Freediving Thailand

Some of the Videos from the Competition

2012-02-21T06:09:00.001-08:00

Check out some of the videos from the Freediving Competition

Sea, Pool & Overall Results

2012-02-13T21:45:00.001-08:00

First Name	Sex	Natl	SEA	POOL	TOTAL
Elisabeth H	F	GER	83	125.5	208.5
Karin	F	AUT	83	107.3	190.3
Michelle	F	SIN	38	141.4	179.4
Vivian	F	MYS	36	124.3	160.3
Elisabeth M	F	AUT	88	33.0	121.0
Julian	M	RSA	102	172.5	274.5
Ken	M	DAN	131	137.1	268.1
Trond	M	NOR	110	153.1	263.1
Drutten	M	SWE	83	166.2	249.2
Mohd Azam Abdul	M	MYS	108	136.1	244.1
Christian	M	AUT	51	137.2	188.2
Walter	M	USA	49	135.2	184.2
Enzo	M	ITA	65	104.1	169.1
Kim Seng	M	MYS	70	94.9	164.9
Alan	M	MYS	20	0.0	20.0

Overall Results

2012-02-13T21:40:00.001-08:00

First Name	FIM	CWT	CNF	STA	DYN	DNF	TOTAL
Elisabeth H	33	30	20	56.0	41.0	28.5	208.5
Karin	38	25	20	53.8	29.0	24.5	190.3
Michelle	0	22	16	55.4	47.5	38.5	179.4
Vivian	9	15	12	55.8	45.0	23.5	160.3
Elisabeth M	35	33	20	0.0	0.0	33.0	121.0
Julian	38	36	28	69.0	61.5	42.0	274.5
Ken	31	50	50	64.6	72.5	0.0	268.1
Trond	40	40	30	62.6	58.0	32.5	263.1
Drutten	35	10	38	61.2	58.0	47.0	249.2
Mohd Azam Abdul	40	41	27	49.6	50.0	36.5	244.1
Christian	0	17	34	62.2	29.0	46.0	188.2
Walter	20	9	20	72.2	30.5	32.5	184.2
Enzo	20	30	15	48.6	27.0	28.5	169.1
Kim Seng	30	10	30	45.4	49.5	0.0	164.9
Alan	20	0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	20.0

Dynamic No Fins

2012-02-13T21:39:00.001-08:00

First Name	Sex	Natl	RP	Card	Penalty	Points
Walter	M	USA	65	W	0.0	32.5
Alan	M	MYS
Elisabeth	F	GER	57	W	0.0	28.5
Karin	F	AUT	49	W	0.0	24.5
Vivian	F	MYS	47	W	0.0	23.5
Enzo	M	ITA	57	W	0.0	28.5
Mohd Azam Abdul	M	MYS	73	W	0.0	36.5
Elisabeth	F	AUT	66	W	0.0	33.0
Trond	M	NOR	65	W	0.0	32.5
Michelle	F	SIN	77	W	0.0	38.5
Kim Seng	M	MYS	87	R	0.0	0.0
Julian	M	RSA	94	Y	5.0	42.0
Christian	M	AUT	102	Y	5.0	46.0
Ken	M	DAN	116	R	0.0	0.0
Drutten	M	SWE	94	W	0.0	47.0

Dynamic with Fins

2012-02-13T21:38:00.001-08:00

First Name	Sex	Natl	RP	Card	Penalty	Points
Alan	M	MYS	58	R	0.0	0.0
Walter	M	USA	61	W	0.0	30.5
Elisabeth	F	AUT	77	R	0.0	0.0
Drutten	M	SWE	116	W	0.0	58.0
Ken	M	DAN	145	W	0.0	72.5
Elisabeth	F	GER	82	W	0.0	41.0
Christian	M	AUT	58	W	0.0	29.0
Karin	F	AUT	58	W	0.0	29.0
Julian	M	RSA	123	W	0.0	61.5
Vivian	F	MYS	90	W	0.0	45.0
Mohd Azam Abdul	M	MYS	100	W	0.0	50.0
Michelle	F	SIN	95	W	0.0	47.5
Enzo	M	ITA	74	Y	10.0	27.0
Kim Seng	M	MYS	109	Y	5.0	49.5
Trond	M	NOR	116	W	0.0	58.0

Sunburnt but very happy!

2012-02-12T03:20:00.000-08:00

So today started out windy and a bit chilly which was great for the judges and me, but not so good for the competitors, but given 30mins it was boiling hot and we were all slapping on the cream.

The Women's competition was up for everyone, Lisa M, Austria, had clearly won the Sea Competition with Karin and Elisabeth H equal second. but with Lisa's unfortunate disqualification in the static, that left Karin and Elisabeth fighting it out with only 2.2 points in it. But Michelle and Vivian are strong and comfortable in the pool and despite being over 40 points behind, were fighting for the pool title.

Lisa M was first up for the Dynamic with Fins and despite a magnificent 77metres managed a disqualification for late submergence of her airways, Elisabeth H did 82metres all clear. Karin, chasing Elisabeth H's lead, did 58 metres, but Vivian did a storming 90 metres and Michelle Ooi 95 Metres! Now they were both in contention for the pool competition and the overall competition.

In Dynamic without Fins, Elisabeth H was up fighting first but with 15 points she just needed a white card to secure the lead. This she did with a fantastic 57metres. Next up Karin, managed 49metres,Vivian 47 metres and Lisa M an awesome 66 metres. Finally Michelle did a magnificent 77 metres winning the pool competition.

