I agree with Will,
it should be one rule for all and this is really making it look like that it's not. It was a great dive and I think it should be a valid WR, no doubt Martin would have made the dive if he had to grab the tag. But that doesn't change the fact he did not have a tag, and everyone else still needs to grab a tag, I don't get it? What stops people in future from deliberately not grabbing a tag if the judges on site are ok with that, then later saying it was a mistake ?
For him it may not have made that much difference but for the rest of us mere mortals not having to grab a tag could easily add a few m to the depth of a no-fins dive. I did 2 constant no fins dives in competition last year and only practiced a little on how to bring the tag up. The first time I grabbed it swam up a while, then stopped tried to put it in my weightbelt swam up again, then worried would drop it and swam up with it in my hand. The second time I had made up a carabineer and was going to clip the tag on. On the actual dive itself I still didn't trust it or myself to not drop the tag, I swam all the way up with it in my hand. OK, that was my bad
but it does definitely add more complexity and in turn more anxiety to a dive.
Martin & I also Judged Annabel Briseno's CNF WR back when the tag rule was brought in literally only a week or two before. At first there was some confusion with some AIDA board members saying you needed a tag and others not. With less then a week before doing her record attempts she now had to grab a tag when she had not been practicing with one, and break a previous WR of someone that didn't need to grab a tag ?
I'm with Will, if the AIDA Board says this record is a valid CNF WR without a tag then really shouldn't that just be the same rule for everyone?
Cheers,
Wal
