Andreas Guldner Dahab Arch Dive Question

[maytag]

Hi,

There's a video of freediver Andreas Guldner crossing an arch in Dahab's Blue Hole. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNYFD1ZuA24]YouTube - First German Freediver Crossing the "Arch"[/ame], Is this a different "arch" than the one that scuba divers often try to dive (and some have died trying?)

Thanks for the clarification...

 

[island_sands]

Hi,

There's a video of freediver Andreas Guldner crossing an arch in Dahab's Blue Hole. YouTube - First German Freediver Crossing the "Arch", Is this a different "arch" than the one that scuba divers often try to dive (and some have died trying?)

Thanks for the clarification...

It's the same one...

J, one question... why are Maytag products so much more expensive than everything rofl Been looking at cookers to buy

 

[maytag]

It's the same one...

Thanks for the answer, Island_Sands. I think scuba is very cool, as are scubadivers, but it is a wonder that a freediver can dive the arch that has killed a non-trivial number of scuba divers. I have seen warnings against diving it on a single tank, as well as warnings that the arch is located in a counter-intuitive spot in the hole... did the freediver simply plan and navigate better, knowing there was no margin for error?

J, one question... why are Maytag products so much more expensive than everything rofl Been looking at cookers to buy

Am I a powerful brand in the UAE?

It's because the cost of entertaining of the Maytag repairman is passed through to the consumer... (I don't know if the spots where you live are the same, my appliances are so reliable, the repairman has nothing to do! He is very lonely, and very bored)rofl

I think Maytag got bought out by Whirlpool... hmmm.... no one on DB named Whirlpool... rofl

How do you like your new place?

 

[fcallagy]

Hi Maytag at 55m as far as I'm concerned its a technichal dive (especially as you have then to travel 26 metres through the arch i think) not to be attempted on air. That said some will have dived it on air on purpose, others may have not realised that they were at that depth and panicked or ascended too quickly, had narcosis etc.Don't know about any particular cases but that would be my guess.

 

[rbsub]

Thanks for the answer, Island_Sands. I think scuba is very cool, as are scubadivers, but it is a wonder that a freediver can dive the arch that has killed a non-trivial number of scuba divers. I have seen warnings against diving it on a single tank, as well as warnings that the arch is located in a counter-intuitive spot in the hole... did the freediver simply plan and navigate better, knowing there was no margin for error?

Maytag,

I think most of the victims are scubadivers with not so much diveexperience.

They have 50 dives and think that they can manage the deep and most of them never had made any decompression dives or know something about it.

If you see the memorials at the entrance of the Blue Hole you see that a lot of the victims were been only 20 to 30 years old). Some kind of stupid test of courage.:rcard

 

[glennv]

Thanks for the video link. Had not seen this one. Very nice.
I know only of the Bevan Dewar video , which I already found spectacular, but he used variable weight.
Amazing !!!

 

[CEngelbrecht]

Didn't Andy also use weights to get to 58? The editing indicates something else, but I think I see Andy letting go of weights at the bottom line before he swims through.

 

[perow1]

It was done constant weight.

 

[maytag]

Thanks guys. Do I have the "Arch" dive right - start in the Blue Hole, descend to the arch, cross the arch, then ascend on the outside of the Blue Hole (open water)?

The Bevan Dewar video - thanks for posting it. It didn't look like BD was carrying a light!!!

I respect the talent of both freedivers, but sometimes, my mind thinks, WOW!!! and other times, I think, MAN, they are lucky they pulled that off and are still alive...

 

[turtle]

there's also a video herbert took himself of his arch dive which is on youtube somewhere, but searching for anything with 'blue hole' + 'dahab' tends to bring up some horror shows too.

A shame that so many people do themselves in trying to 'do' the arch on scuba when the real nice dive is only a couple hundred metres to the north and half the depth...

f

 

[turtle]

Yes Maytag, that's the arch dive.
f

 

[wolleneugebauer]

It was done constant weight.

no, it was variable!

in constant weight Davide Carrera did it only!

an other "funny" arch dive you can see here:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK6w0T-9l3M]YouTube - The blue hole... "On a single breath"[/ame]
the dive is filmed by herbert nitsch himslelf!!!


and offtopic: a funny commercial with carlos: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1s4NsiIFPk&mode=related&search=]YouTube - CARLOS COSTE - FARMACIAS SAAS[/ame]

 

[glennv]

Thanks Wolle for clearing that up. Video suggested otherwise.
But still amazing dive !!

 

[maytag]

Thanks, Wolleneugebauer for posting that video! That was a different perspective, for sure!

The part where he seems to be sinking and then finds the arch - that is visually weird. For the most part, though, the freedivers make it all seem so effortless, but the scuba posts I read made the infamous arch sound like the dive of death.

More power to you all. Cheers,

 

[BennyB]

Well it's really a completely different ball game between doing it on scuba and on breath. From what I hear the tunnel at the Blue Hole slopes downwards so scuba people start shallower and end up deeper through the tunnel and get narc'ed a lot more. Freediving that deep you would have minimal narcosis, if any (and certainly not anywhere near as much as on scuba). Many scuba divers I would guess are less prepared for the arch than freedivers, as a freediver would plan the dive very carefully (you don't just recreationally freedive down to 55m then decide to go through a 25m tunnel down there).

Cheers,
Ben

 

[Will]

Hi Wolle,
Umberto Pelizzari was the first freediver to swim the Blue Hole Arch in Dahab, and I am fairly certain he did it in CW, maybe as far back as '93. Since then the freedivers who have followed in CW have been:
- Davide Carrera
- Natalia Molchanova
- Alexei Molchanova
- Alun George
I would like to attempt it sometime in the next month or two, and I did a few practice dynamics at 55m while I was in the Bahamas to make sure I am up to speed.
William.

 

[glennv]

Will,

Are you going to do this no-fins ?
Then for sure you will be the first one .....

 

[Will]

I left my only pair of fins in the Bahamas...

 

[wolleneugebauer]

the problem is, you can see the "arch" untill -40m and the other site is shining so bright. the distance is looking near- like 15m only - but in real you have to go in -60m and you have to swimm more than 30m.

 

[Waterysmile]

I left my only pair of fins in the Bahamas...

Blimey. If you're serious then please take care. You're not, though?