Final Results:

Sea
1st - Lisa M (Austria)
2nd - Elisabeth H (Germany) & Karin G (Austria)

Pool
1st - Michelle Ooi (Singapore)
2nd - Elisabeth H (Germany)
3rd - Vivian C (Malaysia)

Overall
1st - Elisabeth H (Germany)
2nd - Karin G (Austria)
3rd - Michelle O (Singapore)

In the Men's competition, Ken, Danish, was clearly ahead with a great performance in the sea, which he clearly won but was closely followed by Trond Mondal, Norway and Azam Hamid, Malaysia. With Ken's performance in the Static, he was over 20 points in front yesterday with, Trond only 1.6 points in front of Julian.

Alan Su started the Dynamic with fins and did an awesome 58 metres but unfortunately didn't keep his airways clear of the water earning himself a red card. This has been Alan's first competition, so we are hoping that he will come back next year and do Malaysia proud. Walter has had his best ever competition with us and delivered a massive 61 metres and then 65 without Fins. Rossi, Austrian, did a great 58 metres and Enzo 74 metres (this is his first competition). Azam and Kim Seng Teoh (Andrew) both Malay were using the competition to settle a few scores and in Dynamic, Andrew beat, Azam (109metres to 100 metres) but unfortunately was given a yellow for touching the bottom of the pool and in the Dynamic without Fins, despite a fantastic 87 metres from Andrew, he blacked out, causing Azam to take the Malay pool champion title with 73 metres.

So the competition was hot, Mr D delivered 116metres, Ken a massive 145 metres, Julian 123 metres and Trond 116 metres. This meant that Ken was ahead by 37 points and there was less than 2 points between Julian and Trond.

So Ken had a large lead and only had to deliver his announcement of 75 metres to take the title with ease. But Ken wanted 116metres and unfortunately with that he blacked out. Suddenly the competition was between Julian and Trond. Trond did a magnificent 65 metres but Julian an simply incredibly 94 metres. Julian had won the Pool but had he won the overall competition?

Sea
1st - Ken K (Denmark)
2nd - Trond M (Norway)
3rd - Azam (Malaysia)

Pool
1st - Julian VH (South Africa)
2nd - Mr D (Swedish)
3rd - Trond M (Norway)

Overall
1st - Julian VH (South Africa)
2nd - Ken K (Denmark)
3rd - Trond M (Norway)

I would like to say a huge thank you to all the competitors who supported each other so well and made the competition so exciting to watch. Thanks to the judges, Richard and Sarah, who took all the flack and made the difficult decisions I would not have been able to make. Thanks to all the Blue Planet Staff for all their hardwork, especially Karolina, the medic and videographer and Jim and Adam, Safety Freedivers. Special thanks also to Marc, from Total Apnea, for all his safety freediving, coaching and support he offered the competitors.

Final thanks go to our sponsors, who without, this competition simply would not have happen. Chaiya, General Manager at Royal Lanta gave us full use of their pool, wonderful prizes and provided food and drinks and Scotty from Aquamaster provided some great prizes for the winners to take home.

I am now really looking forward to having a beer and nursing my very bad sunburn!

Mellisa x

Vivian also gets a Malay Record, or two

2012-02-11T12:51:00.000-08:00

Vivian Chan is proving to be a real record setter amongst the competitors this year. Today she gained the Women's Static Malay National Record with 4 minutes 39 seconds and has also earned:

15 metres in the Free Immersion
22 metres in the Constant Weight with Fins
12 metres in the Constant Weight no Fins (despite having an argument with the line and Carabiner).

The Royal Lanta Pool

2012-02-11T06:25:00.000-08:00

Static Results from today

2012-02-11T03:51:00.000-08:00

Surname	First Name	Sex	Natl	RP	Card	Points
Nygren	Drutten	M	SWE	05:06	W	61.2
Johnson	Walter	M	USA	06:01	W	72.2
Gebauer	Karin	F	AUT	04:29	W	53.8
Su	Alan	M	MYS	03:44	R	0.0
Chan	Vivian	F	MYS	04:39	W	55.8
Teoh	Kim Seng	M	MYS	03:47	W	45.4
Mattes	Elisabeth	F	AUT	03:24	R	0.0
Hamid	Mohd Azam Abdul	M	MYS	04:08	W	49.6
Ooi	Michelle	F	SIN	04:37	W	55.4
Brunetto	Enzo	M	ITA	04:03	W	48.6
van Heerden	Julian	M	RSA	05:45	W	69.0
Hummel	Elisabeth	F	GER	04:40	W	56.0
Kiriyama	Ken	M	DAN	05:23	W	64.6
Fötinger	Christian	M	AUT	05:11	W	62.2
Moldal	Trond	M	NOR	05:13	W	62.6

TOPs for Dynamic without Fins

2012-02-11T03:50:00.001-08:00

Surname	First Name	Sex	Natl	WUT	TOP	AP
Johnson	Walter	M	USA	12:45	13:30	1
Su	Alan	M	MYS	12:52	13:37	10
Hummel	Elisabeth	F	GER	12:59	13:44	10
Gebauer	Karin	F	AUT	13:06	13:51	20
Chan	Vivian	F	MYS	13:13	13:58	30
Brunetto	Enzo	M	ITA	13:20	14:05	40
Hamid	Mohd Azam Abdul	M	MYS	13:27	14:12	41
Mattes	Elisabeth	F	AUT	13:44	14:29	50
Moldal	Trond	M	NOR	13:51	14:36	50
Ooi	Michelle	F	SIN	13:58	14:43	56
Teoh	Kim Seng	M	MYS	14:05	14:50	60
van Heerden	Julian	M	RSA	14:22	15:07	70
Fötinger	Christian	M	AUT	14:29	15:14	74
Kiriyama	Ken	M	DAN	14:36	15:21	75
Nygren	Drutten	M	SWE	14:43	15:28	80

