Reto En El Abismo 2003- On Saturday September 28th, in the warm Carribean waters of Mochima National Park, Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela, Carlos Augusto Coste and Stig Aavall Severinsen achieved twin World record performances in the Freediving discipline of Constant Weight No Fins with consecutive dives to 61 meters.
The pending world records (awaiting the results of an IOC dope test and final AIDA ratification) shatter the memory of Wednesday's unsuccessful attempt by Coste and set the stage for the remaining two planned for the next week here in Venezauela. Still to come are Severinsen's attempt at Martin Stepanik's 8:06 World record in Static (breath hold at the surface), and Coste's attempt to break Stepanik's 93 meter World record in Free-Immersion (hands only pull-down) with a descent to an unbeleivable 101 meters.
While the opportunity to witness to these accomplishments is fantastic I find myself equally enthralled by the evolution of the event itself.
Thanks to impressive on-going promotional efforts by organizers and a front page feature article in the local daily on Carlos' unsuccessful attempt last Wednesday, the numbers of followers both on-site and on land are growing substancially.
Meanwhile it seems that the failed attempt not only helped to create more buzz but may have also created momentum for both athletes who responded very positivly to newly implemented proceedures and safety protocols necessary to accomodate a revised schedule for two attempts on the same day.
The new schedule in turn has given the organizers a chance to re-think a number of other proceedures including those that involve myself and Marcello de Matteis, the two international judges here to represent AIDA.
Day two in Venezuela promises to be relaxed, a welcome day off after all that travel and yesterdays events. I am here as one of two international freedive judges officiating two world record attempts by Carlos Coste (VEN) and Stig Severinsen (DEN) over the next ten days.
As well as makign entries here as often as possible Deeper Blue (http:www.deeperblue.net ) will be posting more detailed reports on the actual attempts, the first of which should be up soon.
I am glad to be here. The organizers and surrounding well-wishers have made me very welcome and the hot, powerful sun seems to be burning off the fog that had taken up residency in my brain.
We are in Puerto la Cruz. Seen from above the area looks like the watermark at high tide, a thin strip of development between the Carribean Sea and the dark green sierra that lines the coast.
Although I have yet to see much of the area I am already taken with the compelling images that surround me. Waterfront shanty's built against the the fortified walls of our luxury resort, Massive oil tankers siloutted against a majestic sunset, pure hope in the eyes of children too young to be told otherwise.
Perry
Mexico City has a busy, busy airport. Actually in a lot of ways its more like a mall in perpetual Christmas rush. Add to that the awake-to-long travel stupor I am in and the whole thing takes on a kind of surreal reality that has me temporarily confused as to what I am actually supposed to be doing here.
A glass of juice snaps me out of it and I find my way to a brightly lit internet closet stuffed between a phone card shop and taco vendor.
Thank goodness for airport-malls and 24 hour internet cafe's. Sitting here high on orange juice I am elated to find an email from the organizer of the event I am attending tomorrow morning in Venezuela. She has finally sent the flight information for my final leg of the trip which, if it were not for this closet I would be missing.
Two flights and twelve more hours to go. I still have time to do some window shopping.
Perry
Why does it seem that you have to wash everything just to pack some of it?
Leaving first thing tomorrow for Venezuela where I will be officiating several Freediving World Record attempts and then back tracking my way to El Ultimo Refugio, a favorite little hideaway in Costa Rica.
Should be a great trip, looking forward to some new discoveries and getting back to mother Ocean. Bringing my most buoyant wetsuit....
Perry
According to friends the equipment utilized for my bronchoscopy last week is the same used to explore from the 'other end' so I was somewhat relieved to wake up from the procedure with only a sore throat...
Fortunately my follow up with the Respirologist yesterday revealed no signs of lung damage, disease or danger. Great news, but on the other hand it does little to explain why my lung capillaries are now even more susceptible to rupturing underwater. Oh well, perhaps leaving this as an unknown will help me to avoid risking re-injury.
In the meantime I have enjoyed a first-hand look at post-SARS hospital procedures. Starting with a questionnaire and ending with a free mask the whole thing reminded me somewhat of going to the dentist only I think the free toothbrush is a better deal.
The questonnaire too, with its all-to-obviousness, was reminiscent of something. Perhaps the ridiculously literal career tests we used to do in high school, which posed questions like 'Would you rather solve challenging math problems or study rare bugs in a swamp?'
Surveys like that always make me want to throw my answers. How good would it be to sit across the desk from Mr. Green the Guidance Councillor as he does his best to extol the virtues of worm farming?
Of course in this case I am compelled to answer honestly otherwise I might find myself quarantined and forced to watch fox news for ten days straight after which I would inevitably end up trading in all my CD's for the complete Springsteen collection.
So I make it though the SARS check and, bypassing the registration counter, arrive at the sixth floor of the newly renovated ex-ICU wing at 7:40AM. I am the only one there. After a few random turns I surprise three nurses taking their first break of the morning. Apparently this is opening day of the new wing and I am the first customer.
I spent the better part of the next hour in a shiny new waiting room (with that new car smell) nodding off to kids cartoons and being startled awake by recurring visions of a small woman in enormous pants.
On her forth visit the little woman makes a final pass with her AS-SEEN-ON-TV carpet cleaner and skims just inches over the unused tables and counter tops lest her fluffer leave any dust on their virgin surfaces.
It was about then that the attending doctor happened to wander though the room catching us both by surprise. An hour and a half later I wake up connected to a sophisticated looking computer wondering when we are going to start.
Ironically the absence of any memory of the bronchoscopy is identical to blacking out underwater. In both cases I have to rely on someone else's account of what happened. You can see now why only a sore throat is a good thing.
Perry Gladstone
Former National Freedive Team Member