*** Ants In Your Pants ***

[AltSaint]

Hmmm. Looks like the 'Diet & Lifestyle' section of my training schedule has been leaked then.

I'll try and find out at dress rehearsals where the challenge will be sitting in the overall programme. I'm really hoping there will be some good VT footage from the Underwater Stage at Pinewood, as Liv and I did a bit more than just teach statics.

The challenge won't be quite as you expect. I won't spoil the surprise, but it certainly won't be anything like competition statics.

[samdive]

it was great folks! just saw the actual challenge, no other footage but it was fun and a hell of a good ad for freediving

thanks from all of us for doing that and raising awareness

(PS where did you get two new paradisia nose clips from???)

[naiad]

Just saw it, well done Mark and Liv for giving us a bit of good publicity!

[AltSaint]

Thanks, both of you. Luckily with this programme, we actually had some input to how things were set up, safety, warnings, background information etc. I was pleased that they also showed freedivers swimming underwater with fins ( i.e. us two ) to balance things out a bit more.

It was hard work too, and Liv and I spent nearly a day and a half in the outside tank at Southbank studios. A good amount of skin has started to part company with my feet!

The Paradisia noseclips were Liv's, and she has promised to send me a link to the website where she found them.

Although I had a T-shirt displaying the BFA logo, it didn't show up on-screen. I hope though, this challenge will drum up some more interest in Freediving in the UK. Ironically, I have been unable to contribute my thoughts to the current thread discussing the demise of UK Freediving, as I have been too busy with this project.

For anyone outside the UK who wants to see the actual challenge, ITV normally have a clip on their website a couple of days after. I'll post a link when it appears.

I'm still gutted that Ant didn't win. We weren't expecting him too, but I had hoped he would surprise us and outstay Dec. Not to be.

A big thanks to Liv for her professionalism and teamwork...and of course bringing a touch of elegance to it all.

Mr. h

[samdive]

just saw the whole thing in full this morning.... Liv - monofin??? you looked great!! throw away the bi fins now!!

[BennyB]

That's what I keep telling her Sam!

You guys looked fantastic, well done

[naiad]

Originally Posted by AltSaint

Luckily with this programme, we actually had some input to how things were set up, safety, warnings, background information etc.

I was very glad to see that. Anything which shows freediving, and particularly static or dynamic apnea, needs lots of safety warnings.

[AltSaint]

I was pleased that ITV broadcast the warnings the way they did - frequently and specifically ( Dec explaining that he wasn't allowed to train on his own ). So maybe, just maybe, 2 things might happen. Perhaps some viewers will want to take up freediving. Perhaps some other viewers will think twice about holding their breath on their own in the bath / swimming pool.

For anyone who doesn't get ITV or missed it, you should be able to see it here:

http://www.itv.com/Entertainment/qui...y/default.html

Just need to scroll down to 'Byte Sized Takeaway Fun'. It will probably be just the challenge itself. I can't check because the firewall I am behind won't let me watch videos.

[laura storm]

Ant and Dec's breath-hold challenge is up on U-Tube for those who missed it .

A big up to Liv and Mark for taking their own deep breaths and going with this. They both put 100% into it behind the scenes which, believe me .. wasn't always easy with such a big crew involved. Ant and Dec were up against it from the start, as it's a live and incredibly frenetic show. They had about 4 mins to leave the studio stage where they'd been leaping around, get into their wetsuits and calm themselves enough to even think about holding their breath. Respect all round ...

YouTube - Ant and Dec - Ant vs Dec - Holding Breathe Underwater/Sink

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[Spaniard]

Great job guys, I overdid it on the bet! That's a great looking tank they've got at Pinewood, anything deeper or bigger??

[AltSaint]

The Pinewood underwater stage is 6m deep, 20m long, 10m wide, water temp approx 32 degrees, water all UV filtered, 2 Observation windows, and a shedload of scaffolding, props and cameras. It's actually a bit too warm if you're swimming around in a 3mm suit.

HMS Dolphin's Submarine Escape Training Tower in Gosport is deeper at 28 metres.

[laura storm]

Yeah Spaniard ... I should have run a book. I'd be rich beyond my wildest dreams
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