After ten days in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela the final tally for Reto en el Abismo 2004 is; five freediving world record attempts, four new international judges and one pending world record.
Starting on the 20th of October fellow international judge Grant Graves (USA) and I began preparations to oversee and officiate the two world record attempts that had been announced by Carlos Coste (VEN) and Stig Severinsen (DEN). As the officials it would be our job to make sure all A.I.D.A. International rules, regulations and safety protocols are followed and that each of the performances are properly documented to ensure current and future records are honoured.
To mitigate the numerous risks associated with the attempts we began with an overall safety and organizational meeting in which I reviewed primary and secondary rescue procedures and redundancies and established each of the roles required for the organization staff. Also, accompanying Stig Severinsen was a Danish television crew shooting a four part series on him for national broadcaster DR1. As active participants in the event it was essential that they too be included in the protocols and procedures. This continued throughout the week with briefings the night before each attempt. In addition to this a number of other tasks needed to be performed including stretching and marking the official lines, calibrating the depth gages and establishing the individual roles for Grant and myself as primary judge on game day.
The first attempts took place Saturday Oct. 23rd. First to go was Carlos Coste who rode a weighted sled down the official line to 135 meters (442 ft.). According to regulations a minimum of three official cameras must capture the entire performance. One mounted to the sled captured the incredible ride as Carlos flew past safety scuba divers at 35, 70 and 100 meters at speeds averaging 2 meters a second. A second camera secured to the bottom plate captured his arrival at depth. Meanwhile two surface cameras, the Danish television crew and a host of safeties, organizers and spectators anxiously awaited his arrival at the surface. For the Variable Weight category the diver is required to ascend under his own power, which Carlos did in a final time of 4:08. The dive was clean and Carlos maintained his control as he coughed up some of the remaining fluids due to the thoracic filling that takes place at extreme depths. [Thoracic filling is the critical mammlian diving reflex a.k.a Blood shift that shifts plasma from the bloodstream into the lung cavity to prevent compression damage. These fluids are reabsorbed during ascent/expansion].
Several minutes later Stig Severinsen left the surface for 67 meters (219 ft.) without the aid of fins (Constant No Fins) or weight. Though his initial descent was strong Stig turned at 61.2 meters due to equalization problems. Unfortunately later review of both official surface videos of Carlos' dive revealed the video documentation did not meet A.I.D.A. International standards having missed approximately 1:30 of the pre-dive time required so a second attempt became necessary for him as well.
With the athletes on rest days Grant and I began the Judge in Learning course, which upon completion would see the addition of four new level E judges to the A.I.D.A. roster. Carlos Coste, Gabriela Contreras (the head organizer) and our two safety freedivers, Luis Delgado and Giovanni Profeta registered for the course. Over the next five days a total of 16+ hours were spent reviewing rules, theory and regulations followed by practical application in water. Book ended by real world records attempts the course was both in context and highly relevant for each of the participants.
Stig's second attempt took place on the 26th. After successfully reaching the targeted depth Stig returned to the surface elated but hypoxic enough to forget to breathe. Looking around he gave a small cheer and briefly lost consciousness. The next day Carlos repeated his incredible 135-meter performance this time taking his sweet time to ascent for a total dive time of 4:36 seconds. It was tense as the safety team was instructed to drop the counter ballast at 4:30 however thanks to the clear water we were able to see the final fifteen seconds of his ascent. This time the video documentation was good and the performance has been recommended for final ratification and world record status.
The final dive took place on the 29th. Once again Stig made his targeted depth but blacked out at approx. 15 meters requiring Carlos, acting as the safety diver to bring him to the surface. Tense moments again as Stig was out for a good 30 seconds before coming around and coughing up fresh blood indicating some level of lung barotrauma. In no time we had him back on the boat breathing oxygen as the remaining fluid in his lungs reabsorbed. It's a set back for Stig but something he will surely overcome as his good spirits were restored almost immediately.
Though it was a disappointment for Stig and his crew everyone was glad to have come to the end of the event. It had been a long ten days with numerous ups and downs and tests of our abilities to judge and safely conduct world record performances. Congratulations to the athletes, hosts and organizers in Venezuela and thank you for the opportunity to be part of your successes.
Perry
The name of the bar was 'Goldlips', recently changed from Goldfinger which should have been our first clue. We had already seen most of what was to offer in the entertainment department here in Puerto La Cruz, namely casinos passed off as bingo halls, so it should have come as no surprise that the term 'American bar' would also refer to something other than the obvious. But I am jumping ahead...
At 11:25 am this morning Carlos Coste made a second attempt for the world freediving record in Variable Weight descending once again to the incredible depth of 135 meters by sled and returning to the surface under his own power. The total dive time was an extremely tense 4:36 as Carlos took his time during the ascent leaving no question of his incredible abilities.
Unlike the previous attempt video documentation on the sled, bottom plate and surface were all in order however a malfunction with the back up surface camera left no room for error. That makes three times we have experienced problems with the video documention. It makes you wonder.
