Hold your breath and attempt to break a national record at the GCC AIDA International Freediving Competition. The second edition of the event will take place at British School Al Khubairat in the nation’s capital on Saturday, August 29.
It is once again organised by FreedivingUAE, the region’s community of freedivers, and backed by AIDA (International Association for Development of Apnea), so all records set will officially count. There are some countries that don’t have any freediving records, so if you’re from one of those countries and participate, you could become a record holder.
This summer’s competition will also increase the disciplines to three, adding dynamic without fins to the returning categories of static and dynamic fins.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a regular freediver or just a beginner, the experience alone is worth it.
“People who come along who want to set national records can come and compete. If they beat any record, then they’ll be officially recognised,” said Alex Boulting, founder of FreedivingUAE.
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“We are trying to encourage as many people from different nationalities as we can to come and compete and set or break national records.”
The competition offers more than just a chance to break records though. Those that impress could be selected by FreedivingUAE to join a squad potentially heading to the Team World Championships in September 2016.
“We missed the boat for the individual competition next month, but that was never our target,” Boulting said. “We’re still looking for at least three other Emirati men and ladies to come along, if not through this competition, then again in March.”
To prepare for Saturday’s event, training sessions will be held the day before on Friday at British School Al Khubairat to maximise participants’ chances of doing well in the competition. Those who want to attend should bring swim wear, goggles and a towel.
There will be a fee of Dh300 per competitor to cover the cost of the pool and the AIDA judges. The application form can be completed at www.freedivinguae.com/2nd_GCC_Competition_Application, while the link for payment, as well as additional information, can be found on FreedivingUAE’s Facebook page.
The medical certificate as part of the application must be signed and stamped by a doctor prior to the competition. Once that is done, you are ready to test your breath-holding in the pool.
What: GCC AIDA International Freediving Competition
Where: British School Al Khubairat, Abu Dhabi
When: Saturday, August 29 at 08:00, with training sessions on Friday, August 28 from 13:00 Contact: facebook.com/freedivinguae for more information
