Kosho Loïc Vuillemin
 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | The Deepest Monk |
| Nationality | Swiss |
| Born | 29 September 1976 (age 49) |
| Education | Master of Science, Soto Zen Master (84th patriarch of transmitted buddhism), AIDA Freediving Instructor Trainer, Pro Safety Freediver |
| Occupations | Zen Master, Freediver, Public Speaker |
| Height | 200 cm (6 ft 7 in) |
| Children | Mahatma Vuillemin (daughter) |
| Parents |
|
| Website | https://deepzen.net |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Freediving |
Rank | Swiss Record Holder (FIM 93m | CWTB 94m | CWT 101m) |
| Coached by | Stephen Keenan, Andrea Zuccari |
| Achievements and titles | |
Highest world ranking | 1rst AIDA depth overall in 2020 |
Kosho Loïc Vuillemin, (born 29 September 1976), often known as the Diving Monk[1] or the Deepest Monk",[2][3][4] is a Swiss athlete, multiple national record holder in depth disciplines of freediving.[5] He is also a Sōtō Zen Master, holder of the Dharma transmission (shihō) of Taigen Kosen Roshi, which makes of him the 84th successor of Buddha Shakyamuni in the Buddhist tradition.[6]
Vuillemin is the first Swiss freediver and buddhist monk to reach the depth of 100m without mechanical assistance during competition and on a single breath.[7][8] In 2020 he was ranked first on the depth overall of AIDA International and scored 5th place overall during the World Championship of 2024 in Corsica. He won multiple times the Freediving World Cup in Sharm El Sheikh.[9][10]
Biography
Vuillemin, born in the US, was raised in Switzerland in the town of Trélex, in the Canton de Vaud. He went to high school in the Gymnase de Nyon and later studied Molecular biology in the University of Geneva (2002).[11][12] Ordained Zen monk at age 20, he abandoned his PhD and left Geneva to join Master Kosen Roshi in Montpellier, hoping to be taken as disciple. After more than a year of homelessness, Vuillemin finally got taken as Stephane Kosen Thibaut's secretary and personal assistant in November 2005. Together with the help of the Kosen Sangha Community they founded the Yujo Nyusanji temple in the South of France.[13] Vuillemin took care of the place as the main guardian until he left in September 2017.[14]
Vuillemin did his first competition in Dahab in October 2018 and scored his first national record in CWTB in 2019. By 2026 Vuillemin has scored multiple national records for Switzerland, won various international competitions and registered an impressive palmares.[15][16][17][18][19]
Instructor trainer for AIDA International, he works as a full-time freediving instructor in his school of Sharm El Sheikh. As a public speaker, he often travels to Switzerland to hold conferences and workshops in public and private organizations.[20][21]
Ordination and monastic life
From a very young age Vuillemin has been pulled towards Zen practice in company of his father, the Zen monk Vincent Keisen Vuillemin.[22]
He got introduced to Kosen Roshi with whom he practiced few retreats before to wish to receive the Bodhisattva ordination. He received the first ordination and the name Kosho in 1997. One year later, he then wished to receive the monk ordination formally, asking Master Kosen to take him as his disciple. Kosen consented to make him a monk yet sent him back to the university asking him to get a degree before to envision a Zen career.[23]
Loïc stayed in Geneva and practiced in Ryu Kai Dojo Zen while studying Molecular Biology until he got his Master's degree in 2002 [24]. After leaving his Phd, he decided to join Master Kosen in Montpellier and assist him in his mission. He formally got taken as prime disciple in November 2005. From this moment Loïc stayed by the side of Master Kosen Roshi until he got asked to take in charge the development of their new bought temple, Yujo Nyusanji, in July 2009.[25]
From there, it took 4 years to Vuillemin to obtain the Dharma transmission of his master and two more to receive the official allowances to open Yujo Nyusanji to the public. He stayed in charge two more years before to leave and walk his own path.[26][27][28]