With Carlos' record dive successful (pending final ratification and doping test results) we could all finally relax a little. Stig Severinsen's third and final attempt at Constant No Fins will be this Friday so, with day and half to recover, the gang headed out to the Bingo for a few drinks and a little roulette action.
The beer was free in the VIP section where Carlos promptly lost his minimum start of 20,000 Bolivares. Meanwhile Luiz Delgado, our primary safety diver and class clown raked in the chips for over an hour before giving it all back. As the boys played with marbles Danish cinematographer Jesper and I critiqued the shameless lounge music while tossing the complimentary ice cubes thoughtfully included in our beers.
With that done it was time to change venues. The American bar beckoned. Flanked by Luiz and scuba safety Guacharo, Jesper and I made our way to Goldlips, a seedy looking joint in the tenderlion of Puerta La Cruz. Though it was in Spanish the MC's voice through the hazy neon interior was unmistakeable, American bar means strip club.
Now if the girls were really exciting that might have changed things a little but the reality is that in Venezuela the women walking down the street are so beautiful that there really is no need for place like this. Mind you the pole work was impressive.
At approx. 11:34 am today Stig Severinsen made a second attempt to 67m Constant No Fins. The performance was disqualifed after a blackout on the
surface.
Stig successfully touched the plate at 67 meters giving it a spin for good measure before starting his ascent. He was met by safety diver Carlos Coste at approximately 30 meters and upon surfacing gave the crowd an enthusiastic cheer which likely contributed to the Blackout. The dive time was 2:28 seconds.
Unfortunately there was once again a problem with the video documentation only this time it was the bottom camera. Had the performance been clean it would have been a repeat of Saturday's heartbraker which saw Carlos Coste's Variable Weight dive to 136 meters deemed invalid for world record ratification.
Carlos`s second attempt will take place tomorrow Wed. the 27th at 11:00am while Stig's third attempt is tentatively scheduled for Friday.
At approximately 12:15 pm Oct 23, Carlos Coste achieved 136 meters in Variable Ballast, riding a weighted sled into the depths of the Carribean sea and returning to the surface under his own power in 4:08 seconds.
The performance was clean and beat the current record of 120 meters handily however unfortunately both of the offical surface cameras did not document the dive sufficiently for ratification. As a result the dive will not count as a world record. Carlos will reattempt the world record Wednesday.
The second performance of the day took place approximately ten minutes later. Danish freediver Stig Severinsen turned at 61.2 meters on his attempt to 67m due to difficulty equalizing. His decision to turn early ensures he will be healthy to retry this Tuesday.
Similar to last year the attempts are well attended and a little bit chaotic. For this reason I decided to hold individual briefings prior to the event for the athletes, camera operators and divers respectively to ensure all requirements would be met. It makes the video problem all the more unfortunate. The new attempts are being done seperately to reduce the risk of confusion and error.
Perry
Caribbean storms come in fast. Ten to twelve inches of rain in as many minutes formed miniature lakes across low-lying roadways and parking lots in the coastal town of Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela. All of a sudden the driving across town went from an exercise in machismo to an adventure in watersports. Watching the urban swells lap up onto plaza shores I almost wished I had a wakeboard with me.
That was yesterday afternoon. Today its back to hot and sunny, perfect weather in anticipation of Carlos Coste and Stig Severinsen's freediving world record attempts in Variable Weight and Constant No Fins tomorow morning. Both Athletes have achieved their depth prerequisites and are in good spirits.
The lines are stretched and measured. Safety briefings have been held and all that remains are final athlete and organizer meetings to go over the schedule and proceedures one more time.
I can't wait.
Perry
I was advised to stay in the airport during my five hour stop-over in Bogota. An eight hour delay in Guaquil, Ecuador however handily took care of that along with my connection to Caracas. Of course it was another eight hour wait for the next flight.
The good news is I have finally arrived, bags and all, in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela for the upcoming World Record Freediving attempts by native Carlos Coste and Stig Severinsen of Denmark. Carlos is going for the Variable weight record (riding a sled to depth and kicking back up) of 120 meters and Stig, the pending Static Apnea record (breathhold at the surface) of 8:46. It should be a fun week.
After exploring the pacific coast of Ecuador for the past week its also just good to be in familiar territory amongst friends. Stay tuned for more fun.
Perry
After a sleepless night packing and repacking my shiny new Sportube with spearguns and accessories, I made the long journey from Toronto to Miami to Caracas with little fanfare. The organizers of Reto en el Abismo 2004 (Challenge the depths), a week of freediving world record attempts in Venezuela seven days from now, had paid for this first part of the trip as I am to be the primary judge.
Having long been interested in exploring the Ecuadorian coast I tacked on an extra week ahead of time to scout for inexpensive winter-home opportunities. Unfortunately the only flights to Ecuador that matched my schedule included a five-hour stop-over in Bogota enroute from Caracas to Guayaquil. Needless to say I was a wreck when I checked into a small pension late that night.
