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Cuban freediver Francisco "Pipín" Ferreras is once again at the center of international controversy after losing his lawsuit against Netflix for the film No Limit, a movie inspired by the death of his wife Audrey Mestre, which he claims implicitly portrays him as a murderer.
The controversy resurfaced this Monday with the publication of an extensive report by The New York Times Magazine, which reexamines not only the legal battle against the streaming platform but also the suspicions, contradictions, and theories that have haunted the famous Cuban diver for more than two decades.
Ferreras filed the lawsuit in 2023, claiming that the French film, released by Netflix in 2022, implied that he deliberately sabotaged Mestre's air tank during a record dive in the Dominican Republic in October 2002, where the athlete lost her life at the age of 28.
In the film, the characters Roxana and Pascal have a tumultuous relationship marked by jealousy, manipulation, and an obsession with sports records. The movie culminates with Roxana's death when the ascent balloon fails to operate due to an empty air tank. Although the names have been changed, the production concludes with a dedication to Audrey Mestre, and many elements align with the true story of the couple.
However, the U.S. justice system ultimately sided with Netflix.
In April 2024, a judge in California dismissed the lawsuit on the grounds that the characters in the film were sufficiently distinct from Ferreras and Mestre. Subsequently, in August 2025, an appeals court upheld that decision, and in December of the same year, the California Supreme Court declined to review the case, solidifying the platform's victory.
The case has once again sparked international interest because the report from the New York Times revives historical doubts surrounding Mestre's death, regarded as one of the most shocking tragedies in the history of extreme apnea.
According to the reconstruction published by the newspaper, Audrey Mestre descended to a depth of 171 meters during an unassisted world record attempt off the coast of Bayahibe, Dominican Republic. When she attempted to surface, she discovered that the air tank responsible for inflating the ascent balloon was almost empty. The athlete lost consciousness underwater and died shortly thereafter.
Although her death was officially classified as an accident, theories and accusations regarding potential serious negligence and even deliberate sabotage have circulated since then.
The report includes testimonies from former collaborators and divers present during that immersion. Some stated that Ferreras exercised absolute control over the operation and reacted with hostility when others attempted to check Mestre's air tank.
One of the harshest testimonies cited by the newspaper was that of former AIDA executive Bill Stromberg, who stated, "The bottle was empty."
However, no criminal charges were ever brought against Ferreras, and Audrey Mestre's parents have publicly stated that they do not believe the Cuban murdered their daughter.
Francisco Ferreras, born in Matanzas in 1962, became an international celebrity in the 1980s and 1990s due to his world records in freediving. The Cuban regime then used his athletic achievements as a propaganda symbol before the athlete defected to the United States in 1993.
World-renowned as "Pipín," Ferreras cultivated an almost mythical image for decades: the Cuban capable of challenging extreme depths without oxygen. He signed million-dollar contracts, appeared in international documentaries, and even caught the interest of filmmaker James Cameron, who planned for years a cinematic adaptation of his story.
Currently, Ferreras resides again in Havana, where he runs an audiovisual production company and continues to publicly advocate for his version of events. The report from the New York Times indicates that he is even preparing for a final extreme dive planned for 2026 in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, the same place where his relationship with Audrey Mestre began.
" sooner or later people will know my true story," Ferreras told the American newspaper.
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