Freediving
Impressed by the movie "The Big Blue" of Luc Besson, Vuillemin dreamt of freediving his whole life. It is only in 2014 that he discovers AIDA Freediving courses and got registered for an AIDA 2 course with instructor trainer Julien Borde in Mexico.[29][30] He did the level 3 in Ibiza in 2015 with Louisa Collyns who advised him to continue his freediving training with the guidance of Stephen Keenan. He got certified AIDA 4 in 2016 and Instructor in early 2017. [31]
This same year Vuillemin participated in his first freediving competition The Red C cup in Dahab. His scores stayed modest until he registered his first national record for Switzerland in April 2019. Stimulated by this record Vuillemin decides to conquer the ones of other depth disciplines.[32][33][34][35]
From 2019 until 2026 Vuillemin has registered 25 national records in the disciplines of Free Immersion (FIM), Constant Weight (CWT) and Constant Weight Bifins (CWTB). In 2022 he is the first Swiss freediver to reach the iconic depth of 100 meters in CWT. He will dive 101 meters two years later.[36][37]
Before announcing a break, Vuillemin has stood on multiple podiums of international and national competitions, scored into the top ten of both World Championships he went to and never suffered any black outs.[38][39]
Competition Palmares
| Category | Depth | Date | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| CWTB | 62 m | 05 April 2019 | Blue Ocean Mini Comp |
| FIM | 84 m | 27 July 2019 | AIDA Blue Ocean Depth Comp |
| CWTB | 76 m | 3 November 2019 | AIDA Egyptian National Championships |
| CWT | 84 m | 5 November 2019 | AIDA Egyptian National Championship |
| CWTB | 80 m | 22 September 2020 | AIDA Freediving World Competition |
| CWT | 85 m | 25 September 2020 | AIDA Freediving World Competition |
| FIM | 85 m | 18 October 2020 | AIDA Dahab Apnea October Competition |
| CWTB | 83 m | 22 October 2020 | AIDA Dahab Apnea October Competition |
| CWTB | 85 m | 11 May 2021 | AIDA Freediving World Cup |
| FIM | 86 m | 12 May 2021 | AIDA Freediving World Cup |
| CWT | 86 m | 14 May 2021 | AIDA Freediving World Cup |
| CWTB | 86 m | 14 July 2021 | AIDA Freediving World Cup |
| CWT | 88 m | 16 November 2021 | AIDA Freediving World Cup |
| CWT | 90 m | 18 November 2021 | AIDA Freediving World Cup |
| CWT | 93 m | 17 May 2022 | AIDA Freediving World Cup - May 2022 |
| CWT | 96 m | 19 May 2022 | AIDA Freediving World Cup - May 2022 |
| CWT | 100 m | 22 May 2022 | AIDA Freediving World Cup - May 2022 |
| CWTB | 86 m | 15 May 2023 | AIDA Freediving World Cup - May 2023 |
| FIM | 87 m | 16 May 2023 | AIDA Freediving World Cup - May 2023 |
| FIM | 90 m | 16 May 2024 | AIDA Freediving World Cup May |
| CWTB | 90 m | 17 May 2024 | AIDA Freediving World Cup May |
| CWT | 101 m | 19 May 2024 | AIDA Freediving World Cup May |
| FIM | 93 m | 22 May 2024 | AIDA Freediving World Cup May |
| CWTB | 93 m | 23 May 2024 | AIDA Freediving World Cup May |
| CWTB | 94 m | 12 May 2026 | AIDA Freediving World Cup May Competition |
| Medal | Date | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | 26 September 2020 | AIDA Freediving World Competition |
| Silver | 22 October 2020 | AIDA Dahab Apnea October Competition |
| Gold | 15 May 2021 | AIDA Freediving World Cup |
| Gold | 15 July 2021 | AIDA Freediving World Cup |
| Gold | 10 October 2021 | AIDA Freediving World Cup |
| Bronze | 22 November 2021 | AIDA Freediving World Cup |
| Gold | 22 November 2021 | AIDA Freediving World Cup (Final) |
| Silver | 22 May 2023 | AIDA Freediving World Cup - May 2023 |
| Bronze | 23 May 2024 | AIDA Freediving World Cup - May |
| Silver | 8 August 2024 | AIDA Cormorant Depth Challenge (August Edition) |
| Gold | 26 May 2025 | AIDA Freediving World Cup |
| Gold | 19 May 2026 | AIDA Freediving World Cup - May Competition |
| Medal | Discipline | Date | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silver | STA | 25 October 2017 | Red C Cup 9th Edition |
| Silver | CWTB | 5 April 2019 | Blue Ocean Mini Comp |
| Gold | FIM | 26 July 2019 | AIDA Blue Ocean Depth Comp |