TOPs for Dynamic with Fins

2012-02-11T03:48:00.001-08:00

Surname	First Name	Sex	Natl	WUT	TOP	AP
Su	Alan	M	MYS	09:15	10:00	1
Johnson	Walter	M	USA	09:21	10:06	1
Mattes	Elisabeth	F	AUT	09:27	10:12	1
Nygren	Drutten	M	SWE	09:33	10:18	1
Kiriyama	Ken	M	DAN	09:39	10:24	1
Hummel	Elisabeth	F	GER	09:45	10:30	10
Fötinger	Christian	M	AUT	09:51	10:36	17
Gebauer	Karin	F	AUT	09:57	10:42	20
van Heerden	Julian	M	RSA	10:03	10:48	25
Chan	Vivian	F	MYS	10:09	10:54	50
Hamid	Mohd Azam Abdul	M	MYS	10:25	11:10	51
Ooi	Michelle	F	SIN	10:31	11:16	56
Brunetto	Enzo	M	ITA	10:37	11:22	60
Teoh	Kim Seng	M	MYS	10:43	11:28	65
Moldal	Trond	M	NOR	10:49	11:34	100

Take a deep breath!

2012-02-11T03:45:00.000-08:00

So today we were all feeling tired after yesterday but we all had the morning off, so by the time we met at 1pm we were all feeling relaxed and ready for the static event.

Mr D started off the competition with an announcement of 1second! Which I think meant he wanted to go first today as there is no penalties for going over your announcement in the pool competition. A 5 minutes 6 seconds was a great start to the competition.

Walter was next up in, in what I believe is his favourite event, which was proved by a massive 6 minutes 1 second the best result of the day. Karin was the first woman to take the plunge and was very happy with 4 minutes 29 seconds. Alan Su next up, unfortunately did a great 3 minutes 44 seconds but misdelivered his surface protocol and obtained a red card, no worries Alan, this is your first competition, we want to see you next year with nothing but white cards.

Vivian looked quietly confident and did no warm up but managed an awesome 4 minutes 39 seconds and smiled throughout the long 30 second judgement by Richard and Sarah. Andrew, our first Malay man, did a great 3 minutes 47 seconds. Lisa M, Austria, was slightly disappointed with her great 3 minutes 24 seconds but then disaster struck and her joking with her lovely coach and boyfriend Marc resulted on a gentle tap from him, a touch!!! which earned her a very sad red card and a devastated boyfriend.

Straight after Lisa, Azam was up, and as expected put in a perfect performance of 4minutes 8seconds and earned a new Malaysian National Record. Michelle, surface protocol queen, cruised through her performance and delivered 4 minutes 37 seconds Our first timer, Enzo was exceptionally pleased to get his fourth white card in a row for 4 minutes 3 seconds, an excellent performance.

We all expected that Julian's laid back approach would pay dividends and it nearly did not, after a magnificent 5mins 45 seconds he nearly high fived his coach, Marc, who quickly backed off to prevent another red card! Elisabeth Hummel, was the last female competitor of the day and was wonderfully coached through the surface protocol by all the spectators and was thrilled with her 4minutes 40 seconds.

Finally the last 3, Ken, currently in the lead, easily managed 5mins 23 seconds and Rossi asked for silence which clearly paid off for him, resulting in a 5minutes 11 seconds. Last, but by no means least was our Norwegian Ninja, Trond with a fabulous 5minutes 13 seconds.

Today, the thank you's have to go to the coaches, who worked so hard for the competitors and helped them deliver great times. Special mention has to go to Rossi, I want a massage too please, Marc, for such confidence boosting coaching and Walter for his hard work at the competition and in the many training sessions before in Kuala Lumpur.

Prelimary Results:

WOMEN

Last Name	First Name	Country	Points
Hummel	Elisabeth	GER	139.0
Gebauer	Karin	AUT	136.8
Ooi	Michelle	SIN	93.4
Chan	Vivian	MYS	91.8
Mattes	Elisabeth	AUT	88.0

MEN

Last Name	First Name	Country	Points
Kiriyama	Ken	DAN	195.6
Moldal	Trond	NOR	172.6
van Heerden	Julian	RSA	171.0
Hamid	Mohd Azam Abdul	MYS	157.6
Nygren	Drutten	SWE	144.2
Johnson	Walter	USA	121.2
Teoh	Kim Seng	MYS	115.4
Brunetto	Enzo	ITA	113.6
Fötinger	Christian	AUT	113.2
Su	Alan	MYS	20.0

Andaman Freediving Competition 2012

2012-02-10T21:42:00.000-08:00

TOPS for tomorrow

2012-02-10T04:44:00.001-08:00

First Name	Sex	Natl	WUT	TOP	AP
Drutten	M	SWE	13:15	14:00	00:01
Walter	M	USA	13:25	14:10	00:01
Karin	F	AUT	13:35	14:20	00:20
Alan	M	MYS	13:45	14:30	01:00
Vivian	F	MYS	13:55	14:40	02:00
Kim Seng	M	MYS	14:05	14:50	02:30
Elisabeth	F	AUT	14:15	15:00	03:00
Mohd Azam Abdul	M	MYS	14:35	15:20	03:31
Michelle	F	SIN	14:45	15:30	03:33
Enzo	M	ITA	14:55	15:40	04:00
Julian	M	RSA	15:05	15:50	04:00
Elisabeth	F	GER	15:15	16:00	04:00
Ken	M	DAN	15:25	16:10	04:00
Christian	M	AUT	15:35	16:20	04:30
Trond	M	NOR	15:45	16:30	05:00

