Dive Pacific Iss 171 Oct- Nov 2019

Challenging yourself
Kat Mager reports on the recent Freediving
New Zealand Pool Nationals 2019
The man floating face down in
the pool had been there almost
seven minutes. He was turning
an alarming shade of purple,
but let us know with a flick of a
finger he was ok. Shortly afterwards
he broke the surface, taking
some huge breaths of air, and was
awarded a white card for a clean
dive by the judges. Guy Brew had
just won the Statics event at the
Freediving New Zealand Pool
Nationals 2019 with a breath hold
of 7 minutes 30 seconds.
Great diversity
In addition to Kiwis and Aussies,
divers from many countries such
as Taiwan, Germany, Argentina,
the UK, Saudi Arabia and even
Mauritius participated at this
year’s event. And we were joined
by athletes of all performance
levels and physical disadvantages.
The age of competitors ranging
from 16 to 65 years - being young
or getting older was not about to
stop anyone.
…at its core, freediving is about the struggle each diver fights
within themselves… the better you understand yourself
and your body, the better your dives…
Said principal organiser Nick
Rhodes, “I am pleased to see a
small team from Whangarei Boys'
High School, part of the Northland
Freediving Club, competing in the
recreational grade. It's great to see
them getting involved in our sport
at a younger age in a safe, educated
way.”
The challenge within
At its core, freediving is about the
struggle each diver fights within
themselves. These competitions
are less about being better than the
Preparing for a long dive with his
monofin: Ali Khalifah from the
Auckland Freediving Club
34 freedivers from all over New
Zealand and overseas visitors
came to Auckland in September to
compete at the Nationals freediving
pool championships. Held
by Freediving New Zealand and
hosted by The Auckland Freediving
Club the competition took place
at the beautiful National Aquatic
Center AUT Millennium pools.
Athletes challenged themselves
over a long weekend of apnea in
three disciplines: Statics, Dynamics
with Fins in the 50m pool, and
Dynamics No Fins in the 25m pool.
Photo by Kat Mager
18 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific