Netflix criticised over timing of freediving documentary amid Titanic submarine search

‘The Deepest Breath’ tells the story of freediving world record holder Alessia Zecchini

Netflix is facing criticism on social media after the streaming giant released a trailer for its new freediving documentary amid the ongoing search for the missing Titan submarine.

Produced by A24, The Deepest Breath tells the story of Alessia Zecchini, the current holder of the freediving world record.

The trailer was shared on Tuesday (20 June) as rescue efforts were well underway to find the five missing passengers onboard the Titan, which went missing on an expedition to see the Titanic shipwreck.

Freediving is a form of underwater diving that relies on natural breath-holding rather than apparatus like scuba gear.

The teaser features heavy breathing sounds as viewers watch Zecchini plunge deep into the ocean. One scene shows a diver being resuscitated during a freediving competition.

On Twitter, many Netflix subscribers questioned the timing of the deep-sea-related release given the ongoing search for the submarine.

“The timing of this,” one person commented.

“Probably not the best timing for this,” another agreed.

“Wow epic timing, and not in a good way. Who decided this was going up?” A third wrote.

The Independent has contacted Netflix for comment.

Earlier this year, Zecchini, 30, set a women’s world record with a freedive reaching 107 metres.

The documentary’s official logline reads: “A champion freediver and expert safety diver seemed destined for one another despite the different paths they took to meet at the pinnacle of the freediving world. A look at the thrilling rewards – and inescapable risks – of chasing dreams through the depths of the ocean.”

On Wednesday (21 June), it was announced that Channel 5 would air a documentary about the missing submersible on Thursday (22 June) just hours after it is due to run out of oxygen.

The OceanGate Expeditions craft had a 96-hour oxygen supply when it left its surface ship around 900 miles east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, on Sunday morning (18 June), meaning it is due to run out at approximately 10am BST on Thursday (22 June).

The five passengers aboard the missing submarine include British billionaire Harding, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, and his son Suleman, founder and CEO of OceanGate, Stockton Rush, and veteran French diver Paul-Henry Nargeolet.

On the same day, the submarine went missing, Harding’s stepson Brian Szasz was spotted at a Blink-182 concert in San Diego.

“It might be distasteful being here but my family would want me to be at the Blink-182 show as it’s my favourite band and music helps me in difficult times,” Szasz apparently wrote in the caption of his since-deleted post.

A Canadian aircraft searching for the sub in the Atlantic Ocean recently detected intermittent “banging” noises from the vicinity of its last known location.

Follow the latest updates on the missing Titanic submarine here