Constant Weight without Fins

2012-02-10T04:43:00.001-08:00

First Name	Sex	Natl	AP	RP	Card	Penalty	Points
Alan	M	MYS	10		R	11	0
Vivian	F	MYS	12	12	W	0	12
Michelle	F	SIN	16	16	W	0	16
Enzo	M	ITA	20	20	Y	5	15
Karin	F	AUT	20	20	W	0	20
Elisabeth	F	GER	20	20	W	0	20
Walter	M	USA	20	20	W	0	20
Elisabeth	F	AUT	23	23	W	0	23
Mohd Azam Abdul	M	MYS	27	27	W	0	27
Julian	M	RSA	28	28	W	0	28
Trond	M	NOR	30	30	W	0	30
Kim Seng	M	MYS	30	30	W	0	30
Christian	M	AUT	34	34	W	0	34
Drutten	M	SWE	38	38	W	0	38
Ken	M	DAN	50	50	W	0	50

Constant Weight with Fins

2012-02-10T04:40:00.001-08:00

First Name	Sex	Natl	AP	RP	Card	Penalty	Points
Vivian	F	MYS	15	15	W	0	15
Michelle	F	SIN	22	22	W	0	22
Enzo	M	ITA	30	30	W	0	30
Elisabeth	F	GER	30	30	W	0	30
Karin	F	AUT	30	30	Y	5	25
Walter	M	USA	30	20	Y	11	9
Alan	M	MYS	32	32	R	0	0
Elisabeth	F	AUT	33	33	W	0	33
Kim Seng	M	MYS	35	23	Y	13	10
Julian	M	RSA	36	36	W	0	36
Christian	M	AUT	38	28	Y	11	17
Trond	M	NOR	40	40	W	0	40
Mohd Azam Abdul	M	MYS	41	41	W	0	41
Drutten	M	SWE	47	29	Y	19	10
Ken	M	DAN	50	50	W	0	50

Day Two – Three Cups of Awesome

2012-02-10T02:59:00.001-08:00

So day 2 looked beautiful but was stifling hot from the start,even those who were used to the sun were slapping on the cream.

Upon getting to the site, the boat crew anchored the boat inrecord time, whilst the freedive staff and judges set up the competition zoneand training areas. A busy day ahead, so we were all glad that we were able tostart on time for the last 2 sea disciplines, Constant Weight with Fins (CWT)and Constant Weight No Fins (CNF).

The conditions were not great at the start of the day,strong currents and large waves, made the CWT class challenging. Vivian,Malaysia, kicked off the day with a perfect 15m dive as the rest of thefreedivers cheered her on. Walter demonstrated his state of the art monofin andmanaged a good 20m before turning a little early. Our first timer, Enzo fromItaly, delivered a perfect 30 metres and took the cheering in his stride. AlanSu, Malaysia, made the depth but gave us all a scare with a blackout butluckily the safety freedivers were on hand to capture him and get him safelyback on board the boat This unfortunately put him out of competing for the restof the day. Azam, Malay, was determined to beat all his previous records anddid with a 41m Constant Weight dive. Julian, still remembering how to freedive,put on a terrific slow performance with 36m, showing the laid back SouthAfrican attitude is a real asset.

For the last sea discipline, the gods were smiling at us,with calm seas and no currents, perfect conditions for the tough CNF class.Vivian was first to go and managed a simply awesome dive despite gettingtangled in her karabiner, a most definite 3 cups of awesome dive! Michelle isproving very popular with judges with her perfect surface protocol which gainedher 2 white cards (22m and 16m). Our Norwegian Ninja, silently delivered 2 moreperfect white cards to 40m and 30m respectively. Andrew Teoh, Malaysia,demonstrated the benefit of practicing recovery breaths as he did a magnificent30m dive and managed to control his surface protocol, gaining a white card and stealingthe Malay National Record from his friend Azam. Rossi, Austrian, was verychuffed to receive his first white card of the competition with a perfect diveto 34m. Last but one, was the shy Mr D, who had unfortunately had to turn earlyin the first round of the day, but he always manages to finish the day with asmile and a spectacular 38m without fins. We were all tired but everyone madesure that they could see the final dive of the day, Ken, Danish, comfortably divinga massive 50m, without fins! and he was rewarded with an enormous cheer as hewas white carded.

Final mention has to go to the 3 girls, Elisabeth M,Elisabeth H and Karin who despite being close in ability, have all supportedeach other throughout with the result that Elisabeth M is first with 88 points,and Elisabeth H and Karin a close behind with 83 points, Karin would haveshared the lead but unfortunately incurred penalty points for grabbing. All toplay for in the last 3 disciplines girls, this year is going to have anexciting finish.

All above results are preliminary and await confirmation bythe judges.

Huge thank you to the competitors, the judges and my stafffor a simply 3 cups of awesome day. Mellisa xxx

Constant Weight Without Fins

2012-02-09T02:53:00.001-08:00

First Name	Sex	Natl	WUT	TOP	AP
Alan	M	MYS	13:45	14:30	10
Vivian	F	MYS	13:52	14:37	12
Michelle	F	SIN	13:59	14:44	16
Enzo	M	ITA	14:06	14:51	20
Karin	F	AUT	14:13	14:58	20
Elisabeth	F	GER	14:20	15:05	20
Walter	M	USA	14:27	15:12	20
Elisabeth	F	AUT	14:34	15:19	23
Mohd Azam Abdul	M	MYS	14:51	15:36	27
Julian	M	RSA	14:58	15:43	28
Trond	M	NOR	15:05	15:50	30
Kim Seng	M	MYS	15:12	15:57	30
Christian	M	AUT	15:19	16:04	34
Drutten	M	SWE	15:26	16:11	38
Ken	M	DAN	15:33	16:18	50

