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.
PADI®’s global non-profit the AWARE Foundation™ is teaming up with leading sustainability-focused skincare brand Medik8 to save our most critical ecosystem on the planet – the ocean.
As the new corporate sponsor of the PADI AWARE Foundation’s 2023 Community Grant Programme, Medik8 will be supporting four grassroots conservation projects that range from protecting megafauna like turtles and whales from entanglement to fuelling hands-on citizen science initiatives like seagrass restoration.
The PADI AWARE Community Grant Programme is designed to award ocean protection initiatives that are in direct support of the United Nations Decade of Science for Sustainable Development in five distinct categories: coral restoration, developing marine protected areas, eliminating marine debris, reducing the effects of climate change, and protecting species threatened with extinction like sharks and turtles. In 2022 PADI AWARE™ dedicated nearly one-quarter of its public funds to empower local communities to take action for our shared blue planet.
“Last year we launched the Grant Programme to directly support PADI Members and NGOs driving meaningful conservation projects, often who have little or no funding support,” says Danna Moore, PADI AWARE Foundation’s Global Director. “This year, due to the collaboration with Medik8, we can provide more resources directly to local communities that need them most. Medik8 is a like-minded organisation that shares our science-based, sustainability-driven, and community-oriented values – and will be a strong partner committed to helping us create positive ocean change.”
Medik8’s support of the PADI AWARE Community Grants programme is in line with their ethos of making a positive impact through driving sustainability strategies with everything they do – from reducing carbon impact and waste to investing in being an ethical business with direct social investments. Their connection and deep love for the ocean is rooted in Medik8’s founder Elliot Isaacs, who is a PADI Master Scuba Diver™.
“As a brand, we strongly believe that increased social investment will allow us to make a more significant mark on wider society,” says Alexandra Florea, Head of Sustainability at Medik8. “Working with grassroots organisations who understand exactly what is needed on the ground will mean we can generate the greatest impact. We chose PADI as our long-term charitable partner because, like us, they put science at the heart of everything they do to bring about positive results.”
The PADI AWARE Grantee projects Medik8 is sponsoring fuel the impact of local citizen science initiatives driving global change like Kosamare Seagrass Restoration in Greece, a grant recipient from 2022 and now 2023. The other three grantee projects have also been selected and range from marine debris removal to climate change mitigation – and are set to be announced in the coming months.
The PADI AWARE Community Grant programme is open to all PADI Dive Centres around the world, along with locally-based NGOs and charities working on marine conservation issues that operate on a budget below $1 Million USD.
“With incredible partners like Medik8 who are equally committed to creating positive ocean change, a swell of hope for our shared blue planet is becoming stronger with every project we support – further proving that the ripples from local action really do have a global impact for us all,” says Moore.
The next round of proposal submissions is on 4 April 2023, with more information at www.padi.com/aware/grant-funding-criteria.
In this ongoing series, we speak to the people who run dive centres, resorts and liveaboards from around the world about their businesses and the diving they have to offer…
What is your name?
Ben Williams and Kay Van Leuven
What is the name of your business?
Sunchaser Scuba
What is your role within the business?
Owner/operator
How long has the business operated for?
32 years in total and we have been here since 2010, working for the previous owner, then bought the current company from him starting in 2015.
How long have you dived for, and what qualification are you?
Ben since 2003 and he is a PADI MSDT and SDI instructor
Kay since 2010 and she is a PADI MSDT and SDI instructor
What is your favorite type of diving?
Ben loves pinnacle dives; Kay loves shallow coral dives
If you could tell people one thing about your business (or maybe more!) to make them want to visit you, what would it be?
We offer valet diving for a trip of your lifetime. Personal service is key in our business, together with small groups.
What is your favourite dive in your location and why?
Ben favorite dive is the Invisibles because of the amount of marine life; Kay favorite dive is the wreck of the Rhone, because of it’s historical value, marine life and the amount of coral growth on it.
What types of diving are available in your location?
We offer reef and wreck diving, rendez vous diving with your charter boat so we can pick you up straight off your boat.
What do you find most rewarding about your current role?
Being able to dive every day and show the underwater world of the BVI
What is your favorite underwater creature?
Ben’s favorite is sharks and for Kay it is dolphins.
As a center what is the biggest problem you face at the moment?
Ever rising supplier prices.
Is your center involved in any environmental work?
Yes, we do treatment for STCLD, shark sightings and beach clean ups
Are there any exciting changes / developments coming up in the near future?
The hotel we work out of is still recovering from the 2017 hurricane so more places to stay will be coming along in the future. We have an amazing local non profit called Beyond The Reef in the BVI who are always making new artificial reefs.
How do you see the SCUBA / Freediving / snorkeling industry overall? What changes would you make?
We feel it is a great industry and it is very rewarding being able to teach people to dive and therefore increase awareness. One of the biggest changes that would be great to change is to be able to make things cheaper so it is more accessible to our local kids/divers and therefore increase the number of divers in our local community.
Finally, what would you say to our visitors to promote the diving you have to offer?
The BVI is very underrated and untouched, making it a great destination for both novice and
experienced divers.
Where can our visitors find out more about your business?
www.sunchaserscuba.com
info@sunchaserscuba.com
+12833442766
https://www.instagram.com/sunchaser_scuba/
https://www.facebook.com/sunchaserscuba/
WIN a c-monsta Wetsuit Hanger!!!
For this week’s competition, we’ve teamed up with c-monsta to give away one of their wetsuit hangers as a prize!...
WIN a Sharkskin Performance 40L Duffle Bag!!!
For this week’s competition, we’ve teamed up with our good friends at Liquid Sports to give away a Sharkskin Performance 40L Duffle Bag as...
Win a Vasili Lights Fish Lantern!
For this week’s competition, we’ve teamed up with Vasili Lights to give away one of their beautiful Fish Lanterns! Inspired...
WIN a Beuchat Maxlux S Mask and Spy Snorkel!!!
For this week’s competition, we’ve teamed up with our good friends at Beuchat to give away Maxlux S Mask and Spy Snorkel!...
-
News3 months agoSCUBAJET gets role in AVATAR: The Way of Water
-
News1 month agoUltimate Raja Ampat – The Last Paradise (Part 3 of 3)
-
News2 months agoNew book by diver aims to inspire teens to protect sharks and the ocean
-
News6 days agoDiving with… Ben Williams and Kay Van Leuven, Sunchaser Scuba, British Virgin Islands
-
Dive Training Blogs3 weeks agoDivers making the Oceans more diverse
-
News1 month agoUltimate Raja Ampat – The Last Paradise (Part 1 of 3)
-
News2 months agoTake Better Underwater Pictures and Make a Difference
-
Gear News2 months agoMares launch new Sirius dive computer