Estrella Navarro-Holm is a

marine biologist Marine biology is the scientific study of the biology of marine life, organisms in the sea. Given that in biology many scientific classification, phyla, family (biology), families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others th ...

, model, and national record-holding

free diver Freediving, free-diving, free diving, breath-hold diving, or skin diving is a form of underwater diving that relies on breath-holding until resurfacing rather than the use of breathing apparatus such as scuba gear. Besides the limits of breath- ...

from

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. She is the first Latin American woman to win a free diving medal for holding a single breath for more than six minutes.

Early life and education

Navarro is from

La Paz La Paz (), officially known as Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Spanish pronunciation: ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With an estimated 816,044 residents as of 2020, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities ...

Baja California Sur Baja California Sur (; 'South Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California Sur ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California Sur), is the least populated state and the 31st admitted state of the 32 federal ent ...

. Her father, a swim-coach, taught her to swim at an early age. Navarro began modeling when she was 15 years old and placed sixth in Nuestra Belleza México in 2008. She earned a degree in

marine biology Marine biology is the scientific study of the biology of marine life, organisms in the sea. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology classifies s ...

, specializing in

shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachimo ...

biology and

ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...

, from the

Autonomous University of Baja California Sur The Autonomous University of Baja California Sur (in es, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur, UABCS) is a Mexican public university A public university or public college is a university or college that is in state ownership, owned by ...

Career

Navarro was scouted and initially trained by freediving instructor

Aharon Solomons Aharon Solomons ( Ernest Henry Child Simpson; born 27 September 1939) is an Anglo-Israeli former Army officer, and sportsman who at one point held the Israeli national record for freediving. Early life Solomons is the only child of Ernest Ald ...

. Three months after beginning to learn the breathing and ear-equalizing techniques necessary for freediving, she broke a national Mexican record. In 2010, Navarro began training with Italian coach Andrea Zuccari. She can hold her breath for many minutes and regularly dives deeper than 55 meters. She also participates in conservation efforts by appearing in documentaries and other media. And she works as an underwater and fashion model. In 2015, Navarro founded and organized the Big Blue freediving competition in her home state. It is the first international freediving competition in Baja Sur and promotes

marine conservation Marine conservation, also known as ocean conservation, is the protection and preservation of ecosystems in oceans and seas through planned management in order to prevent the over-exploitation of these marine resources. Marine conservation is in ...

. The event takes place in the waters off of Isla Espíritu Santo, Baja, Mexico. She organized it in cooperation with AIDA Mexico and diving equipment manufacturer Cressi. Inaugural attendees were to include

Alexey Molchanov Alexey Molchanov (russian: Алексей Олегович Молчанов, born 6 March 1987) is a Russian champion freediver, 34-time world champion (AIDA and CMAS), world record holder, and freediving promoter. He is also president of the " ...

, Natalia Molchanova, and Carlos Coste.

Records

Navarro has won two international freediving medals. She is the first woman from Mexico to win a medal at the AIDA Individual Depth World Championships, the world championships of free diving. She won the bronze medal in the Constant Weight No Fins (CNF) category against 150 other divers. Navarro has broken national free diving records for Mexico 26 times. In the 2015 Caribbean Cup in Roatan, Honduras, she broke three diving records for Mexico. In 2017, Navarro dove to a depth of 75 meters in

Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt Sharm El Sheikh ( ar, شرم الشيخ, ), commonly abbreviated to Sharm, is an Egyptian city on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, in South Sinai Governorate, on the coastal strip along the Red Sea. Its population is approximately 53,670 ...

in the Free Immersion (FIM) and Constant Weight Fins (CWT) categories. The record dive was validated by AIDA International at the Freediving World Apnea Center. She made the dive with a single large fin called a monofin. In 2019, Navarro broke another record for Mexico, diving 60 meters with bi-fins as part of the México en Buceo Libre competition in waters off of Bacalar, Quintaana Roo. Videos of her diving are available.

Publications

* Cisneros-Montemayor, A., Barnes-Mauthe, M., Al-Abdulrazzak, D., Navarro-Holm, E., & Sumaila, U. (2013)
Global economic value of shark ecotourism: Implications for conservation
''Oryx,'' ''47''(3), 381–388. doi: 10.1017/S0030605312001718

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Navarro, Estrella Mexican freedivers Living people 1992 births Sportspeople from Baja California Sur Mexican female swimmers 21st-century Mexican women Mexican female models Mexican marine biologists People from La Paz, Baja California Sur Autonomous University of Baja California alumni Women marine biologists