By Leonard Rodriguez
This column highlights inspiring stories of Latino leaders. For more than 500 years, Latino men and wom- en have positively influenced the face of United States so- ciety. Let us celebrate these outstanding hispanics.
Francisco Ferreras Rodriguez
On November 14th, 1993, in Freeport, Bahamas, Francis- co Ferreras Rodriguez broke the boundaries of underwater and human capability when he dove 410 ft beneath the sea without air, establishing new depth and time world re- cords. Clocked at 2 minutes and 9 seconds, he surpassed the limits that physical scien- tists thought possible for free diving. Born in Cuba, Rodri- guez was a diving champion and competed as a member of the 1980 Cuban Olym- pic team.
Now residing in Florida, Rodriguez is a scuba diving instructor and owner of Pipin’s Divers, a diving company in his hometown of Key Largo.