Constant Weight with Fins

2012-02-09T02:52:00.001-08:00

First Name	Sex	Natl	WUT	TOP	AP
Vivian	F	MYS	11:15	12:00	15
Michelle	F	SIN	11:22	12:07	22
Enzo	M	ITA	11:29	12:14	30
Elisabeth	F	GER	11:36	12:21	30
Karin	F	AUT	11:43	12:28	30
Walter	M	USA	11:50	12:35	30
Alan	M	MYS	11:57	12:42	32
Elisabeth	F	AUT	12:04	12:49	33
Kim Seng	M	MYS	12:21	13:06	35
Julian	M	RSA	12:28	13:13	36
Trond	M	NOR	12:35	13:20	40
Mohd Azam Abdul	M	MYS	12:42	13:27	41
Christian	M	AUT	12:49	13:34	42
Drutten	M	SWE	12:56	13:41	47
Ken	M	DAN	13:03	13:48	50

Results from today

2012-02-09T02:50:00.001-08:00

First Name	Sex	Natl	RP	Card	Penalty	Points
Enzo	M	ITA	20	W	0	20
Vivian	F	MYS	15	Y	6	9
Walter	M	USA	20	W	0	20
Alan	M	MYS	21	Y	1	20
Michelle	F	SIN	22	R	0	0
Kim Seng	M	MYS	30	W	0	30
Elisabeth	F	GER	33	W	0	33
Elisabeth	F	AUT	35	W	0	35
Karin	F	AUT	38	W	0	38
Julian	M	RSA	38	W	0	38
Mohd Azam Abdul	M	MYS	40	W	0	40
Trond	M	NOR	40	W	0	40
Ken	M	DAN	41	Y	10	31
Christian	M	AUT	50	R	0	0
Drutten	M	SWE	43	Y	8	35

Sportswoman of the day

2012-02-09T00:47:00.000-08:00

For her unwavering support of all of the other competitors, particularly her fellow female competitors, and her help which ensured they completed their surface protocol correctly. Sportswoman of the day is Elisabeth Hummel

Day One – Free Immersion

2012-02-09T00:30:00.001-08:00

Well the sun was shining as we left Koh Lanta and we wereall hoping for a great day. The conditions looked good and whilst we hadconcerns about the current we were optimistic. During the 2 hours journey toKoh Haa the Blue Planet Boat Boy set up the gear in readiness for a middaystart. Our judges, Richard and Sarah, put up the announced performances andtimes. Announcement ranged from 20 metres to 50 metres.

We stopped just past Koh Haa where we know from pastcompetitions 50 metres is easily obtainable. Whilst we were setting theanchors, Christophe, our Photographer, spotted a few Remoras circling our boat(must admit there were a few Shark jokes at this point and at least oneconcerned face.

As organizer I had managed to secure an awesome position towatch the competition, being the safety SCUBA diver, settled at 15 metresunderwater so I could see the whole dive of our competitors.

Enzo, our Italian competitor, took the first dive, to anannounced depth of 20 metres, despite this being his first competition and onlygetting his lanyard 30 seconds before; he managed the first white card of thecompetition.

Vivian announced 20 metres for her ever depth dive andturned early gaining a yellow card for a terrific 15 metres dive.

Walter gave Richard, the judge in the water, a cheeky waveon his return up from 20 metres.

Alan was so keen that he started before he was supposed to,but apart from that he managed 21 metres no problem.

I took real delight in watching Michelle Ooi complete a22metre dive but unfortunately, to everyone’s disappointment she did not quitemanage the surface protocol and was red carded.

Andrew was the first to take the rope to 30metres andcompleted a perfect white card performance.

Elisabeth H, who gave a lot of encouragement to a lot ofother competitors and made sure that completed the surface protocol, put in asolid performance of 33 metres.

The award for the most stunning freediver has to go toElisabeth M, who looked so cool as she dove. She also managed to set a Nationalrecord for Austria of 35 metres, but unfortunately for her, her title lastedabout 15 minutes as Karin went to 38 metres and stole the Austrian title fromher.

Julian who had not trained since competing, for the firsttime, 2 years ago, got a fantastic white card at 38 metres (he best everperformance).

Azam our star from last year, who holds at least 4 MalayNational records, beat his best performance and achieved 40 metres and promises50 metres for next year.

Trond, made me worry, just by the slowness of his diving,but completed a perfect 40 metre dive and said he felt fantastic after hisdive.

Ken, who has been providing Yoga for all the other competitors,attempted 50 metres but turned early and still performed a magnificent41metres.

Rossi, gave a tremendous performance, reaching 50 metres,but unfortunately was our first blackout and was magnificently handled by oursafety divers.

And finally Mr D did the deepest acceptable dive at 43metres but unfortunately turned earlier than his announced 50metres.

As ever the competitors were magnificent and after the firstof six rounds, the competition stands at:

Women:

1^st - Karin

2^nd Elisabeth M

3^rd Elisabeth H

Men:

1^st – Azam and Trond joint leaders

3^rd – Julian

All very much still to play for this year and amazing firstday, and well done guys and girls

Mellisa x

Day One Begins

2012-02-08T17:16:00.000-08:00

So we have just left Koh Lanta and are heading for Koh Haa for the start of the Andaman Freediving Competition 2012.

3 competitors have announced Free Immersion depths of 50m today!

We wish them all good luck today and hope that they all achieve their announced depths.

Keep you updated....