| Bronze | CWTB | 3 November 2019 | AIDA Egyptian National Championships |
| Silver | CWT | 5 November 2019 | AIDA Egyptian National Championships |
| Bronze | CWTB | 22 September 2020 | AIDA Freediving World Competition |
| Bronze | FIM | 23 September 2020 | AIDA Freediving World Competition |
| Silver | CWT | 25 September 2020 | AIDA Freediving World Competition |
| Bronze | CNF | 26 September 2020 | AIDA Freediving World Competition |
| Silver | FIM | 18 October 2020 | AIDA Dahab Apnea October Competition |
| Gold | CWTB | 22 October 2020 | AIDA Dahab Apnea October Competition |
| Bronze | CWT | 11 July 2021 | AIDA Freediving World Cup |
| Silver | CWTB | 14 July 2021 | AIDA Freediving World Cup |
| Silver | CNF | 15 July 2021 | AIDA Freediving World Cup |
| Silver | CWTB | 6 October 2021 | AIDA Freediving World Cup |
| Silver | FIM | 7 October 2021 | AIDA Freediving World Cup |
| Bronze | CWT | 9 October 2021 | AIDA Freediving World Cup |
| Gold | CNF | 10 October 2021 | AIDA Freediving World Cup |
| Bronze | CWT | 18 November 2021 | AIDA Freediving World Cup |
| Gold | CWT | 22 May 2022 | AIDA Freediving World Cup - May 2022 |
| Bronze | CWT | 19 May 2023 | AIDA Freediving World Cup - May 2023 |
| Bronze | CNF | 22 May 2023 | AIDA Freediving World Cup - May 2023 |
| Bronze | FIM | 22 May 2024 | AIDA Freediving World Cup - May |
| Silver | CWTB | 23 May 2024 | AIDA Freediving World Cup - May |
| Silver | CWTB | 15 August 2024 | AIDA Cormorant Depth Challenge (August Edition) |
| Bronze | CNF | 18 August 2024 | AIDA Cormorant Depth Challenge (August Edition) |
| Bronze | FIM | 22 May 2025 | AIDA Freediving World Cup |
| Gold | CWTB | 24 MAy 2025 | AIDA Freediving World Cup |
| Silver | CNF | 26 May 2025 | AIDA Freediving World Cup |
| Gold | CWTB | 12 May 2026 | AIDA Freediving World Cup - May Competition |
| Silver | FIM | 15 May 2026 | AIDA Freediving World Cup - May Competition |
| Silver | CNF | 18 May 2026 | AIDA Freediving World Cup - May Competition |
| Gold | CWT | 19 May 2026 | AIDA Freediving World Cup - May Competition |
| Medal | Date | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| Silver | 20 August 2022 | AIDA Swiss Freediving Championship 2022 - Depth Competition |
| Medal | Discipline | Date | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silver | CWTB | 24 August 2019 | Swiss Championship Lake 2019 |
| Bronze | CTW | 20 August 2022 | AIDA Swiss Freediving Championship - Depth Competition |
| Silver | FIM | 20 August 2022 | AIDA Swiss Freediving Championship - Depth Competition |
References
- ↑ "Apnée : les performances remarquées d'un moine bouddhiste". franceinfo (in French). 2019-09-14. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- ↑ Mulone, Yvan (2022-08-05). "À la rencontre du moine le plus profond du monde". Blick (in Swiss French). Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- ↑ "Interview mit Loic Vuillemin - Restorative Breathing®" (in German). 2024-02-01. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- ↑ "Un moine apnéiste vaudois qui tutoie les profondeurs". 20 minutes (in French). 2020-10-29. Retrieved 2026-08-15.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Athletes Profile - Loïc Vuillemin".
- ↑ "Zen Master Loïc Kosho Vuillemin". Zen Deshimaru. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- ↑ "Loïc Vuillemin moine devenu champion apnée".
- ↑ "Année: Le Vaudois Loic Vuillemin plonge a plus de 100 metres de profondeur".
- ↑ "COMPETITION PALMARES | Kosho Loïc Vuillemin | Deep Zen Meditation and Freediving". Deep Zen Freediving. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- ↑ "AIDA | Rankings". www.aidainternational.org. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- ↑ Cosio, Claudia; Vuillemin, Loic; De Meyer, Mireille; Kevers, Claire; Penel, Claude; Dunand, Christophe (March 2009). "An anionic class III peroxidase from zucchini may regulate hypocotyl elongation through its auxin oxidase activity". Planta. 229 (4): 823–836. Bibcode:2009Plant.229..823C. doi:10.1007/s00425-008-0876-0. ISSN 1432-2048. PMID 19116728.
