News
Don’t miss the North of England’s first AIDA Freediving Competition on the 17th November
As Freediving grows steadily in the North of England, Apneists UK ( www.learn2freedive.com ) has had groups running all over the North West, starting in Manchester and Liverpool, and in Yorkshire for well over a decade. In Yorkshire, Sheffield and Huddersfield currently have clubs, as does Leeds on a less regular frequency. In order to facilitate the ability of Freedivers to regularly train and increase the number of sessions, we are going to promote the sport in the area with its first AIDA Freediving competition on the 17th November 2013, and we have picked our club in Huddersfield to host the event.
A number of athletes from around the UK will compete in one of three disciplines. Dynamic Apnea, swimming horizontally as far as one can. Dynamic no fins, swimming as far horizontally as one can with… (yes you guessed it). And Static Apnea, lying stationary holding your breath for as long as you can. The highest point score wins, so you can pick your favourite event to try and win it. It is like the mini version of the International competition we have run every year now for five years, which is attempting all three disciplines and total point score decides the winner.
Some details here of location and timing: http://www.freedivingcompetition.com/huddersfield-2013.html
The competition holds something for the whole club, and for those travelling. Some athletes are in almost full time training trying to get National records and win the event, some athletes are there to get one step closer to that goal and simply be the best they can be, and some are there for their first taste of competition to see if they like it. In any case its a good reason to get fit and healthy both physically and mentally. Freediving is an extremely personal sport; you do your own dive on the day, but at the same time you never dive alone without someone properly looking after your safety. I think this, in part, is one of the reasons for the strong community spirit within the sport and, despite it being a competition, all athletes encourage the best out of their peers.
An event on the horizon is a good reason to train; an extra impetus to improve yourself and diving in some way. You don’t need to start the sport looking like an Olympian, but if you want a sport that will improve your health and fitness this certainly is a good one to take up. Improvements come over time with regular diving.
This competition will also be a good opportunity to make sure every wrinkle is ironed out of the background organisation for the International competition we have on the 22nd/23rd March 2014. We have some camera testing to do to make it really special. Here is the intro video from last year’s competition: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcgHwawzYE0 . A good opportunity to make the next competition better than the last, we always try and improve. Just before the International will have an opportunity for those wishing to judge in the future to do the AIDA International judges course with an experienced Judge trainer.
http://www.freedivingcompetition.com/2014-competition.html
Please feel free to come along and see the event. And if you are a Freediver, enter or help out if you want.
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More information available on www.scubapro.com.
Jake Davies boards Ghazala Explorer for an unforgettable Red Sea diving experience…
Overnight, the wind picked up, making the planned morning dive a bit bumpy on the Zodiacs to the drop point on Thomas Reef. There, we would dive along the reef before descending through the canyon and then passing under the arch before ascending the wall with a gentle drift. The site provided great encounters with more pelagic species, including shoals of large barracuda, tuna, and bigeye trevally.
Once back on the boat, it was time to get everything tied down again as we would head back south. This time, with the wind behind us, heading to Ras Mohammed to dive Jackfish Alley for another great gentle drift wall dive before then heading up the coast towards the Gulf of Suez to moor up at the wreck of the Thistlegorm. This being the highlight wreck dive of the trip and for many onboard, including myself, it was the first time diving this iconic wreck. I had heard so much about the wreck from friends, and globally, this is a must on any diver’s list. Fortunately for us, there was only one other boat at the site, which was a rarity. A great briefing was delivered by Ahmed, who provided a detailed background about the wreck’s history along with all the required safety information as the currents and visibility at the site can be variable.
Kitting up, there was a lot of excitement on deck before entering the water and heading down the shoreline. Descending to the wreck, there was a light northerly current which reduced the visibility, making it feel more like the conditions that can be found off the Welsh coast. At 10m from the bottom, the outline of the wreck appeared as we reached the area of the wreck which had been bombed, as our mooring line was attached to part of the propeller shaft. Arriving on deck, instantly everywhere you looked there were many of the supplies which the ship was carrying, including Bren Carrier tanks and projectiles that instantly stood out.
We headed around the exterior, taking a look at the large propeller and guns mounted on deck before entering the wreck on the port side to take a look in the holds. It was incredible to see all the trucks, Norton 16H, and BSA motorcycles still perfectly stacked within, providing a real snapshot in time.
Overall, we had four dives on the Thistlegorm, where for all of the dives we were the only group in the water, and at times, there were just three of us on the whole wreck, which made it even more special, especially knowing that most days the wreck has hundreds of divers. Along with the history of the wreck, there was plenty of marine life on the wreck and around, from big green turtles to batfish, along with shoals of mackerel being hunted by trevally. Some unforgettable dives.
The final leg of the trip saw us cross back over the Suez Canal to the Gobal Islands where we planned to stay the night and do three dives at the Dolphin House for the potential of sharing the dive with dolphins. The site, which included a channel that was teeming with reef fish, especially large numbers of goatfish that swam in large shoals along the edge of the reef. These were nice relaxing dives to end the week. Unfortunately, the dolphins didn’t show up, which was okay as like all marine life they are difficult to predict and you can’t guarantee what’s going to be seen. With the last dive complete, we headed back to port for the final night where it was time to clean all the kit and pack before the departure flight the next day.
The whole week from start to finish on Ghazala Explorer was amazing; the boat had all the facilities you need for a comfortable week aboard. The crew were always there to help throughout the day and the chefs providing top quality food which was required after every dive. The itinerary providing some of the best diving with a nice mixture of wreck and reef dives. I would recommend the trip to anyone, whether it’s your first Red Sea liveaboard in the Red Sea or you’re revisiting. Hopefully, it’s not too long before I head back to explore more of the Red Sea onboard Ghazala Explorer.
To find out more about the Northern Red Sea reef and wrecks itineraries aboard Ghazala Explorer, or to book, contact Scuba Travel now:
Email: dive@scubatravel.com
Tel: +44 (0)1483 411590
Photos: Jake Davies / Avalon.Red
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