Mellisa

TOPS for Free immersioon

2012-02-08T05:32:00.001-08:00

Surname	First Name	Sex	Natl	WUT	TOP	AP
Brunetto	Enzo	M	ITA	11:15	12:00	20
Chan	Vivian	F	MYS	11:23	12:08	20
Johnson	Walter	M	USA	11:31	12:16	20
Su	Alan	M	MYS	11:39	12:24	21
Ooi	Michelle	F	SIN	11:47	12:32	22
Teoh	Kim Seng	M	MYS	11:55	12:40	30
Hummel	Elisabeth	F	GER	12:03	12:48	33
Mattes	Elisabeth	F	AUT	12:11	12:56	35
Gebauer	Karin	F	AUT	12:29	13:14	38
van Heerden	Julian	M	RSA	12:37	13:22	38
Hamid	Mohn Azam Abdul	M	MYS	12:45	13:30	40
Moldal	Trond	M	NOR	12:53	13:38	40
Kiriyama	Ken	M	DAN	13:01	13:46	50
Fötinger	Christian	M	AUT	13:09	13:54	50
Nygren	Drutten	M	SWE	13:17	14:02	50

All systems GO!

2012-02-05T23:55:00.001-08:00

So I am well and truly excited about the Freediving Competition. We already have Mr D, Rossi, Elisabeth, Karin and Trond here and we can not wait for the rest of you to arrive.

We will be meeting at 6pm on the 8th at the Blue Planet Dive Shop (please contact us if you need a taxi to get here), please bring with you:

- Your Passport
- Your Lanyard (if you have one)
- Your Medical Form (we can help you with this if you need)
- Your Competition Fees

We will be going over the competition structure and rules at this time, so if you cannot make this time, please let us know urgently.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!!!

Mellisa xxx

Need a room buddy?

2012-01-25T01:31:00.000-08:00

Calling all our freedivers yet to organise a room on Lanta, I have a few people wanting a buddy to share the cost of a room. If you are interested in sharing then let me know and I can put you in touch with each other.

Hope the training is going well, see you all soon

Mellisa

Need us to help you with accommodation?

2012-01-19T19:20:00.000-08:00

Gediminas, one of our owners, has just built a new hotel in Saladan. Built over the sea all the accommodation offers either air conditioning or a fan option (at a reduced cost). It is less than 300m from our pier, within the main town almost next door to the passenger ferry, so if you are looking for great value accommodation I really recommend it (my uncle is currently staying there!).

Gediminas is offering a special rate to all our competitors of 1200 baht for an air conditioned room or 1000 baht for a fan room. All rooms have a hot shower, flatscreen tv, fridge and come as either a twin room or double room.

If you would like to book, let me know

See you soon Mellisa xx

Important Update for the Competition

2012-01-17T18:18:00.000-08:00

Hi there Guys

We are so pleased to announce that this year's competition is going to be bigger and better than ever, so we are wanting to organise the competition in the best possible way to ensure that you are able to perform at your best.

So after discussions with the Judges, we have come up with a proposal, which we believe is the best use of our time over the competition.

8th February - 8pm - Registration for the competition and Overview of the rules etc
9th February - 8am - Boat leaves for Koh Haa, the morning is a practice session, followed by Free Immersion Competition in the afternoon - Return around 4pm
10th February - 8am - Boat leaves for Koh Haa, Both Constant Weight with and without fins - Return around 4-5pm
11th February - Morning - practise session at Royal Lanta for Pool competition, Afternoon - Static Comepetition (start around 5-6pm)
12th February - Dynamic with and without fins, and prize giving, Party in the Evening.

We would love to hear your feedback, as we want you to get the most out of the competition and able to perform at the best of your ability. For any of you arriving before the 8th, there is reduced price Freediving on our boat.

Thank you

Mellisa

Mr D is coming back!!

2012-01-10T21:21:00.000-08:00

We are so pleased to announce that Mr D, one of our fantastic competitors from last year, is coming back for this years competition.

Mr D, from Sweden, was great fun and memorably wanted a beer at the end of his last swim.

Yoga Available throughout the Competition

2012-01-03T20:08:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone and apologies for it being so long between blogs, but we have been crazy busy at the shop and the partying never seemed to stop.

But now our focus is on our Freediving competition and we are already designing the t-shirts and refining the program.

However, this year we have a new offering for our competitors, Ken Kiriyama, a previous competitor at the competition, is offering to provide you with Yoga training throughout the event. We at Blue Planet Divers are already avid Yoga fans, so hopefully the classes will be well attended. Closer to the event we will let you know the times but if you are interested, as this will help us plan the timing right.

See you all real soon

Mellisa

More Competitors

2011-11-23T18:42:00.001-08:00

This season's competition, looks set to be our most successful with, many competitors already confirming their attendance. If you have not already spoken to me (Mellisa) then please email me blueplanetdivers@gmail.com to confirm your space as there is now very limited spaces available.

Andrew Teoh Kim Seng from Singapore has confirmed his attendance.

Andrea Richichi, who lives in Chiang Mai, competed in our 2010 is also set to compete this season. My humblest apologies to him, who I could not remember but now I have his photo, I do.

Rossi, from Vienna has also announced he will join us.

And finally, but by no means last, Stefano Lomuscio.

Good luck guys

Mellisa

A busy start to the season

2011-11-19T02:07:00.001-08:00

The improved weather and conditions havebrought the first freediving students of the year; currently apneists areenjoying 20-25m visibility at Ko Haa and Ko Bida with water temperatures of29C. Seas are calm, the lines are straight... lets go diving! And after thetraining on the lines there's always time for some fundiving through thegorgeous Cathedral Cavern at Ko Haa, the swim-throughs of Ko Bida Nai or withthe resident leopard shark on Hin Bida.

Adeline

Adeline Ridira is a champion rifle shot backhome in France so is no stranger to pressure; with her competitive nature shehad no problems getting to 17m Constant Weight on her AIDA 2 star course. Byway of celebration she also demonstrated her “spinning top” approach to dancing– other dancers beware!