- ↑ "Le maître zen aime la profondeur". 24 heures (in French). 2022-09-08. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- ↑ "Accueil - Association Bouddhiste Zen Deshimaru". Zen Deshimaru (in French). Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- ↑ Solutions, AwA. "Yujo Nyusanji, le temple zen du Caroux". www.zen-temple.earth. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- ↑ "Trois records nationaux pour Loïc Vuillemin en Egypte". lematin.ch (in French). 2024-05-26. ISSN 1018-3736. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- 1 2 "Apnée: le Trélesien Loïc Vuillemin a réalisé de nouveaux exploits à Sharm El Sheikh". Apnée: le Trélesien Loïc Vuillemin a réalisé de nouveaux exploits à Sharm El Sheikh (in French). Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- ↑ "Nereus Magazine – Fédération Suisse de Sports Subaquatiques FSSS". Français (in Swiss French). Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- 1 2 "Trois records nationaux pour Loïc Vuillemin en Egypte". 20 minutes (in French). 2024-05-26. Retrieved 2026-08-15.
- 1 2 "Trois records nationaux pour Loïc Vuillemin en Egypte". 24 heures (in French). 2024-05-26. Retrieved 2026-08-15.
- ↑ "Le court métrage: Lʹart de la profondeur en apnée dans le lac de Neuchâtel". rts.ch (in French). 2023-09-03. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- ↑ Vuillemin, Deep Zen, Kosho Loic. "FREEDIVING COURSES IN SHARM EL SHEIKH | DEEP ZEN Meditation & Freediving". DeepZen Freediving Sharm el Sheikh. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ↑ "Vincent KEISEN VUILLEMIN est auteur(e) aux éditions Trédaniel". www.editions-tredaniel.com (in French). Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- ↑ "Session d'octobre - Palmarès de l'Université - UNIGE". www.unige.ch (in French). 1970-01-01. Retrieved 2026-08-15.
- ↑ "Session d'octobre - Palmarès de l'Université - UNIGE". www.unige.ch (in French). 1970-01-01. Retrieved 2026-08-15.
- ↑ Solutions, AwA. "Yujo Nyusanji, le temple zen du Caroux". www.zen-temple.earth. Retrieved 2026-08-15.
- ↑ "Zen Master Loïc Kosho Vuillemin". Zen Deshimaru. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- ↑ "More Than Just A Simple Monk: Loic Vuillemin". www.deeperblue.com. 2019-08-21. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- ↑ Solère, Sophie (2020-06-19). "Loïc Vuillemin : le moine champion d'apnée - Bouddha News". B. (in French). Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- ↑ "Notre équipe - Pranamaya Freediving | Riviera Maya" (in French). 2021-01-04. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- ↑ "AIDA | Instructor Profile". www.aidainternational.org. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- ↑ "AIDA | Instructor Profile". www.aidainternational.org. Retrieved 2026-08-15.
- ↑ "Champion d'apnée, ce moine zen s'est bâti une vie à couper le souffle". Champion d’apnée, ce moine zen s’est bâti une vie à couper le souffle (in French). Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- ↑ Loïc Vuillemin est moine bouddhiste, et il se prépare aux Championnats du monde de plongée en apnée - 19h30 - Play RTS. Retrieved 2026-06-27 – via www.rts.ch.
- ↑ "Mondial d'apnée AIDA à Villefranche-sur-Mer : un moine en quête de profondeur". France 3 Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (in French). 2019-12-09. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- ↑ "Ce Trélésien veut plonger à 100 m de profondeur sans respirer". Ce Trélésien veut plonger à 100 m de profondeur sans respirer (in French). Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- ↑ "Apnée: le Trélésien Loïc Vuillemin a franchi le mur du 100!". Apnée: le Trélésien Loïc Vuillemin a franchi le mur du 100! (in French). Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- ↑ "Apnée: le Vaudois Loïc Vuillemin plonge à plus de 100 mètres de profondeur". Apnée: le Vaudois Loïc Vuillemin plonge à plus de 100 mètres de profondeur (in French). Retrieved 2026-08-15.
- ↑ "Apnée: un nouveau record de Suisse et une pause pour le Trélésien Loïc Vuillemin". Apnée: un nouveau record de Suisse et une pause pour le Trélésien Loïc Vuillemin (in French). Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- ↑ "Loic Vuillemin | World no.446 | The Freedive Ranking". freediveranking.com. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "AIDA | Loic VUILLEMIN". www.aidainternational.org. Retrieved 2026-08-15.