• Welcome to the DeeperBlue.com Forums, the largest online community dedicated to Freediving, Scuba Diving and Spearfishing. To gain full access to the DeeperBlue.com Forums you must register for a free account. As a registered member you will be able to:

    • Join over 44,280+ fellow diving enthusiasts from around the world on this forum
    • Participate in and browse from over 516,210+ posts.
    • Communicate privately with other divers from around the world.
    • Post your own photos or view from 7,441+ user submitted images.
    • All this and much more...

    You can gain access to all this absolutely free when you register for an account, so sign up today!

PFI in Cayman: 2005

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.
I just saw it, it's really funny! Best of luck to Mandy and Martin!

Adrian
 
im suprised that martin is going to attempt a cnf record....never thought he would try that:)
good news though
 
@ quasimoto:

When Martin equalled the DF of Herbert Nitsch (181m) in Canada a few years ago, he did a 135m DNF dive in training. On the record attempts of Cayman 2004 he also announced a CNF record, but since then I heard nothing about it.

I think that he will save CW for a competition.

Good luck to Martin and Mandy!

MANUEL
 
Thats a great video, Goh does excellent work! Best of luck to all involved.
 
Hey, wasn't that the theme song from 'Cowboy bebop'? :D
(a japanese anime series).

Unfortunetly I can't view the streaming properly. :(
 
Perhaps a little early question..., but when will the PFT arrive at the Cayman Islands and when will start the coverage?


MANUEL
 
Hey guys,

Thanks for all the compliments, hope everyone is enjoying the trailer!!!!!

Just so you guys know, the 2004 Aida Worlds Championships vidclips are back online thanks to Kirk Krack of Performance Freediving.

You can see them at: www.aidaworlds2004.com

ALSO NEW, is the ONLINE store at the PFI website. The new "CAYMAN 2004" DVD is out now and on sale for $30US!!! You'll also see PFI t-shirts coming out within the next few days.

About the DVD:
Takes you through the course of the three-week event of last year's Record Attempts by Team PFI members, Kirk Krack, Mandy-Rae Cruickshank, Martin Stepanek, and Dr. George Lopez.

The story-line begins as the team arrive to Cayman in Week one and outlines underwater training sequences until the World Record dives. Apart from magnificent footage taken at ridiculous depths, the DVD captures the personalities of the team members through interviews, shopping ventures, and other odd activites!!!

And The finale Record dive segments have phenomenal underwater footage taken at different depths by various scuba/rebreather divers. Its a must-see!

So check it out at www.performancefreediving.com !!!!!

Goh Iromoto
 
Day 6, March 19th, 2005
36 dives between 20 - 45m for safety and sled recovery

Things are starting to flow nice and efficiently now and with Spencer getting to depth to help make the recovery lifts of the sled, it's taken a little pressure off me.

Today Doc and Martin each made three runs on the sled. Actually Martin made two runs as his first training dive was a constant ballast no-fins to 50m / 165ft and then two sled runs to 65m / 213ft and 80m / 262ft. Strangely enough, Martin is laughing at the difference in equalizing technique he's now using. Be a specialist in heads down equalizing to 103m / 338ft (constant ballast world record), he's finding the sensations and some of the techniques different.

Doc's progressing nicely and we're taking progressive steps deeper. Today was two runs to 30m / 99ft and then a 35m / 115ft. The first run to 30m / 99ft wasn't as smooth and he worked on the relaxation and equalizing part of the dive. His second dive was much easier and he had some time to look around when he hit the bottom. Third dive was easier yet and he's starting to feel a groove happening.

While on the boat Mandy phoned to inform us that Alaskan Airlines overbooked her flight from Seattle to Miami by over forty people. Needless to stay she spent the night in Seattle and we should see her Sunday afternoon. All the prep and rush to fly a two hour drive from Vancouver???

Turns out my typical day in the water will consist of approximately 36 dives between 20 - 45m for safety and sled recovery. As more crew members arrive on island and they join us on the boat, I'll be able to move away from sled prep and recovery to simply coaching. Our big help will be when Bill Coltart from Pacific ProDive our scuba team supervisor and Tom Lightfoot, webmaster and PFI Instructor join the growing list of crew members.

