From Vertical Blue:
From April 1-11, 2009 Vertical Blue will once again hold its annual invitational Freediving competition in Dean’s Blue Hole, Bahamas.
The event will host the biggest names in the sport, with world champions and world record holders competing to test the limits of the human capacity for depth on a single breath.
Dean’s Blue Hole is the deepest blue hole in the world, at 203 meters (660 feet), and the 21 invited athletes will be descending to over half that distance in their attempt to be crowned the world’s deepest man/woman.
The 2008 edition of Vertical Blue was heralded as “the most successful freediving event” with 5 new world records and 23 national records being broken.
In 2009 athletes will once again compete in three disciplines of freediving:
Constant Weight: the diver descends and ascends with fins or a monofin. The current world records are 113m (370ft) for men and 95m (311ft) for women
Unassisted: the diver cannot use any fins or propulsion equipment of any kind, and descends and ascends with a kind of adapted breaststroke. The current world records are 86m (282ft) for men and 60m (196ft) for women.
Free Immersion: the diver uses the rope to pull themselves down and up. Current world records are 108m (354ft) for men and 85m (279ft) for women.
Some of the athletes who will compete this year include:
Herbert Nitsch: 23 world records in freediving, “greatest freediver ever”
William Trubridge: current world record holder in unassisted and free immersion.
Sara Campbell: set world records in all 3 disciplines over 3 days in 2007. Her records have since been broken, and she is in training to get them back.
Ryuzo Shinomiya: Japanese freediving champion
William Winram: pan-American freediving champion
Kathryn McPhee: NZ freediving female champion and world record holder
Jana Strain: US freediving female champion
