The first free diving championship will be held on September 3, off shore from La Samanna Hotel. (Photo Florian Zawag)
MARIGOT--Belmond La Samanna will be hosting the first free diving championship (Ier Open d’Apnée de Saint-Martin) on Sunday, September 3, organised by the Tainos Free Diving School. The sport of free diving is a discipline where one descends under water on a single breath, guided by a fixed line, to a pre-determined depth and then surface again. In professional competition, the depth is increased as the rounds progress to decide the overall winner. Free divers wear wet suits, goggles and special fins to aid the descent and ascent. The competition will be held from 9:00am to 6:00pm.
The organiser, founder of the Tainos Free Diving School and President of Association pour le Developpement de L’Apnée a Saint-Martin (ADASM), Florian Mioni, said he did not expect a large participation for this first event as the sport is relatively new on the island. For the competition on September 3, there will be three categories: free immersion (FIM) which means descending by pulling on the rope, constant weight (CWT) using only fins to descend and ascend, and Constant No Fins. The latter category is the most difficult because you are using only a vertical breast stroke to propel you downwards and upwards, and is a demonstration category, for participants to try it.
A staging platform will be set up on a 12-metre boat two miles offshore from La Samanna’s beach restaurant where the free divers will compete. The divers will be taken out by boat from the beach, four at a time, to the competition area. For safety, a medical team will be on stand-by all day, as well as rescue divers, on the committee boat. Media and sponsors are also invited to watch the competition from the committee boat. “We are organising this competition under the rules and safety requirements of Association International pour le Developpement de L’Apnée (AIDA), the same rules that I use for my diving school,” Mioni assured. “AIDA is the most serious free diving agency and the one that establishes the world records.”
Mioni added he received authorisation from the Préfecture to hold the event, noting the main purpose is to promote free diving during a discovery day. “This is not an officially-sanctioned event, its more about communicating on free diving and swimming. Many people do not know how to swim properly and I thinks it’s also interesting for spear fishermen to learn about safety procedures and rules.” There will three rescue, or safety divers, on hand, one of whom will be Mioni. The maximum depth set for the divers is 50 metres.
On the committee boat there will be a judge, and sonar equipment to check where the diver is. A doctor and nurse will have a defibrillator with them and oxygen. Two certified free diving students (Level 2 and 3 from AIDA) will act as “buddy” divers to 20 metres. Winners will be determined by the maximum depth reached. Entry fee for the competition is 20 euros. Participants need to be 18 years and over and have a valid medical certificate certifying good health and personal insurance for free diving. A prize giving ceremony will be held at the La Samanna beach restaurant at the end of the competition. There will be three prizes for men and three prizes for women, as well as a special prize for the deepest dive. For more information call (0691) 26.50.10
