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Freedive-aplooza

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.

Jon

Dairyland diver
Supporter
Apr 7, 2001
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FREEDIVE-APALOOZA

FREEDIVE-APLAOOZA is coming to Wisconsin on July 24 2004. This is NOT a competition, but rather a gathering of freedivers, and scuba divers, who want to get in the water for some good fun. IF someone actually wanted to set a freshwater record, we would have the depth and the safety divers to pull it off.

I came up with the idea after trying to meet up with Fred, from North Dakota, over this past summer. We finally decided upon a date and thought that it would be a good time to gather together all of the other freedivers, and freedivers wana-be’s, who have contacted us over the past couple of years- both on this list and off. Since the idea originated we have at least one dive shop, and possibly more, who want to help sponsor it. We also, just recently, got word that OMER will be interested in sponsoring it. I am sure that we can get Jyri, from Special Fins, to kick in some demo fins to try- hint, hint.

While most freediving meetings are set up around a competition, be it for depth or spear fishing, this one is more about meeting up to have some fun, exchange information, and get wet. I’d like to put together an array of fins, and monofins, for people to try out. Right now, I think Fred, Ted and I can outfit a few people from our own stockpiles. We will also have some spear guns there, as you can spear in the lake, and would be willing to compare notes on what others find useful. This would be a good time for Ted, the former DNR regulations guy, to discuss the legalities for spear fishing in the surrounds states for those who are interested.

Another reason for this event is to try to convert, at least part-time, some of the many scuba divers in the area. Most probably, don’t realize that inlands lakes can be more effectively, and much less expensivly, explored while freediving, since they are not that deep. We’d also like to show them that freediving is about more than just riding sleds. That average people can do it just to have fun and not worry about making it into the record book.

Right now, this is a work in progress. We came up with the idea and it has started to blossom. If people have other ideas that they think we should add I am open to suggestions. One thing I am not open to is charging people for anything. This is supposed to be a FREE event, just like the name- Freediving. I know that Wisconsin will never be the hot bed of freediving that Europe is, but if I can get just a couple of more training partners out of it I think it will have been a success.

Lake Wazze is in-between Chicago and the Twin cities. It is currently the hotbed of tech diver training for this part of the country. There are training lines that go down to 105’ and we could easily put in some deeper ones for the day. The vis is usually pretty good and the surface water, down to around 30’, will be warm, around 74 degrees- those of you who use the metric system can do your own conversions.

You have almost a full year to start planning your trip, so make sure that you mark down July 24, 2004 on your calendar.

Jon
 
It sounds really cool but unfortunately it is right before the AIDA world championship Aug 4-12, 2004.


Eric Fattah
BC, Canada
 
Then you'd have plenty of time for a road trip Eric!;)

Actually, we were kind of working around Fred's planting and harvest season. If this goes well we'll try and do one every year.

I also just got word from Jyri that Special Fins will be sending some demo freediving and Spearfishing fins to the event. They will be put up for sale at the end of the day, which saves me the shipping costs of mailing them back to Estonia. He also mentioned that if anyone wanted to take delivery of a pair of fins at the event he could cut them a special deal on the prices and shipping.

Maybe Eric Fattah would want to send a pair of Fluid goggles to the event for people to try? I am sure that everyone there would be very interested in them, even the tec divers.:D

Jon
 
Jon

That's an excellent idea - I hope it goes well.

You guys are pretty far from my neck of the woods but who knows, maybe it's about time for my first trip to the USA?

I'll make a note of the date and keep and eye open for updates.

Cheers

Ash
 
Ash,

If your coming here all the way form New Zealand you might want to skip Wisconsin and hook up with Sven on the West Coast or Anderson and the Florida group.

Then again, if your into deep wreck diving we have some of the best in the entire world up here. The cold, fresh water of the Great Lakes preserves everything, even bodies.

Jon
 
Hey Jon,
don't belittle the land of cheese (Wisconsin, the U.S. cheese capital) to Ash, what's Florida or Cali have over Wisconsin? ;).
I've always enjoyed my trips through Wisconsin.
And Eric... the water below the thermocline would make you west coast divers feel right at home.. you could do some "warm ups" here.
Fred
 
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can you spell roadie?

Originally posted by fjohnson
what's Florida or Cali have over Wisconsin? ;).
Fred

white trash and better cheese. In that order. :t

July 24. I'm in. :cool:
 
white trash and better cheese.

