“Sunday, September 9, 2001 – Millstattersee, AUSTRIA
Six time World Record holder Tanya Streeter is currently in intensive training to break 2 more World Records later this month. She hopes to become the first women to ever surpass the men in 2 of the most challenging disciplines. On September 27th and 29th in Millstattersee, Austria, Tanya, who has previously beaten long-standing men’s Freediving World Records, will attempt to descend deeper than any woman, OR MAN, in the world in the Fresh Water Variable Ballast discipline and Fresh Water No Limits discipline. To be successful in her quest, she will have to dive at least one metre deeper than each existing record of 101m/331ft and 120m/394ft, respectively. Variable Ballast dictates that Tanya descends on a weighted sled weighing up to 35kg and ascends unassisted, under her own power, finning and pulling on a guide-rope. She hopes to get to 106m/348ft for the WR. In No Limits the weight of her sled is not restricted and her ascent is assisted completely as she inflates a liftbag at the bottom that carries her all the way to the surface. She is aiming for 125m/410ft. Whilst she can hold her breath for over 6 minutes, the records are expected to take less than 3 minutes. The records hold additional challenges for Tanya who is accustomed to diving in the warm, clear waters of the Caribbean because the conditions are severe. At the surface the temperature is 21 degrees Celsius and the visibility is less than a meter, but when that clears to about 3m some 10m down, the water temperature plummets to literally just above freezing, 4 degrees, and the complete darkness closes in. To combat the cold, Tanya dives in a thick neoprene hooded wetsuit, dives socks and gloves as well as goggles filled with warmer water from the surface and a nose plug. Her support divers, who are placed at regular intervals, frequently suffer frozen regulators.
The records will be officiated by 2 representatives of Freediving’s international governing body, AIDA (International Association for the Development of Apnea) and recorded in The Guinness Book of World Records.
For more information on Tanya, visit her website at http://www.redefineyourlimits.com or contact her directly at streetertp@earthlink.net or on +43 699 1190 4281.
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