Chris Carroll had completed his AIDA 2 staron Ko Tao and had definitely caught the apnea bug. By the time he finished hisAIDA 3 star course he had reached 30m Constant Weight and was breaking 4minutes on Static breath-hold. He's now weighing up his choices of whether tocontinue travelling or start a career in music festival management back in theUK – it's a hard life! - but either way I think we'll be seeing Chris again formore freediving.

Benjamin Baker

IT expert Benjamin Baker from Switzerlandwas a calm Zen-like individual. Having tried apnea in a cold local lake withfriends back home the tropical 29C crystal clear waters of Ko Lanta were awelcome change! By the end of his course Benjamin was achieving the AIDA 2 starmaximum allowable depth of 20m and definitely had more gas in the tank.

Christopher Esh

Benjamin's course-mate was Christopher Esh,a pilot from Alaska, USA who knew nothing about freediving before starting theAIDA 2 Star. Christopher's laid-back view on life concealed a steelydetermination which was best exhibited by his commitment to beating initialequalisation problems to eventually reach 18m Constant Weight. Good work mate!

In addition to these students Blue Planetstaff members Caro and James have both started their AIDA 2 star courses: Caroachieving 20m CWT on her first day out and James a Static time of 2min49sec.With the scuba season really kicking off they're pretty busy now but I'm surewe'll see them on the lines again before April.

Article about our Freediving Competition

2011-11-10T00:16:00.001-08:00

http://www.gaiadiscovery.com/-freediving/

Clearly the students are too good this year

2011-11-04T22:03:00.000-07:00

So Jim has had a really busy start to the season with 3 courses back to back, he is busy telling me how wonderful he is as an instructor, but I am beginning to think that maybe it is the students who are the talented ones.

Adeline, was freediving the Koh Haa caves after just a couple of days training and Chris Carroll was clearly a focused freediver and found his AIDA *** course a breeze.

His current group is Christopher Esh, Benjamin Baker and our own James Hoyland currently completing the AIDA ** course. They all smashed the pool targets, Chris managed 2 turns in the pool and both Chris and Ben (James had to drop out yesterday as he headbutted my boat!) did 20metres with ease.

If this carries on, I may have to drop Jim's salary as he clearly is not having to work hard enough!

Our first freediving student of the season

2011-10-25T04:49:00.001-07:00

Jim, our lovely freediving instructor, took his first student of the season to Koh Haa and took a little video of her swimming through the caves.

She looks pretty comfortable doesn't she?

The Iranians are challenging the Malays

2011-10-09T23:31:00.000-07:00

Our Iranian team just doubled in size with the addition of the lovely Neda Mokhtari.

They are also winning the best facebook photos I can steal. Looking beautiful Neda

Introducing Michelle Ooi

2011-10-09T20:04:00.000-07:00

One more for the competition, and this time from Singapore, we could have a real Asia Pacific Internal Competition here. I asked Michelle to tell us a little about herself, this is what she wrote:

"I'm Singaporean, studying in Queensland Australia, I took a freediving course in march and have been hooked since! haven't been able to train much, but just looking forward to having fun and meeting other freedivers at the competition!"

We are looking forward to meeting you too!!!

Malaysia Setting the Bar!

2011-10-07T19:47:00.000-07:00

Our lovely Malaysian friends are busy preparing for the competition in February and so we are hoping that some other countries will have enough entrants to compete against them, so that we can add a new country competition this year.

If you want to check out the competition, see their facebook page: MAD Facebook Page

I love the way the competition is hotting up, can any country beat the Malays?????

Our Malaysian Record holder coming to the competition

2011-09-30T20:34:00.000-07:00

We are so pleased that Azam has confirmed that he will be joining us again this year. Last year Azam set the Malay records, so we look forward to him and his fellow Malay friends looking to beat them.

I have plenty of photos of Azam from last year, but the one above is my favourite photo of him!

Welcome Vivian Chan

2011-09-29T20:22:00.000-07:00

Vivian Chan from Malaysia is also joining us ;-)

And another Walter Johnson

2011-09-29T07:02:00.000-07:00

Walter has confirmed he is intending to compete in our next competition. Originally from the US, Walter has already competed for 2 years and we missed him last year.

Our latest competitor to sign up

2011-09-29T06:57:00.000-07:00

Hope you will all join me in welcoming Hesamaddin Zargodaz to the Andaman Freediving Competition 2012. He is originally from Iran but currently resides in Malaysia.

Welcome Hesamaddin and good luck with the competition

Aquamaster have also confirmed their Sponsorship

2011-07-15T20:54:00.000-07:00

More great news for the Andaman Freediving Competition, Aquamaster, our 2011 equipment sponsor, have just confirmed that they will be sponsoring us again for the Andaman 2012 Freediving Competition.

We are really pleased to have them back again as, I am sure, will our competitors from last year. Their Micromask is hugely popular with our Freedivers as were all the lovely Aquamaster goodies! One of their team is even threatening to compete!

So if you are keen to join this competition, we would love to hear from you. This event is open to all and especially ideal for those individuals new to the sport, as you will find our competitors, judges and instructors keen to help and advise you on your Freediving technique.

This year we are adjusting the schedule, as requested by our competitors, so that the 9th will be a practice on the boat, 10th Depth Competition, 11th Pool practice and 12th Pool Competition. We hope the day off will give us some truly excellent results in the pool.

Royal Lanta Resort & Spa confirm their Support

2011-07-13T21:08:00.000-07:00

We are so pleased to announce that Royal Lanta Resort & Spa have confirmed their support for our Freediving Competition. Last year their staff were absolutely fantastic and helped us make this event so special.

If you would like to join us for this competition or want to book some Freediving or Accomodation, please contact me, Mellisa

What did you do today?

