News
Sayuri Kinoshita and Stig Pryds take home Gold in Blue Element
The second edition of freediving competition Blue Element wrapped on Friday 30 November.
The 6-day event ran from 23-30 November and was organised by Jonathan Sunnex, AKA Johnny Deep and Sofía Gómez Uribe, a formidable partnership as both are recognized as one the deepest male and female freedivers in the world – Sofia is a former World Record holder in bi-fins and a multi-national record holder in both pool and depth and Johnny dives below 100m in CWT and FIM.
Blue Element Under the Surface – Sayuri. Photo: Daan Verhoeven
This competition should have been number three and as explained by Johnny “has been two years in the making. Last year we were within weeks of running the competition, we already had some freedivers on the island and then disaster struck and Hurricane Maria came through and ravaged the island.”
Set in Soufriere Bay, Dominica the diving conditions are pretty hard to beat, the water temperature doesn’t go below 26 degrees, there is no current, no waves and the visibility is 20-30m. Twenty-two athletes from thirteen countries crossed the globe to compete before laying their fins down to rest and then starting all over again next year. World record holders and national record holders competed on the same line as beginners and a total of twenty national records fell.
Stig Pryds – Overall Men’s Winner. Photo: Daan Verhoeven
The winners of the competition were Sayuri Kinoshita of Japan and Stig Pryds of Denmark. Sayuri’s top dives were 83m CWT bi-fins, 98m CWT, 88m FIM, 62m CNF and Stig’s were 101m CWT, 95m FIM, 68m CNF. Sayuri is the current FIM world record holder (97m) and former CNF world record holder (72m). Stig Pryds holds all Danish depth national records at present (75m CNF, 102m FIM, 105m CWT). Stig suffers from psoriatic arthritis (a chronic inflammatory joint disease, causing intense pain and extreme fatigue), making his diving results all the more impressive and inspiring.
Also impressive and worthy of a mention is that in-between organising, Sofia and Johnny snuck in some dives of their own securing spots on the podium: Sofia came second overall (80m CWT, 85m FIM, 52m CNF) and Johnny third (82m CWT, 80m FIM and 52m CNF), quite remarkable and testament to what a well-run competition Blue Element was that they were able to transition between roles.
Georgina Miller (UK Athlete) CNF. Photo: Daan Verhoeven
We had four freedivers representing the UK who all did themselves proud. Nancy Gibson placed fourth overall with dives to 60m CWT (bi-fins), 60m FIM and 40m CNF and Georgina Miller came sixth (56m CWT, 47m FIM and 36m CNF); Paul Sutton came fifth out of the men (61m CWT, 56m FIM, 51m CNF) and Jon Fane sixth despite only competing in two out of three disciplines (77m for both CWT (bi-fins) and FIM).
Safety is paramount to Johnny and Sofia and the members of the Safety Team were selected for their experience and capabilities, arriving early to train and building a team together. The team worked with medics to learn the most up to date procedures when dealing with potential emergencies. British freediver Louisa Collyns, a former GB freediving athlete and instructor led the team as Chief of Safety. Also on the team were Gary McGrath, a team GB competitor and instructor and Scottish freediver and Yoga Instructor Lynne Padden.
Blue Element Crew & Safety Team. Photo: Daan Verhoeven
Also a priority is conservation and on one of the rest days, Sofia with the support of Maaji Earth Warriors (who do beach clean ups all over Colombia) and help from the Blue Element crew and athletes, collected over 200 kilos of trash in just half an hour. This is a tradition that will continue with each Blue Element edition.
Check out www.britishfreediving.org to find out more about freediving.
Images: Daan Verhoeven www.daanverhoeven.com
Free Octopus with every purchase of a SCUBAPRO regulator system
Just in time for the spring season, divers can save money with the FREE OCTOPUS SPRING PROMOTION! Until July 31st SCUBAPRO offers an Octopus for free
with every purchase of a regulator system!
Get a free S270 OCTOPUS with purchase of these combinations:
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with A700
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with S620Ti
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with D420
MK25 EVO Din mit S620Ti-X
Get a free R105 OCTOPUS with purchase of the following combinations:
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with G260
MK25 EVO or MK17 EVO with S600
SCUBAPRO offers a 30-year first owner warranty on all regulators, with a revision period of two years or 100 dives. All SCUBAPRO regulators are of course certified according to the new European test standard EN250-2014.
Available at participating SCUBAPRO dealers. Promotion may not be available in all regions. Find an authorized SCUBAPRO Dealer at scubapro.com.
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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