At least we have a real Governor;)

Don't forget about the beer.

We'll be waiting for ya' with a cold one Sven, and I don't mean milk.:D

Jon
 
pass on the suds

yeah, well a real No. California diver only needs the water to be cold. I figure I'll just affect a lisp and talk r e a l s l o w and I'll fit right in... rofl
 
Jon

I think I would need at least a year to see enough of the USA and Canada but at this stage, that's not going to happen in a hurry.

So a shorter trip, possibly including one of Kirk Krack's courses would be more likely (with a stopover at the soon to be famous Wisconsin Freedive-Apalooza Festival of course).

Ash
 
Re: pass on the suds

Originally posted by icarus pacific
I figure I'll just affect a lisp and talk r e a l s l o w and I'll fit right in...

Work on your wanderin' eye too.

[in my best "deliverance" voice] Whenever there locals come 'round a botherin' me 'bout the spearin, I reckon I just let one 'der eyes drift a bit, and they let me be. "Hey you der - Mr. Scub-O diver - we don't take kindly to your types, so just get on out.......oh, I didn't know you was kin. Well, y'all have a good day then - and watch out for thems Amish peoples that live o'er yonder - they'll eat yer children."
 
Re: can you spell roadie?

Originally posted by icarus pacific
white trash and better cheese. In that order. :t

July 24. I'm in. :cool:
rofl
 
So a shorter trip, possibly including one of Kirk Krack's courses would be more likely (with a stopover at the soon to be famous Wisconsin Freedive-Apalooza Festival of course).

Hmmm, that gives me an idea. Let me email Kirk and find out what kind of numbers we need to drag him to Wisconsin and put on a clinic.

Jon
 
Originally posted by Jon


At least we have a real Governor;)

--- We call him 'the Governator'!! ---

--Jon, big props to you for organizing the Freedive Aplooza!!
 
Last edited:
Originally posted by Jon
Hmmm, that gives me an idea. Let me email Kirk and find out what kind of numbers we need to drag him to Wisconsin and put on a clinic.

Jon

Now you're talking!

Getting a chance to meet and dive with some of the people from DB and to do a course at the same time sounds like a fine plan to me.

I see that Performance Freediving are running clinics in Miami around the 10th of July 04 but don't seem to have any scheduled around the 24th.

So maybe this will all fall in place. I wonder what my wife thinks about visiting Wisconsin?

Ash

:)
 
This sounds a lot like what we are doing in the UK this weekend - we have called it the saltFree Big Weekender and have around 20 freedivers coming to train, play and chat too much at our lake on Saturday and Sunday. We have safety scuba cover and a couple of British Record attempts too. TV crews might be coming as well.

Will let you know how it goes. Keep an eye on
www.saltfreedivers.com for more

Sam
 
speargun target

Jon, I have been thinking how I could get there, but I’m already pretty booked up in late July. It would be nice to escape the summer humidity here for a few days, and I do have some frequent flyer mileages, so I will keep thinking about how I could fit it in.

Something I think would be great fun to do is to setup a speargun target and have a little contest. It would be fun and some skill building in a setting I have yet to experience. I have no freshwater lakes around me, can’t dive from the shore, because of dirty water, and I have yet to be able convince someone to let me use their swimming pool to experiment in. Just taking a few shots, without a contest, would be a blast.

Just an idea,
don
 
Don,

Great idea!

Consider it done. I think that Trident sells fish targerts, but I am open to suggestions for other things to use. We could even video tape the reuslts of how they fire, kick, ect.

I know that we can have a few guns there for people to try and i would encourage everyone to bring their own to compare. So far we have an OMER, JBL, R.A. and two custom mid-handles between Ted and I. I know that Fred has a few guns and Mark, from OMER, has even made mention that he might make it up. I am sure that if he does he would be more than willing to bring a few guns along for everyone to try. Sven has even mentioned that he could make it and I think he might have a small arsenal that could rival the local militas's armory. ;) :D


Jon
 
Originally posted by Jon
Sven has even mentioned that he could make it and I think he might have a small arsenal that could rival the local militas's armory. ;) :D Jon

Hmm...or defend against an aquatic invasion! rofl

--- what's the weather like in late July in Wisconsin?
Sorry, just had to ask :eek:

--- This sounds like fun!
 
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