Nicholas Mevoli
- August 22, 1981
- November 17, 2013
- 32 years
- pulmonary edema
About Nicholas Mevoli
Nicholas Mevoli, 32, American deep water diver, pulmonary edema.
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Full Biography
|Nicholas Lawrence Mevoli III (August 22, 1981 – November 17, 2013) was an American freediver who died while attempting to set an American record at the Vertical Blue competition at Dean's Blue Hole in the Bahamas.
Early life
Mevoli was born in Dunedin, Florida, and lived in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York. He worked as a prop technician in the film and television industry in New York, including on The CW series Gossip Girl and the Comedy Central series Chappelle's Show. He was also an actor, technician and writer with Rising Sun Performance Company, and starred in the 2004 independent film Exist.
Mevoli began free-diving competitively in early 2012. He won titles twice at the Deja Blue competition and finished third at the Caribbean Cup in Roatán, Honduras. He achieved an American record in the Caribbean Cup on May 27, 2013, with a dive to 100 meters in the Constant Weight (CWT) category. He finished third in the Constant Weight Without Fins (CNF) category at the free-diving world championships in Greece in September 2013.
Death
On November 15, 2013, Mevoli attempted to reach a depth of 96 metres (315 ft) in the Free Immersion (FIM) category at Vertical Blue, but had to turn back at 80 metres (260 ft) after suffering an upper respiratory squeeze.
Two days later, Mevoli attempted a CNF dive to 72 metres (236 ft) on a single breath. He began to turn back at 68 metres (223 ft), but appeared to change his mind and dived downward again. Mevoli returned to the surface after 3 minutes and 38 seconds underwater, but fell backward into the ocean and lost consciousness. Safety divers and the event physician attempted to revive Mevoli, whose pulse disappeared. After resuscitation efforts had continued for 90 minutes, he was transported to Vid Simms Memorial Health Center, reportedly suffering from pulmonary edema. Mevoli died at 1:44 p.m. He was the first athlete to die in an international free-diving competition.
The New York Times published a photograph of a visibly distressed Mevoli taken just after his return to the surface from his last dive and shortly before he lost consciousness. Some readers questioned the ethics of publishing the photograph.
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Articles & News
- "Nicholas Lawrence MEVOLI III Obituary"legacy.com
- "Nicholas Mevoli dies trying to set freediving record"cnn.com
- "Nicholas Mevoli, a Free-Diver from Brooklyn, Dies During Competition"blogs.wsj.com
Reported coverage of Nicholas Mevoli; each link opens the original article on the publisher's own site.
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Mevoli
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- View record
- September 29, 2026
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Nicholas Mevoli's archived record and the sources above.
1.In what city was Nicholas Lawrence Mevoli III born?
- A.Athens, Greece
- B.Roatán, Honduras
- C.Brooklyn, New York
- D.Dunedin, Floridacorrect
Nicholas Lawrence Mevoli III was born in Dunedin, Florida.
Source: Early life section
2.What occupation did Nicholas Lawrence Mevoli III hold in the television and film industry?
- A.Prop techniciancorrect
- B.Lead editor
- C.Director of photography
- D.Costume designer
Nicholas Lawrence Mevoli III worked as a prop technician in the film and television industry in New York.
Source: Early life section
3.Which television show did Nicholas Lawrence Mevoli III work on as a prop technician?
- A.Breaking Bad
- B.Gossip Girlcorrect
- C.The Wire
- D.Mad Men
Nicholas Lawrence Mevoli III worked on the set of the television series Gossip Girl.
Source: Early life section
4.In what year did Nicholas Lawrence Mevoli III begin competitive free-diving?
- A.2012correct
- B.2013
- C.2004
- D.2010
Nicholas Lawrence Mevoli III began his competitive free-diving career in early 2012.
Source: Early life section
5.What feat did Nicholas Lawrence Mevoli III achieve on May 27, 2013?
- A.Achieved an American recordcorrect
- B.Retired from competition
- C.Won the Caribbean Cup
- D.Set a world record
Nicholas Lawrence Mevoli III achieved an American record with a dive to 100 meters on May 27, 2013.
Source: Early life section
6.At which competition was Nicholas Lawrence Mevoli III attempting to set an American record when he died?
- A.Caribbean Cup
- B.Deja Blue
- C.World Championships
- D.Vertical Bluecorrect
Nicholas Lawrence Mevoli III died while attempting to set an American record at the Vertical Blue competition.
Source: Introductory paragraph
7.How long did Nicholas Lawrence Mevoli III remain underwater during his final dive?
- A.4 minutes 12 seconds
- B.2 minutes 15 seconds
- C.5 minutes 0 seconds
- D.3 minutes 38 secondscorrect
Nicholas Lawrence Mevoli III returned to the surface after being underwater for 3 minutes and 38 seconds.
Source: Death section
8.What was the official time of death for Nicholas Lawrence Mevoli III?
- A.12:00 p.m.
- B.1:44 p.m.correct
- C.11:00 a.m.
- D.3:38 p.m.
Nicholas Lawrence Mevoli III passed away at 1:44 p.m. following his final dive attempt.
Source: Death section
9.What role did Nicholas Lawrence Mevoli III play with the Rising Sun Performance Company?
- A.Stage manager
- B.Actor, technician and writercorrect
- C.Executive producer
- D.Choreographer
Nicholas Lawrence Mevoli III served as an actor, technician, and writer for the Rising Sun Performance Company.
Source: Early life section
10.Where is Dean's Blue Hole located?
- A.Greece
- B.The Bahamascorrect
- C.Florida
- D.Honduras
The Vertical Blue competition took place at Dean's Blue Hole in the Bahamas.
Source: Introductory paragraph
11.Which medical condition was Nicholas Lawrence Mevoli III reportedly suffering from after his final dive?
- A.Severe dehydration
- B.Pulmonary edemacorrect
- C.Heart attack
- D.Decompression sickness
Nicholas Lawrence Mevoli III was transported to the medical center reportedly suffering from pulmonary edema.
Source: Death section
12.How deep was the dive attempt on November 15, 2013, that Nicholas Lawrence Mevoli III had to abort?
- A.96 meterscorrect
- B.100 meters
- C.72 meters
- D.80 meters
Nicholas Lawrence Mevoli III attempted a depth of 96 meters on November 15, 2013, before suffering an upper respiratory squeeze.
Source: Death section
13.What was the significance of Nicholas Lawrence Mevoli III's death in the context of free-diving?
- A.He was the first athlete to die in an international competitioncorrect
- B.He was the first to die at Dean's Blue Hole
- C.He was the first professional record holder to die
- D.He was the first American to die
Nicholas Lawrence Mevoli III was the first athlete to die during an international free-diving competition.
Source: Death section
14.In which film did Nicholas Lawrence Mevoli III star in 2004?
- A.Gossip Girl
- B.The Caribbean Cup
- C.Existcorrect
- D.Vertical Blue
Nicholas Lawrence Mevoli III starred in the 2004 independent film titled Exist.
Source: Early life section
15.What news organization published a photograph of Nicholas Lawrence Mevoli III after his final dive?
- A.The Wall Street Journal
- B.The Guardian
- C.The New York Timescorrect
- D.The Washington Post
The New York Times published a photograph of Nicholas Lawrence Mevoli III taken after his final dive.
Source: Death section
16.Where did Nicholas Lawrence Mevoli III place in the Constant Weight Without Fins (CNF) category in September 2013?
- A.Second
- B.First
- C.Thirdcorrect
- D.Fourth
Nicholas Lawrence Mevoli III finished in third place in the CNF category at the free-diving world championships in Greece.
Source: Early life section
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