[turtle]

Ok, how does this sound?
Currently there are two schools of thought for setting records...

The first is attending annual world cup events. These world cup events need huge budgets for: travelling teams of safety/judges/athletes, promotion, setting up lines, access, accomodation etc. Once they are over, the place is forgotten & people gear up for next year somewhere else. Public and press attendance at these events is negligible compared to other sporting 'world cups'.

The second is individuals with private/corporate backing who set up events geared at breaking a specific record, or several. Again, the set up costs are considerable. Press and public attendance at these type of events seems marginally better, as more scenic locations can be used and the attention is more focused on an individual.

With all this in mind, what about the following idea: Build a permanent centre for freediving, in a location with generally good conditions, and in an accessible + scenic part of the world that would act as a focal point for athletes, media and public awareness of freediving. Employ full time judges and safety teams on site. Create a learning centre, welcoming tours, offering courses etc. The centre would have it's own lines, depth guages, cameras, platforms, and everything else necessary. This would be a stage where competitions and single record attempts would be held under the same conditions, to the same standards. It would be a place where scientific research would be centralised and encouraged. Safety techniques could be practiced, taught and new ideas tested.

If, as Seb Murat sees it, AIDA is behaving too much like a controlling entity rather than a set of standards everyone can agree on, this proposal makes sense as it inherently aligns the concept and the reality of comparable achievement between individuals through set standards of performance. As freediving is still developing as an activity and a collective knowledge, having a focal point still makes sense, as it allows new approaches (frc, training etc.) to be seen comparatively and in an accepted environment.

It seems that the travelling world cup events make little sense financially, environmentally or even practically to anyone involved. Private record attempts are a loss-making enterprise for almost all those involved & are dogged by a form of judging/safety which is inherently decentralized and at risk of subjectivity, then controversy. Safety procedures are haphazard and irregular across events. Media interest is virtually nil, and at best freakish, because freediving lacks genuine respectability as a sport at large.

If most of the money spent on private attempts and world cups at the moment was instead put towards a proposal like this, along with some funding from sports/government bodies to create a non-profit charitable body, within a few years there would be something truly longstanding and tangibly beneficial to the freediving world in every respect and at every level.

I've emptied my piggy bank of cents. Would be very interested to hear thought on this.

fred