Vertical Blue has established itself as one of the world’s premiere freediving competitions boasting:
– more records (18 world records and 110 national records at its last four events)
– more dives per athlete (9 days of competition)
– ideal conditions (no current, no waves, no boats, 28ºC, no thermocline)
but due to size constraints it has always had to be an invitational only competition
…until now!!
For the first time ever – 2012 will see Vertical Blue as an OPEN EVENT, meaning that half of the places in the competition will be available for open entry (on a first come, first served basis). A further 20 places will be reserved for invitation of the top-performing freedivers from the 2011 calendar year.
Vertical Blue 2012 will take place from Nov 20 – 30 2012, so those of you who will train for the Teams World Champs in Nice in September will have the opportunity to compete soon after in an individual competition where you can convert your hard summer’s training into big performances.
William and Brittany Trubridge hope to see you in the Bahamas. If you are interested in coming then write back to events@verticalblue.net with the subject “Reserve Me!” (Even though this event is still a year away at time of publication, Vertical Blue recommends getting in early to ensure a place.)
DeeperBlue.com is pleased to provide the following information from the Vertical Blue Team:
GENERAL INFORMATION
Vertical Blue will be doing some things differently for the last year on the Mayan calendar:
- PRIZES A total of $12,000 cash for the event winners, as well as Suunto gauges, Orca wetsuits & compression clothing for category winners, spot prizes and much, much more.
- FUN Vertical Blue will organize trips on off-days to caves, other blue holes, secret beaches and more. There will be a conch stand at the blue hole, with fresh local seafood and fruit. We’ll host a “halfway party” after the fifth day and an “end of the world party” upon conclusion of the event.
- MEDIA There will be a dedicated announcer on the platform who will be watching both the surface action and the live bottom plate footage while giving live audio commentary to the internet. Professional photographers, athlete video packages and international coverage are the norm for VB events, and in 2012 they will make this service bigger and broader.
- A TEAM RELAY 30m CNF, 40m FIM, 50m CWT performed by three team members as quickly as possible. This new relay will happen on the last day of the event.
Since 2012 will be a Team’s World Champs year, there has already been a LOT of interest in Vertical Blue. Expect the available places will go very quickly, and note that the only way to ensure your place in the Bahamas is to reserve as soon as possible. The other reason for early enrolling is that of the 9 days of competition each athlete will be able to announce dives for no more than 6 days – the first registered athletes can choose in advance which days they would like to reserve (which can of course later be swapped with other athletes or for free places).
To be fair, everyone will have 2 weeks after reserving a place in order to confirm their entry, by means of payment of the inscription fee. The Vertical Blue policy will refund entry fees up to Oct 23, 2012, however, even if someone has to cancel after this date then there will likely be a waiting list of athletes who would be willing to take over a fee and a placement.
ENTRY FEE
The cost of inscription will be $645 and this includes:
- entry into Vertical Blue 2012 and Dive-off (with a prize purse of $12,000 + $8,000 merchandise)
- one week of free training before the event (additional training only costs $75/week to use the VB platform)
- the exclusive Vertical Blue team polo (Tommy Hilfiger VB Polo shirt).
- admission to the EnD oF THe WorLD ParTy with buffet banquet
- spot prizes, fun events and more!
Vertical Blue has a person dedicated to accommodation & rental support, who can provide you or your group with different options. If you get in early then expenses on the island are very low – you can survive on as little as $40/day !