I woke up anxious to see the ocean but there was at least another four hours to go. The packed bus from Guayaquil to the coastal town of Montanita was reminiscent of the many trips I had taken through Central America.
Traveling at incredible velocities the old Mercedes bus seemed to smooth out somewhere around 140 km/hr giving the illusion that the driver was in control. Counteracting this illusion was the random half-stops at populated crossroads where either more passengers or vendors of various types of food would board. Squeezing their way up and down the aisles the vendors would peddle their wares until the next crossroads where they would jump from the moving vehicle and wait for a bus going in the opposite direction.
Some offerings were more interesting than others, dripping grilled chicken skin on a stick for example, however my favorite was the guy who meticulously selected single miniature crackers for each passenger (served with a pair of tongs) before returning with bottles of soda pop and plantain chips. It is surely an impressive feat to board and disembark from a moving bus with a cooler full of soft drinks and sticks of dripping chicken skin.
My destination was Casa del Sol, a small surf hotel run by Californian Randy Hood. Randy is a pioneer of Montanita with beachfront property one kilometer from town where a nice little point break generates the best wave in south Ecuador. We had met via email and he had offered to show me around a little, an offer he made good on over the next few days.
In the meantime I sucked up as much of the atmosphere as I could. Making regular forays into town and setting out on little adventures I got a feel for the state of things, the strongest impression being one of hopeful, expectant opportunity to come by locals and gringos respectively.
In many ways this is exactly what I had hoped to find. A great location with basic infrastructure ten to twenty years behind places like Costa Rica where speculation by North Americans and Europeans had already changed the costs and rules of engagement. Of course signs that some had tried to do so were also here, semi-abandoned resorts and hotels, monuments to over anxious investors ahead of their time.
The geography was also very interesting. From here south the land was arid and dry while just to the north things became lush and even forest like. It reminded me of the drive from Flagstaff to Phoenix which goes from alpine to desert in much the same manner. The diversity seemed indicative of the opportunity.
Coastal Ecuador is farther and more expensive to get to than my familiar Central American stomping grounds. Hassle factor is higher and as for marketability, the place just doesn't have a sought-after travel reputation. As a result many of the tourists are back-packers looking for dirt-cheap fare and accommodation. Not ideal if one is going to rely on walk-in tourist trade for sustenance. On top of all that is the fact that the water is a little cooler (now I will admit to being a warm water wimp but you have to agree there is something special about surfing in trunks). I ponder all this as I consider my plans for the winter.
Randy too has been thinking this over, wondering how best to build the business without spinning his wheels. It doesn't take long before I am immersed in identifying key strategies and walking him through the process of creating a solid business plan. When the two of us finally come up for air I realize I have hardly done any fishing.
A warm breeze slips under the overcast skyline and along the beach. Flat light. Without the wind on your skin it would be hard to distinguish oneself from the panorama. I wade into the familiar Pacific Ocean greeting it with my thoughts and swim out to the end of the rocky point.
A few short dives reveal a series of tiny fjords, which while close together on the surface, open up below where the usual suspects congregate. Visibility in the ten-foot range offers little encouragement and so I hunker down into some rocky formations and wait for something edible. There is relatively little activity and after twenty or so dives I come to the conclusion that parrotfish is going to have to do.
With two bands loaded on my Riffe speargun I dive down and lock into a large iridescent blue parrot. The spear flies from the teak stock and catches the fish mid flank, knocking it sideways. It's a poor shot but secure. Then, reaching for my knife to dispatch the fish I suddenly realize its not there. I must have left the sheath open.
Angry with myself I come up for air and pull in the float line attached to my bright orange float and stringer. In the process of trying to brain the fish with the stringer I lose my grip on both it and the fish who, clearly as upset with the situation as I am, decides to make a prompt departure. The next few dives turn up nothing, surely my due. Continuing to dive and preoccupied with my funk I am oblivious to the arrival of a small fishing boat in the process of laying miles of netting along the reef. By the time I sense their presence one of the four fishermen aboard is curiously pulling my float from the water with a long steering pole.
Oi! I shout giving them a start in return. Shocked by my sudden my appearance from nowhere it takes them several beats to react. Slowly my float is lowered back and they resume their task. Sure enough on my next dive I see the long black netting snaking its way along the ocean floor. It's relatively easy to avoid but I have no knife to cut myself free should anything happen. I shudder at the thought of getting caught below.
Not too long ago I heard a story in which someone said they were not ready for the sea. Apparently this was one of those times.
The next several days reaped similar results, poor visibility and a lack of desire on my part as important factors as any. At one point a large spotted devil ray flew by just to remind me that in fact there was much more going on than I was able to manufacture.
I was not disappointed really, the purpose of my trip being fulfilled I could leave with a good understanding of the place and its opportunities. Something to ponder as I consider my plans for the coming winter.
Meanwhile I was amazed to learn that the bus back to Guayaquil was capable of greater speeds than the one out to the coast. It was the chicken skin man who helped check my fear, if he could go about the business of selling his skins then surely I could sit quietly and read my book.