Our joking invariably turns to decompression illness issues and we've now employed a five minute break on 100% oxygen at 6m / 20ft to washout any excess nitrogen. We're also counting on the O2 debit reloading to help in multiple days of training as well. So after each run the athletes watch the next from the oxygen bar we've set up.

In the evening we had to tear Goh away from his computer and the video editing he's been doing. He's turning into a real professional and his shots are getting better exponentially each day. We can't wait to see the job he does on the Cayman 2005 DVD after seeing the awesome job on the Cayman 2004 DVD.

Tomorrow is a day off and we're just picking Mandy up at 1:45pm and then maybe a shore dive for acclimatization if she's feeling up to it. Day after, back on the yellow beast for some more fun.

For a complete journal and photo's from each day and also to watch the streaming video, go to:

http://www.performancefreediving.com/news/news_2005.html

If the video doesn't work for you, please let us know why and we'll try to solve the problem.

Hope you're enjoying our adventures and there's still time to book a flight and join us for the fun.

Sincerely,

Kirk Krack
www.performancefreediving.com
kirk.krack@performancefreediving.com
604-862-5868 Business
 
Hey Everyone,

Just thought I'd give you the standard press release blurb for interest. As a note, today Mandy-Rae made 50m constant ballast no-fins in 2:08. Tomorrow Mandy will attempt free immersion to 76m with Monday another attempt in CBNF to around 55m. Martin's hurt his back several days ago, but things are looking much better so we should see him in the water soon.

We have some really great streaming video of the performances and the record video of this one may be delayed and on the site Saturday morning. We'll try harder to have it to site within 3 hrs of completion.

If you're enjoying the coverage, but have suggestions, please feel free to contact us. We'd like to work harder to make this as enjoyable and entertaining for you as it is for us and the rest of the crew and team here in Cayman.

If you'd like to send congrats or wishes of good luck to the athletes, please do at the following email:

Mandy-Rae Cruickshank mandy-rae@performancefreediving.com
Martin Stepanek martin.stepanek@performancefreediving.com

Sincerely,

Kirk Krack

www.performancefreediving.com
kirk.krack@performancefreediving.com
604-862-5868 Business

START PRESS RELEASE


Five Freediving World Records Attempted In Cayman Islands

Friday, April 8th through Thursday, April 14th, five freediving world records are poised to fall in the Cayman Islands with members of the Performance Freediving Team.

Freediving or breath-hold diving as a sport is where athletes compete in disciplines involving time, depth and distance with different sub categories in each. The competitive world of freediving emerged in the late 1940's and today is enjoying unprecedented growth and booming popularity with underwater enthusiasts the world over. Although freediving as a sport is relatively new, freediving as a means of sustenance can trace its roots back 4500 years.

Mandy-Rae Cruickshank of Canada and Martin Stepanek of Czech Republic have been training in the Cayman Islands since March 14th in an attempt to break five freediving world records. Mandy-Rae will be attempting three different disciplines while Martin will be attempting two.

Mandy-Rae is thirty years old and resides in Vancouver, Canada. Freediving competitively since 2000, Mandy-Rae has held four world records and currently holds the constant ballast world record where an athlete swims to depth and back with fins and retains their ballast. In March 2004 in Grand Cayman she achieved a depth of 78m / 256ft surpassing Tanya Streeter's record of 70m / 230ft.

Joining Mandy-Rae is team member Martin Stepanek of the Czech Republic. Martin is twenty-eight years old and a five time world record holder currently holding two world records also including constant ballast at 103m / 338ft surpassing Carlos Costa's record of 102m / 335ft.

Both Mandy-Rae and Martin are working with coach and trainer Kirk Krack, founder of Performance Freediving International Inc. Kirk is also Vice-President of the Association for the International Development of Apnea (AIDA), the world governing body for the sport of freediving. AIDA Level A Judges Bill Stromberg (Sweden) and Nicolas Laporte (Switzerland) will be the officials in attendance ratifying the attempts and ensuring the strictest of safety protocols are followed.

