EXTREME SPORTS LEARN TO RIDE

Freediving (or free-diving) is a form of underwater
diving that relies on a diver's ability
to hold his or her breath until
resurfacing rather than on the use of a breathing
apparatus such as scuba gear. Examples
include breath-hold spear fishing,
freedive photography, recreational breathhold
diving, apnea competitions, and to
some degree, snorkeling. The activity that
garners the most public attention is the extreme
sport of competitive apnea in which
competitors attempt to attain great depths,
times, or distances on a single breath.
APNEA
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Competitive freediving is currently governed
by two world associations: AIDA International
(International Association for Development
of Apnea) and CMAS (World
Underwater Federation). Most types of
competitive freediving have in common that
it is an individual sport based on the best individual
achievement. An exception to this
rule is the bi-annual World Championship
for Teams, held by AIDA, where the combined
score of the team members makes up
the team's total points. There are currently
nine disciplines used by official governing
bodies and a dozen disciplines that are only
practiced locally. In this article, the recognized
disciplines of AIDA and CMAS will be
described. All disciplines can be done by
both men and women and, while done outdoors,
no differences in the environment
between records are recognized any longer.
The disciplines of AIDA can be done both in
competition and as a record attempt, with
the exception of Variable Weight and No limits,
which are both done solely as record
attempts.