8th Coupe des Dauphines

[tomsietas]

you are right. there is no reason for disqualifying anyone, no doubt.

and 20'39'' without oxygen is magic, yes.. :girlie

thx will, seems far fetched, but yet the only answer i could imagine, too...

 

[trux]

There is the video of David Merlini's STA in Geneva here:
Cyrnéa - Galerie Photos et Vidéos

And there are also some photos (though mostly of our guys) here (and I am still adding another batch in a moment):
Cyrnéa - Galerie Photos et Vidéos

And this is Merlini dancing during his STA attempt. He had often eyes out of the water if I can see it well on the video - can he breathe through the eyes? I can blow bubbles through eyes, so I wonder if it won't be possible to inhale through them too with some training, though it does not seem too probable.

​

 

[trux]

And, BTW, does anyone know what happened to Elisabeth Kristoffersen? I see DYN 47 m with 27 points penalty, and just 2:04 in STA. Was she ill, out of form, or simply had a bad day? She can do 174 m in DYN, and 6:15 in STA otherwise.

 

[Rob]

And this is Merlini dancing during his STA attempt. He had often eyes out of the water if I can see it well on the video - can he breathe through the eyes? I can blow bubbles through eyes, so I wonder if it won't be possible to inhale through them too with some training, though it does not seem too probable.

View attachment 22559
​

Yesterday night Jee called me and we guess, how he did it. I agree with Tom and others, the 20+ was a magic but this i don't know. Trux, maybe he can breathe through the eyes but at first i think breathe through the ears! Jee think for something capsula or other with full of oxigen what is in the stomach or somewhere else. I don't know how he did it but he hold his breath from a child. Maybe it was not cheat. If David come to train with us i would like to see the preparation and the exercise nearly.

 

[H.Balázs]

Hi All,

I know this guy and his antecendents here in Hungary well. He is a 3rd class illusionist. Everybody laughing here in Hungary on his performances. I can say 100% sure he is always cheating!!!

Thats it...


Best Regards,
Balázs

 

[H.Balázs]

If his coach had not touched him, it would have been a white card.

That is really sad I think!:rcard

Balázs

 

[trux]

Yes, after reviewing the videos of his stunts on Youtube, it is apparent he has to have a capsule with pressurized oxygen hidden somewhere, as Will wrote. Even during the 20 minutes breath-hold he does not stop exhaling air every couple of seconds. He could not continue doing it for so long if there was no source of air. A capsule with pure O2 as small as 10 ml and pressurized to 300 bars would offer 3 liters of oxygen which is equivalent to 15 liters of air, so would be sufficient for a quite long breath-hold. I hope that the next time the guy inscribes to some AIDA competition, he'll be forced to pass through an x-ray frame, or at least checked with a handheld metal detector (though the small tank could be in composite material). Or perhaps instructing him and the safety divers to pull him out as soon as he starts releasing bubbles.

 

[rogam44]

Maybe some kind of trick or cheat is the reason why he doesn't participate in dynamic disciplines. It would be very suspicious to see somebody to blow a lot of bubbles during the dynamic :t.

 

[Will]

It must be humiliating to cheat in an apnea competition and still not be able to match the times of those who use only a single breath. :hungover

 

[Mullins]

Maybe some kind of trick or cheat is the reason why he doesn't participate in dynamic disciplines. It would be very suspicious to see somebody to blow a lot of bubbles during the dynamic :t.

Haha, seeing somebody trailing bubbles for the whole swim and still maintaining neutral buoyancy would be a bit of a giveaway! I wonder if he would consent to doing an 8:00 static in a plethysmograph?

 

[trux]

I just wonder what AIDA judges will do if he comes to the next competition, pulls out an 11, 12 or 15 minutes statics, and makes no mistake on surfacing. They will simply be obliged giving him a white card, and ratifying it as a world record, ridiculing so all honest competitors.

BTW, I added some more photos (no more of the guy though) from the Dauphins competition to the gallery at Cyrnéa - Galerie Photos et Vidéos

 

[Jee]

Hi guys,

actually, as I talked to him, he told, that from his little childhood, he is preparing to be a professional magician practicing the art of escaping (from difficult situations: i.e. he was put into concrete in chains (not the maffia style ), and he somehow appeared to be free). You know this kind of performances. I don't agree with Balázs. He is doing well his business, as a magician (he had a prime time escaping show in the most viewed Hungarian channel).

I don't know, how he could do this static. As he is practicing breathholds from his early years (as he told me), he probably have a good static capability. I don't know if it is good enough, maybe. Releasing air all the time of the breathhold is strange, that is for sure.

