Freediving is actually a lot of fun. I freedive with flippers in the summer and I could probably do twice as well in duration and distance if I really tried- but I'm always worried I might pass out underwater and die in the middle of a dive. And that woulnd't be very fun, now would it?

There's lots of recreational activities like that that people start doing because they're very pleasant, then they start getting all competitive about them and take it all to extremes where the only reward is knowing you can beat the competition.

That's kind of sad, really, and completely misses the point of doing something for enjoyment. But I guess it's the prevailing culture. We value being the best at something more than we value life itself.