Three months pass... autumn is on the horizon...and despite much activity in the freediving world, silence from Beyond the Big Blue.
With some things, being in the thick of them means you don't have as much opportunity putting finger to keyboard. Enjoying the British summer is another good excuse – so now that the rain has finally stopped, I can at last get out in the garden with the laptop.
First things first, then: some new records for UK female sector. No fewer than 4 have been broken, and three of those more than once. One of them ( Free Immersion ) going 2 metres deeper than the men's equivalent. What gives? A new name, a new face, and a blaze of publicity in tow. The name ( and face, shown here ) belonging to Sara Campbell, from Dahab. For years I have been telling students, that if you can only do one activity out of the water to help your freediving, choose yoga. Sara is a guru in that department, having taught it for some time now. Last year she decided to try playing around with a monofin. Now she's been down to 70 metres with it. A depth that the elite normally take several years to attain. Sara has bagged constant weight, constant weight without fins ( 40m ) and free immersion ( 62m ). Record no. 4 was not Sara's for the taking, though. Liv Philip showed that she too, can break her own records if she chooses to, and did just that with a 5 min 32 second hold in Maribor, Slovenia at the World's Indoor Individual Freediving Championships. The UK is hearing a lot about Sara at the moment but let's not forget that Liv, our highest ranked female, is also breaking records. As for us men, we seem to be resting on our laurels...
Talking telephone numbers, Herbert Nitsch went down on a sled to 700 feet and back again in June. He did use a bit of wizardry to do it, but all above-board, if below surface. ( Amazing how plastic coke bottles and bits of polystyrene are the latest technological breakthroughs in freediving – I just love it when simple practicality triumphs over leading-edge gadgetry. )
The competition season is well underway now, and I have had the pleasure in taking part in two. Firstly, Coupe Des Calanques in Marseille, organized by Gregory Piazzola. With about 60 athletes taking part in this, it was a first in that scoring was for teams of two. The idea being, that one experienced freediver would partner a newcomer. ( Or for some teams, that two elitists would partner up and try and walk away with top prize ). I stuck to the brief, and was lucky enough to have Ms George Miller as my partner. I say lucky, because I couldn't have asked for someone who was a better sport about the misfortunes that were thrown at her. A constant weight dive canceled because of rough sea conditions, and a yellow card in static for a mistake not of her making. No histrionics, no toys thrown out of prams – just good humour, and a cheeky grin to go with it. The whole competition was all about having fun, and no-one was being too serious ( not even the 'dream teams' ). A great representation from the UK, with Liv Philip and Tim Money joining George and my 'Tea for Two' as the 'Free Hugs' team. And of course, trusty coach / photographer / psychotherapist Laura Storm. Competing in Nice is a hard act to follow, but Marseille proved itself another worthy French arena.
Last but by no means least....Double Dip, a UK national competition at the NDAC. Home ground for this competitor, and a freak weekend of mainly good weather for the occasion. I can't do justice to Sam's transcripts of the weekend, so I have linked to that. Every time Sam and Laura put on an event here, it seems to surpass the previous. This time, both men and women had some serious competition in the form of a guest appearance from Sara Campbell. Sara managed to do what I did not – reach the depths she had inscribed, and thus achieved the highest scores. Not that I was disappointed – I have a wonderful piece of Bristol Blue Glass taking pride of place in our living room to prove otherwise. So this quarter's news from a British perspective of freediving closes, with more than a little respect to our diminutive newcomer. Who has now kicked my ass twice.