Well, he told me, he would like to come to our training (he is quite busy). After a common training I will know more. I don't want to judge him (also I haven't seen him doing static yet). He told me, it's not a trick, that he has a special method. Of course I'm interested in what is that method (sg like yoga?), but I don't know.

Summa summarum: I don't know.

Jee

 

[H.Balázs]

I just wonder what AIDA judges will do if he comes to the next competition, pulls out an 11, 12 or 15 minutes statics, and makes no mistake on surfacing. They will simply be obliged giving him a white card, and ratifying it as a world record, ridiculing so all honest competitors.

BTW, I added some more photos (no more of the guy though) from the Dauphins competition to the gallery at Cyrnéa - Galerie Photos et Vidéos

I dont think it is so easy! I'm not sure, but if I'm right, he don't have member status of any Aida group. And as I heard, he dont plan to "compete" -better word is to cheat again on an AIDA comp (as Jee informed me regarding their phone talk).

But I hope, next time the judges will performe also a bit better!


Balázs

 

[trux]

But I hope, next time the judges will performe also a bit better!

Not sure what you mean. If it really is a trick and he has a capsule inside his body, or uses some other technical or chemical cheat which is not visible even after stripping him naked, I do not think the judges can do anything - you would need to take him immediately to a full body x-ray to find if there is any small O2 tank hidden, and there is little chance you could do it unless he agrees voluntarily - I do not think the rules count with such possibility, so you I doubt you could force a competitor to endure such a deep check.

 

[H.Balázs]

Hi guys,

actually, as I talked to him, he told, that from his little childhood, he is preparing to be a professional magician practicing the art of escaping (from difficult situations: i.e. he was put into concrete in chains (not the maffia style ), and he somehow appeared to be free). You know this kind of performances. I don't agree with Balázs. He is doing well his business, as a magician (he had a prime time escaping show in the most viewed Hungarian channel).

I don't know, how he could do this static. As he is practicing breathholds from his early years (as he told me), he probably have a good static capability. I don't know if it is good enough, maybe. Releasing air all the time of the breathhold is strange, that is for sure.

Well, he told me, he would like to come to our training (he is quite busy). After a common training I will know more. I don't want to judge him (also I haven't seen him doing static yet). He told me, it's not a trick, that he has a special method. Of course I'm interested in what is that method (sg like yoga?), but I don't know.

Summa summarum: I don't know.

Jee

Jee,

Please see the things a bit more objective (dont be childlike):

The performance what you mentioned as "prime time escaping show in the most viewed Hungarian channel" was a totaly downfall. Everybody who is familiar to me was laughing on it. The Chanell than decided to break their contract with this 3rd class illusionist, and cancelled the next planned programme!!!

And comme on, 8+ and 20+ minutes without inhale before, and under the performance exhale the bubles from nothing...:naughty


Regards,
Balázs

 

[trux]

And comme on, 8+ and 20+ minutes without inhale before, and under the performance exhale the bubles from nothing...

Just a comment, not to make false claims: I do not know whether he released bubbles during his STA attempt in Geneva too. On the video you cannot really see it. At least not on the one I have, but perhaps the official video may show more. And when I asked my friends who were there, they did not really notice it. So I cannot tell with certidute whether he was releasing bubbles or not during the attempt in Geneva. Well, he might also have inhaled and exhaled through perforated ear drums as was suggested above - in such case you would not see any bubbles, since he never really put his head under water.

 

[H.Balázs]

Well, he might also have inhaled and exhaled through perforated ear drums as was suggested above - in such case you would not see any bubbles, since he never really put his head under water.

Trux,

The main message is to avoid from cheating, and play the game fair as the other freedivers! If you can inhale trough your ear drums, and your ears are not under water, than you are cheating. The airflows must be under the water, as far as I know.

Balázs

 

[Jee]

Balázs, if somebody get to the level, that he is doing a prime time illusionist show on the most viewed channel in a country (regardléess of how good is it) - you cannot call him a 3rd line magician.

20+ was a trick, that we can agree. For 8+: I say, I hardly believe, but still: I don't judge. Beside I can have my own opinion.

For the judges: yes it is a vary hard task to prepare for things usually does not occure on freediving competitions. I mean, the freedivers are usually fights against their own limits (and of course try to beat the others performance also), This means, they do not cheat. Well, then we could talk about the dopping questions as well /for Tom IMHO this is not the case/.

Jee

 

[Jee]

The main message is to avoid from cheating, and play the game fair as the other freedivers!

Balázs

I totally agree!

 

[Mullins]

He seems to be exhaling a LOT of air during those "record attempt" clips. Would be interesting to see the full video from the STA.