2011-07-05T01:15:00.000-07:00

Miguel Lozano sets a new Spanish Record of 100m CWT (Constant Weight) at Freedive International, Dahab.

A Tragic Event that could have been avoided

2011-07-01T06:01:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night, an accident occurred in Nemo 33.

At the end of the evening after all divers were out of the water, one member of the staff decided to do some freediving alone in the deep tank...
And of course, what had to happen happened, he blacked out and sank to the bottom and was later brought dead back to the surface.

Everyone now talks about a freediving accident but for me it's not a freediving accident: it's an accident involving a scuba diver with no freediving education whatsoever doing breath-hold diving with absolutely no respect for the basic safety rules and who didn't care nor thought about the consequences of his actions.

We, freediving instructors are spending our lifes preaching the buddy system and telling that a blackout or a samba is not something you'll die from if someone just bring you back to the surface and keeps your airways above the water.

And in a fraction of a second someone can wipe out days, weeks, months even years of work by behaving selfishly.

I might sound hard but it's what I deeply feel. Yesterday I met the diver's family, I'm thinking about them, left behind, full of questions, and I'm extremely sad but it doesn't change my way of looking at what he did and I can't understand such a behavior.

I'm tired of having people telling me that freediving is dangerous and that a lot of people are dying while practicing, and then explaining them that there mostly are 3 kind of breath hold diving fatalities: spearfishermen diving alone, people training alone in pools and no-limits divers who fucked up big time.

But nobody dies when freediving activities are conducted with respect of basic safety rules and with self-respect of your own abilities and disabilities.

And I know I'll take lot of flak for saying that but I don't give a shit.

Putain de semaine.

Frederic Buyle

Freediving Competition

2011-06-30T18:47:00.001-07:00

We have had another entrant for our Freediving Competition in February, Rhys has just emailed me to let me know he is joining us this year.

Are you joining us for Andaman Freediving Challenge 2012?

2011-05-27T21:24:00.000-07:00

If so, please let know as I think this year will be bigger than ever!

Just 2 days ago, Alan Su, from Malaysia, did just that. A student of Marc's last year, Alan completed his AIDA ** course last high season and is coming back for more.

Our competition is friendly and a great learning aid, so its great for all people at all levels. We can also offer courses and coaching just before the competition so you can perfect your skills or, like some of our competitors in previous years, learn to Freedive for the first time!

Please book your freediving course if you want it to start just before the competition.

Welcome Alan Su

2011-05-26T05:06:00.001-07:00

Last high season, Alan completed his AIDA ** course with Marc, and he has clearly got the bug!!! He has just let us know that he will be joining us in February 2012 for our Freediving Competition. Being from Malaysia, he has his work cut out for him as our last competition set four Malay records.

So big welcome to Alan, and hope to add a few names over the next few months.

Marc Freediving the Caves at Koh Haa

2011-05-19T03:50:00.000-07:00

Marc is just too cool for school!

Well Done Big Jim

2011-05-18T22:18:00.000-07:00

A huge congratulations to Big Jim, James Valentine, one of our longest serving SCUBA Instructors. Last week Jim took his AIDA Freediving Instructor course in Dahab, Egypt and we are pleased to announce Blue Planet's newest Freediving Instructor.

Jim, took his first course over 3 years ago with our wonderful French Freediving Instructor, Marc, and lets just say he got the bug real bad!

Each year he has returned to teach and guide SCUBA diving, so that he can spend time with our freediving instructors, perfecting his technique and competing in our Freediving Competitions. Having been placed each year, this year, Jim decided to take the next step and set off to Dahab, Egypt for his Freediving Instructors Course.

Battling with illness, Jim persevered onwards and we are pleased to announce that next year he will be joining Marc to teach Freediving, as well as Scuba Diving next high season.

Well done Jim, see you real soon xxx

Congratulations Gregoire Folly

2011-05-02T23:29:00.000-07:00

Big congratulations to Gregoire Folly, winner of our Andaman Freediving Competition this year, who has come in second in the Swiss Championships.

Gregoire, started his freediving with Marc Guerrin, our Freediving instructor, about 3 years ago, and he got a real passion for the sport. He is now quite a regular competitor around the world.

Congratulations Gregoire, hope to see you back to reclaim your title next year

Andaman 2012 Freediving Competition

2011-04-27T23:33:00.000-07:00

Our next freediving competition will be held between the 9th - 12th February 2012.

Our competition is designed to help new freedivers to start competiting and experienced freedivers to home their competition performance.

Itinery:
9th February - Sea Practice Day - Koh Haa (Blue Planet Divers Boat)
Coaching and explanation of rules for the Sea competition.

10th February - Sea Competition - Koh Haa (Blue Planet Divers Boat)
Free Immersion, Constant Weight with Fins, Constant Weight without Fins

11th February - Pool Practise Day - Royal Lanta Resort & Spa
Coaching and explanation of rules for the Pool competition

12th February - Pool Competion - Royal Lanta Resort & Spa
Breath hold, Dynamic with Fins, Dynamic without Fins

Awards and Competition Party on the night of the 12th.

Contact Mellisa @ blueplanetdivers@gmail.com for more information

Green Season

2011-04-27T23:14:00.001-07:00

Unfortunately we are not able to offer Freediving Courses during our Green Season - May to October. But next season (October 2011) it looks like we will have 2 great freediving instructors (Marc Guerrin and James Valentine) who are able to offer the courses in both French and English.

To book a course, contact me, Mellisa on blueplanetdivers@gmail.com

Welcome

2011-04-27T22:56:00.001-07:00

This is our new Blog which is here to inform you about the courses, conditions and competitions we are running here in Thailand.