Misuzu HIRAI (Also known as “Mimi”) 
AIDA 4-star Freediver
AIDA Freediving Instructor
AIDA Level-E Judge
Yoga instructor of Japan Yoga Association
Graphic designer
Free Diving Club: Tokyo Freediving Club,Lucky Fin Barracuda
Date of Birth: January 1973
Place of Birth: Tokyo
Main Training Fields:
depth training at Manazuru (Kanagawa pref.)
pools in Chiba & Tokyo
Interests: Likes to travel around to visit lighthouses.
Nickname: Mimi-zun (Foreign friends call her “Mimi”.)
Official Record (As of July, 2011)
Constant Weight with Fins: –75m
(National Record, Asian Record)
Free Immersion: -64m (National Record, Asian Record)
Ranking of 3 mix (Static/Dynamic with Fins/Constant): 3rd place in the world
[Photo by Ikuko Noda, taken at the World Championship in Bahamas, Dec 2009 ]
Backgrounds
She wasn’t really a good swimmer when she was a kid, and wasn’t at all interested in the sea. She would just go to the local swimming pool or sea-shore with her friends to “splash-around.”She thought she’d live a life unrelated to the sea and swimming. In high school, she was more into rhythmic gymnastics.
In 1999, she visited the Bonin Islands (Ogasawara) and experienced snorkeling for the first time, but of course, she put a life jacket on because she was afraid of the sea. From the surface, gazing down at the skin-divers swimming around freely with dolphins, she wished she could do the same. At the time, she could only swim 25 meters, desperately. Ever since, she has gone to Ogasawara frequently and she has been getting better at her diving. But actually it has been very recently that she got to swim freely.
She started Yoga to help her freediving skills improve. Soon, she was quickly impressed by its profoundness. Now, she coaches Yoga as her lifework, while she practices for herself.
Athletic Profiles (discipline references at the AIDA international site.)
| Competition | Results | Place | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Started freediving | |||
| 2004 | 2004 JAS Competition held in Shishihama | CWT | -32m (with a penalty) | |
| 2005 | Freediving Indoor Cup in Tateyama | STA | 4min 34secs | |
| DYN | -105m | |||
| 1ST AIDA Individual Pool World Championship (Switzerland) | STA | 4min 16secs | ||
| DYN | 100m | |||
| 2nd AIDA Individual World Championship (France) | CWT | -52m | ||
| 2006 | the Okinawa Freedive Invitational | CWT | -57m | The Winner |
| FIM | -50m | |||
| 5th AIDA Team World Championship (Egypt) | CWT | -61 m (NR/AR) | ||
| STA | 4min 14secs | |||
| DYN | 103m | |||
| 2007 | Deep Water Cup Okinawa 2007 | CWT | -63m (NR/AR) | The Winner |
| FIM | -45 m | |||
| CNF | -20 m | |||
| Freediving Indoor Cup in Kansai | STA | 5min 09secs | ||
| DYN | 75m | |||
| 2008 | Freediving Indoor Cup 2008 in Tateyama | STA | 5min. 43secs (NR) | 2nd Place |
| DYN | 131m | |||
| Okinawa Freediving Cup 2008 | CWT | -66m (NR) | The Winner | |
| STA | 6min. 04secs (NR) | |||
| DYN | 131m | |||
| Deep Water Cup Okinawa 2008 | CWT | -57 m | The Winner | |
| FIM | -57 m (NR/AR) | |||
| CNF | -20 m | |||
| 6th AIDA Team World Championship (Egypt) | CWT | -63 m | Bronze Medal (2nd Place, individualy) |
|
| DYN | 148 m | |||
| STA | 5min 55secs | |||
| Barracuda Cup in Tatsumi | STA | 5min 30secs | ||
| DYN | 152 m | |||
| 2009 | Freediving Indoor Cup 2009 in Tateyama | DYN | 161 m (NR/AR) | |
| Deep Water Cup Okinawa 2009 | CWT | -68 m | The Winner | |
| Okinawa Freediving Cup 2009 | CWT | -65 m | The Winner | |
| STA | 5min 36secs | |||
| DYN | 133 m | |||
| 5th AIDA Individual Pool World Championship (Denmark) | STA | 6min 10secs (NR/AR) | ||
| DYN | 174 m | |||
| 2nd King of Freedinving Competition |
FIM | -62 m (NR/AR) | ||
| 6th AIDA Individual World Championship (Bahamas) | CWT | -71 m (NR/AR) | ||
| CWT | -72 m (NR/AR) | |||
| 2010 | Vertical Blue 2010 (Bahamas) | CWT | -73 m (NR/AR) | |
| CWT | -74 m (NR/AR) | |||
| FIM | -64 m (NR/AR) | |||
| 7th Team World Championship (Okinawa) | CWT | -68 m | Gold Medal (2nd Place, individualy) |
|
| STA | 5min 55secs | |||
| DYN | 165 m | |||
| 11th Manazuru Freediving Classic | CWT | -75 m (NR/AR) | ||
| Freediving Indoor Cup in Kansai, Kyoto Gramprix 2010 | STA | 6min 12secs | ||
| DYN | 159 m | |||
| *2010 World's Absolute Freediver Awards 10th place | ||||
| 2011 | Freediving Indoor Cup 2011 in Tateyama | STA | 5min 36secs | The Winner |
| DYN | 168 m | |||
| DNF | 83 m | |||