Today at the third annual CMAS Freediving World Championships in Kas, Turkey the unthinkable occurred.
One of the many athletes competing in the discipline of Constant Weight (CWT) with a mono-fin was left (momentarily) in the water column at 35 meters. Ramon Carreno Paz (Spain) had been ascending up at a slow pace up from his 75-meter dive when he then ran out of steam at about 35-meters and subsequently suffered a deep water blackout for all the world to see via the Diveye live stream.
What was horrifying for the viewers to watch was that the supposed safety diver on a scooter did not come to the assistance of Ramon, but seemed to look at him on his approach to 35 meters and then disappeared without properly waiting, escorting or even assisting the Spanish diver who was in desperate need of help.
As evidenced by the Diveye depth meter on the screen, Carreno Paz actually sank back down to about 60 meters before he was finally saved.
The good news is that Ramon, who was transported to the hospital after surfacing and did suffer a lung squeeze, is recovering and doing well.
Thankfully, given the alarming nature of this incident and the importance of having proper & experienced safety at such a high level event, AIDA International Master Trainer and Technical expert Jonathan Sunnex, who came to Kas to coach his partner Sofia Gomez Uribe to a new World Record in bi-fins to 86 meters, is stepping in to take over as Chief of Safety.
The official feed has been removed from Facebook however you can watch an excerpt of Ramon’s dive below.
Stay tuned as we receive more updates on the status of the competition from Kas.
