LONG ISLAND, Bahamas (11 Apr 2007) -- A New Zealand diver has set a new world freediving record in the "constant weight without fins' category. William Trubridge, 27, from Hawkes Bay, reached a depth of 81 meters, which bettered the previous mark of 80 meters set by Czech diver Martin Stepanek in 2005. The "constant weight without fins" category is arguably the most interesting, relevant and demanding of the nine freediving disciplines because divers must swim to depth and return to the surface without the assistance of fins, ropes, weightbelts, sleds and other artificial devices freedivers use to set records. Trubridge, who now lives in the Bahamas and started freediving four years ago, set the new record at Dean's Blue Hole, a 200m-deep limestone sinkhole just off the coast of Long Island in the Bahamas. "The descent and ascent took roughly the same time – about a minute and a half each way," Trubridge said. "Once I got down to about 25m, the pressure became so great that it squeezed my body and I just sank...the hard part was getting back up." Trubridge said he had been training for the record diver for over a year and was glad to finally set the record. "I've been going after this record for a year now, but my first attempt was a year ago so it's good to finally get it in the bag," he said. Despite the many months of training that finally culminated in the new record, Trubridge is already talking about another record attempt. "We're trying to push it out a little bit further," he told reporters, " I've been past that depth in training." | | OVERCOMING FEAR: William Trubridge, from Hawke's Bay, has dived to 81 metres, setting a a new world freediving record. Trubridge said that although he has reached a depth of 85 meters during training dives, world record attempts are far more demanding psychologically. "It is all about the mental and physical challenge. It is 80 per cent psychological – you have to slow down your breathing and heart rate, get over the fear." © CDNN - CYBER DIVER NEWS NETWORKSCUBA FORUMDISCUSS THIS TOPIC - Dive in and have your say at Scuba Forum |
