several Irish national freediving records^[2][3] and was a Chief of Safety at various freediving events such as Vertical Blue Freediving Competitions.^[4][5]

Keenan died during a rescue in an attempt to assist freediver Alessia Zecchini to the surface from a depth of 50 metres in Dahab's Blue Hole in 2017.^[6] The loss of his life was the first recorded death of a safety diver in action in freediving history.^[2]

Stephen Keenan was born and raised in Glasnevin, near Dublin,^[6] Ireland. He had studied microbiology at Trinity College, but had lived for about eight years in Egypt,^[3][7] where he was a freedive instructor.^[8]

Keenan fell in love with freediving while he was holidaying in Dahab, Egypt in 2009. Within a few years, Keenan relocated to Dahab, became a freediving instructor, and trained hundreds of students in Egypt, Spain, and the Philippines.^[9] In 2015, Keenan co-founded Dahab Freedivers with two friends: Spain’s Miguel Lozano, one of the deepest freedivers, and Swiss freediver Pascal Berger.^[4] That same year, he attained his career-best dive with a monofin to 81 metres (267 feet).^[2]

On 22 July 2017,^[10] according to The Guardian, "Keenan, aged 39,^[3] drowned while overseeing a dive by the freediving world record holder Alessia Zecchini. While attempting to cross the arch of the Red Sea’s notorious Blue Hole using only a single breath, the 25-year-old Italian became disoriented because Stephen Keenan was 20 seconds late at the meeting point with the ascending rope. When Keenan arrived at the meeting point saw Alessia successfully already out of the tunnel, but swimming astray. He rushed to her aid to guide her to the surface. She made it out unharmed but he blacked out and was found floating face down some distance away. The last footage of Stephen and Alessia together, clearly shows Stephen bustling to save Alessia, and risking his own life for hers. "^[6][11] Despite repeated attempts to save his life, Keenan could not be revived.^[2]

According to the Irish Independent, "Keenan suffered an in-water blackout in the last 10 meters of the ascent.^[5] He was alive when he was recovered from the water but died a short time later."^[8]

The Deepest Breath is a 2023 documentary directed by Laura McGann. The film tells the story of two freedivers, Alessia Zecchini and Stephen Keenan.^[12] It covers their relationship, careers in the sport, and the tragic event on that fateful day in Dahab, Egypt, in 2017.^[6]