Freediving Record - Constant Weight no fins (-30m)

I published this video in YouTube to celebrate a freediving national record I established two years ago on the 25th of June 2005 in Faial Island - Azores, during an event called "Rumo ao Abismo".

Below is a memory of that special day:

"We woke up early in the morning, around 7 o’clock, I ate some cereals for breakfast and around eight we were already at Horta harbour preparing the last details for this day of records.

Around 10h30, we moved out by boat passing Monte da Guia and heading towards one of the trainings places in front Feteira harbour. After settled the safety-system, I started to prepare my self to make the first freediving national record in the discipline of constant weight no fins (CNF) with a mark of 30m depth.

I did a preparation dive in free immersion to see if the new equalization technique was functioning correctly. Ok, I was ready and the judges gave me the 4 min. countdown…

I just let my self relax, floating in the sea while observing the clouds in the sky, breathing calmly and after some moments I heard the judge: “… 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, zero!”, I prepare my last breathings and here I go… "it’s time to go down now"

The first strokes were the most demanding, I had to win the force of impulsion, keep align with the official cable and equalize my eardrums, but after the 20m mark, I closed my eyes, relaxed and let myself sunk, focusing my attention solely in equalization…

Around 25m I looked for the first time to the bottom and I saw the plate, “It’s already there”, I thought, I made my last equalization and let my self go until I grabbed the cable at one metter and a half of the announce depth, let a smile come out to my face and didn’t resist to take the 30m tag, it’s not mandatory, but it feels well to bring something from the bottom besides a memory.

In the way up, I tried to spent the less energy possible and in the final meters I just let my self ascend to the surface…

At the exit I grabbed the official cable, recovered my breath with deep inspirations and proceeded with the surface protocol assuring that everything was OK, after some seconds the judge validates the dive and I celebrate with everyone who made this record possible."

Faial, 25th of June 2005

João Costa

Freediving in Reis Magos - beautiful white rocky platforms and black sand, but no fish

There was some wind and waves coming in Garajau beach, so i decided to freedive at Reis Magos beach, just 5km east, which is better protected from the south west wind and waves.

After some land stactic apneas of over 3 min. i went freediving arround 5 o'clock. The sea was almost flat and the sun smilling between the clouds.

I started my dives from the east side of the beach, then turning arround the articifial rock pool, going to the west side of the beach and then coming back to land through the center.

The water was clear and i could easily sea the bottom black sand at 14m.

There are spectacular cliff rocks straight to the bottom, just waiting for us to freedive down there and at the bottom there are extended white rocky plataforms that gives this place a special underwater landscape. However, i couldn't found almost any underwater fauna, just some "bodiões" - parrotfishes (Sparisoma cretense) near the shore and some "castanhetas amarelas" - damsel fishes (Chromis limbata) in deeper dives, it was like a desert!

Even without fish, this place is great for a relaxing freediving day, just dive down, lay back and enjoy the blue silence.

About Nemo33 - The deepest pool in the world

Nemo33 is the current deepest pool in the world since it was open on the 1st of june 2004 and is situated in Belgium, Brussels.

The pool is divided is two pits, one of 10m and another of 33m depth. Between the pits there's a platafform at 5m and a underwater passage at 10m connecting the two pits. In this underwater passage there's is also two decorated air-caves.

The water is very clear and warm (arround 32ºC) with a good visibility to the bottom and without chlorine smell.

It's possible to take scuba-diving courses in this pool, but freediving is limit to the 10m pit.

Special links:

• http://www..nemo33.com/
• http://www.futurapnea.com/ (video at nemo33 in the news link)
• http://www.shark-bait.com/media-video-nemo33.html (another video from nemo33)
• http://forums.deeperblue.net/search.php (and search for nemo33 for further news)

First Day of Summer in Garajau, but what a boga!

There's nothing interesting about this day, only "bogas" (Boops boops)!!! The scienfitic name for this fishes couldn't be more appropriate.

Freediving resume:

1. 50m dynamics to the yellow buoy from the stairs
2. -12m to warm-up at the yellow buoy
3. -15m to sea some Zebra seabream (Diplodus cervinus)
4. -18m to the top of bottom rock
5. -21m to the bottom (didn't touch it)
6. 50m dynamics back to land stairs