DETAILS TBA
DEPTH DISCIPLINES
CONSTANT WEIGHT (CWT)
The discipline that carries the most competitive and deepest titles. By using a monofin or bifin and the body’s own power, the diver’s aim is to propel themselves down and back to the surface, without changing their ballast.
CONSTANT WEIGHT NO FINS (CNF)
Seen by many as the purest form of competitive freediving, the diver uses only arms and legs to perform the dive, swimming breaststroke down and back up.
FREE IMMERSION (FIM)
A test of upper body strength and endurance, the diver pulls themselves down a weighted line, and back to the surface again.
NOTE – all deep competitive dives are ‘constant weight’ – it means we can use weight to assist the descent but must return with the same amount of weight. So a balancing act between an easy descent and an efficient ascent has to be found. Most divers use around 2-3kg depending on their body-size, suit thickness and water type they are diving in.
Competition Meeting
This is always very important and everyone who is joining the event should be present, this is when you will announce your dives for Day 1/Day 2. Our meeting for the FAC will be on the afternoon of July 22nd. Exact time and location will be announced later. Because the meeting is just one day before the competition, you don’t want to face any last minute surprises.
Announcement For Dives
We will ask you to announce your Dives for Day 1 & Day 2.
Together with depth and discipline you also need to announce the estimated dive time; this is mainly for our safety team. We recommend keeping track of your speed and dive times in training to get an accurate announcement in competition.
You can only add up to 5 meters depth to your “Day 2 Announcement” if it is the same discipline.
One Point Will Be Awarded For Each Meter
Your Lanyard
The Judges of the competition will inspect your lanyard and mark it if it passes the inspection. Important is that carabiners open and close easily (no screw locks), quick releases function, and buckles and velcro straps are in good shape. We advise to use your “competition lanyard” as much as possible in training, as every lanyard can behave a bit differently while diving.
The Medical Statement
Obviously it’s there to state that you are healthy and fit to dive. Most of you might know this already from taking a freediving course. The difference in a competition is that the medical statement must be signed by a licensed physician. The medical statement is valid for one year.
We have doctors present at the competition meeting who can issue medical statements. However they will be limited with their possibilities of examination. If you have concerns about your health we strongly advise to have a thorough medical check-up before your journey.
*Athletes who are doctors cannot sign their own medical statement!
In addition to lanyard & announcement we will also ask everyone to sign a liability release and settle any outstanding payment of the competition fee.
Competition Fee Includes Boat Accommodations; You Are Responsible For Your Lodging & Transportation To Boats/Event.
Play It Safe
When you think about which depth you would like to attempt during the Florida Apnea Challenge, think very carefully. From our own experience we can guarantee that a sub-maximal dive that we can do comfortably will in the end usually result in more satisfaction, fun and overall a better result than a dive where we push ourselves too far. An unsuccessful dive is more than just a loss of points. More importantly it can mean frustration and loss of motivation, the last thing we need to take away from competition.
We have to remember that just because we achieve a certain performance in training doesn’t mean that we will be able to repeat it under the different circumstances of a Competition. Especially for novice competitors we highly recommend to shave off 2-3 meters from the personal best to make for a smooth competition dive!
Florida Apnea Challenge Set Up
Drift Diving
As underwater currents are present across almost all deeper areas of Florida’s Atlantic Coast , freediving while drifting is becoming a more and more popular practice to deal with Neptune’s wrath. Training while drifting must be planned carefully.
Unless athletes can be directly supervised by the safety divers all the way (possible for shallow events), it is mandatory in AIDA competitions (this is not an AIDA Event) to set up a counterweight system. The counter weight system should allow to haul the main dive line up with a speed of minimum 1m/s. Our counterweight will be installed across our boat.
- 2 Official Set Ups
- 45′ Dive Boat
- Competition Zones approximately 25 miles from shore
- Depth at Competition Zone: 70m+
- Warm up Zone: 2 buoys per set up, set to 40m, supervised
- Distance between Official Line and Counterweight: 6m
- Official Line bottom weight: 15kg
- Counterweight: 35kg
- Velcro Tags (soft part)
- Candy Cane with Tennis Ball halfway (1m to plate)
- Both set ups will be re-positioned between sets
- 1 Point Awarded Per Meter
Offshore Training Leading Up To Florida Apnea Challenge
We Will Be Offering Offshore Training Four Weeks Leading Up To Florida Apnea Challenge
$75/Diver Per Trip With 2 Trips Offered A Day (Weather Permitting)