Kosho Loic Vuillemin

Kosho Loïc Vuillemin, (born 29 September 1976), often known as the Diving Monk or the Deepest Monk", is a Swiss athlete, multiple national record holder in depth disciplines of freediving. 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.

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. 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.

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). 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. Vuillemin took care of the place as the main guardian until he left in September 2017.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Loïc stayed in Geneva and practiced in Ryu Kai Dojo Zen while studying Molecular Biology until he got his Master's degree in 2002 . 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.

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.

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. 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.

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.

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.

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.

Competition Palmares +