News
Freediver blacks out during competition following depth measurement error
French freediver Guillaume Nery suffered a black out before reaching the surface at a freediving competition being held in Cyprus earlier today while attempting to break a World Record.
It’s understood that the depth measurement at the event, which is a precursor to the AIDA World Championships, was set 10 metres deeper than the announced depth.
Mr. Nery was assisted to the surface by safety divers, where he was administered oxygen for at least 30 minutes.
It’s said that Mr. Nery has made a full recovery, although some sources have claimed that he may have suffered a lung squeeze (which has yet to be verified).
To break the World Record, Mr. Nery had to reach a depth of 129 metres – a depth that many thought was well within the reach of the freediver, who’s personal best is a depth of 126 metres.
It’s said that his dive computer showed he had reached a depth of 137 metres during the attempt.
AIDA have issued two statements following the incident – one from the organisation’s President, Kimmo Lahtinen, and the other by the competition jury who were present at the time the incident took place.
Mr. Lahtinen’s statement reads as follows:
Guillaume Nery´s world record attempt on 10th of September.
In a pre-competition related to the Aida World Championships there was an incident today; the competition rope was set +10 meter deeper than the announced dive depth. Consequently the experienced athlete had a black out before reaching the surface. Judges in this pre-competition were Ute Gessman, Robert King, and Savvas Savva.
After reading the initial posts about this incident on the France Apnee Facebook wall this morning, I have requested a report from the Aida judges/representatives at the location (Ute Gessman and Robert Kind) as well as from the athlete (Guillaume Nery). I have already received some information from Ute Gessman and from Carla Hanson who was traveling to Cyprus when the incident happened. I am awaiting further information from Robert King and from Guillaume Nery.
After speaking with Ute Gessman on Skype a moment ago about the incident, my conclusions at this point are:
- We will ensure that the Aida World Championships competition will be safe. This kind of incident will not happen in the upcoming Aida World Championships. Actioned: I have contacted the head of the Aida World Championships competition Jury president, Jean-Pol Francois, and agreed that he will take care of this most important task. These actions include re-measuring the rope and marking with Aida officials (according to Aida competition rules).
- We will investigate what happened in this pre-competition as soon I have received the official reports from the location (organizer, Aida judges involved and the athlete, Guillaume Nery). There may be further action taken as a result of this incident, as soon we have been able to ensure that the safety in the upcoming World Championships competition has taken care of.
- We will find a solution to prevent this issue from happening in Aida competitions in the future. Some preliminary thoughts: we need a clear “code / standards” how competition and record attempt ropes will be marked. This will make it possible for the judges and athletes to understand the marks on the rope. We also need to discuss and question if we should use tape to mark the competition ropes.
This information has been posted to the Aida Board, Aida Assembly and on the Aida Facebook wall. If there are any further questions please do not hesitate to ask.
Kimmo Lahtinen, AIDA president
And here is the statement from the competition jury:
From: Jean-Pol François, World Championship Jury President; Robert King, World Championship Jury Vice President; Savvas Savva, World Championship Organizer
Date: 10 September 2015
Regarding: Safety Incident at World Championship Pre-Competition
As many of you know, there was a safety incident this morning at the PreCompetition in Limassol, Cyprus: the competition line was set 10m deeper than the announced depth (which was 129m–a world record attempt). This was a serious error. Fortunately, due to the level of his conditioning, the athlete was not seriously injured. However, he may not dive at the World Championships (which is itself serious).
Two factors contributed to this error. First, the competition line was lowered faster than it should have been, and shallower markings were not correctly noted. Second, the line was stopped with two red tape lines and three white tapelines above the surface (the marking for 129m). However, one piece of white tape had come off: meaning the line was actually set at 139m. In addition, the sonar unit may have failed to track the athlete below 110m. We will work over the next days to ensure athlete safety at the AIDA Depth World Championships:
1) All competition lines have been removed from the water, and will be remeasured and marked with paint or permanent marker (in addition to tape), so that even if a piece of tape comes off, the marking will still be clear. This will be done before training starts on Saturday (there is no training Friday).
2) At the start of each competition day, each line will be lowered into the water with depth gauges to confirm that markings match depths. Lines will be lowered slowly enough that intermediate markings can be noted (each 10m).
3) On each competition day, there will be a starter on each line. This will allow the depth to be checked before the first athlete, and the line lowered slowly to the first competitor’s depth.
4) We will work with the sonar unit to ensure either than it can track athletes to 130m, or get another sonar unit that can. Athletes and coaches should feel free to contact any of us with any questions you may have.
Jean-Pol Francois
We will bring you more on this story as it comes in.
Gear News
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Blogs
Northern Red Sea Reefs and Wrecks Trip Report, Part 3: The Mighty Thistlegorm
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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