April 20, 2010
After the first three days of competition at Vertical Blue 2010, the globe’s premier freediving invitational competition, world and national records have begun to fall.
At 11:50am on April 19 at the event location at Dean's Blue Hole, Long Island, Bahamas, New Zealander William Trubridge became the first man to pass the barrier of 300 feet (92 meters) freediving completely unassisted - a discipline called constant weight no fins (CNF).
Swimming a form of adapted breaststroke he descended next to a vertical line, collecting a tag from the bottom plate as proof of depth, before returning to the surface with only his hands and feet for propulsion, in a total time of 3min 45sec. Suunto D4 dive computer was also used for checking the depth.
Constant Weight No Fins is the purest measure of human aquatic potential, and athletically the most demanding of the freediving disciplines. The greatest danger for Trubridge during the dive was the risk of running out of oxygen and blacking out underwater.
One day earlier, American freediver Robert King added a huge four metres onto his free immersion (FIM) national record, diving to 86m in 3min 9sec. In FIM, divers are not allowed fins but can use the rope to pull themselves down.
King, who has been training with fellow competitor Will Winram (CAN) and Austrian Herbert Nitsch was happy with his dive. “This was a nice way to start the competition,” he said. “Thanks to Herbert Nitsch and Will Winram for coaching and advice during training.”
Nitsch also lived up to his reputation, setting a new FIM world best with 114m with a dive that took 4min 11sec.
Vertical Blue 2010 runs until April 27, 2010. A competition to find the best all round freediver is also being run in parallel with divers scoring points based on the ratio of their dives in all three disciplines to current world records. Current leader in the Suunto Dive-Off is Trubridge followed by Walter Steyn (AUS) with Nitsch and Dave Mullins (NZL) tied in third.
Additional notes on freediving:
At Vertical Blue 2010 athletes will compete in the constant weight no fins (CNF), free immersion (FIM) and constant weight (CWT) disciplines, which are recognised by the sport’s governing body, the International Association for the Development of Freediving (AIDA).
In CWT the diver descends and ascends using fins or a monofin for propulsion. In CNF, fins are forbidden and the diver must use his or her own muscle strength throughout the dive. FIM divers are also not allowed to use propulsion equipment but can use a rope to pull themselves down and up.
For each dive, a pre-moistened, stretched and measured rope with a circular base plate fixed at the target depth is set into the water. Velcro tags are clipped to the line with carabiners so that they sink down and sit on the base plate.
Divers must retrieve a tag with a single breath and their diving watch is checked to ensure they reached the target depth. A small camera is also positioned on the base plate to film the diver retrieving the tag. Athletes also wear a lanyard attached to the line and in case of a blackout, the entire rope is hauled to the surface, bringing the stricken diver with it.