Partnering with Performance Freediving International is Dr. George 'Doc' Lopez, CEO of ICU Medical Inc (NASDAQ; ICUI). Doc is joining Mandy and Martin in Cayman for his second year and is again attempting a US National record for the United States Apnea Association (USAA). Doc, a highly successful CEO is also a bluewater world record spearfishermen.

Along with ICU Medical Inc, Divetech and Cobalt Coast on Grand Cayman are providing diving and accommodations while Off The Wall Divers provides a daily training boat. Underwater video services are provided by Amphibico Inc of Montreal, Canada. Professional wetsuits are furnished by Oceaner Sporting Goods and Yamamoto Corporation.

Full streaming video, daily diaries and pictures are available at www.performancefreediving.com.

END PRESS RELEASE

Constant Ballast No-fins - Athletes descend and ascend unassisted along a line without fins. Essentially breast-stroking to depth and back.

Free Immersion - Athletes descend and ascend assisted along a line with out fins by pulling.

Variable Ballast - Athletes descend assisted by a weighted sled and ascend along a line by pulling and fining.
 
Hey Everyone,

After four days of record attempts in the Cayman Islands, Team PFI now sits with the following successful performances:

Mandy-Rae Cruickshank: 50m constant ballast no-fins & 74m free immersion world records.

Martin Stepanek: 80m constant ballast no-fins world record.

Dr. George 'Doc' Lopez: 56m & 59m USAA variable ballast national records.

One training day and two record days to go, along with a host more streaming video, journals and photos at www.performancefreediving.com.

Don't be surprised, we've also changed the website look.

Enjoy,
 
Hey Kirk,

I got stuck at a family fishing tournament this weekend, and was awfully anxious to get back to the computer to hear the inevitably good news. I like the new website skins, by the way.

Give Mandy, Martin, and Doc a big Texas-sized slap on the back for me.....well, maybe not Martin just yet. I hope he's not still all caddywhompus. I'm looking forward to takin' a dip with the Miami clinic come July.

Keep it up.
 
Just want to say big congratulations to Team PFI

Mandy-Rae - 50m CNF & 74m FI world records
Martin - 80m CNF & 136m VW world records
Doc - 61m VW USA record

It's been amazing journey guys. Glad to have shared the road with you all.

(Here's hoping you read this before getting stinking drunk at the wrap up party! :p )

Cheers!

Peter S.
 
Peter,

Thanks for the congrats. As mentioned, Team PFI has now secured 4 new world records and one national record (4 times:>).

Today was our final day of attempts with Martin making 136m / 447ft and Doc making 61m / 201 ft, both in variable ballast.

Lesson learned is that sled disciplines require their completely own event. Mandy arrived late and missed two days while acclimatizing and then the organization messed up one day.

Next year we'll see what we're doing (but you can plan on 'PFI Cayman 2006') but if it's sled disciplines, it's only sled. Self powered disciplines will be strictly for competitions for the near future. However, there are several pool disciplines we haven't touched yet. Sorry Moran :>)

As a note, the Performance Freediving International Team now hold all the self-powered depth disciplines:

Constant Ballast: Mandy-Rae 78m / Martin 103m

Constant no fins: Mandy-Rae 50m / Martin 80m

Free Immersion: Mandy-Rae 74m / Martin 102m

Now we party and then start a four day clinic on Saturday.

Mandy's just ordering our first Mudslide (Cayman specialty) to start the party off as I write this. Tomorrow we may suffer swollen heads, but not from hyponatremia:>)

Hope you all enjoyed the ride as much as we did. It was our pleasure bringing this to you and next time your friends ask you what freediving is, send them to the streaming videos.

Take care,
 
Congrats to you all!!! and good job to mandy for gettin the mudslides. they are def a fun drink in hot areas!
 
80m CNF! That is insane! I was blown away when David Lee hit 60m CNF. I remember thinking Rudi Castinyera was a little off his rocker when he theorized that folks could get past 70m CNF. 80m is just unimaginable -- not long ago, 80m would have been the constant ballast record -- period.

CNF (imho) is the king of apnea events. Congratulations to Martin on shattering the record -- and any preconceptions associated with it.
 
DeeperBlue.com - The Worlds Largest Community Dedicated To Freediving, Scuba Diving and Spearfishing

ABOUT US

ISSN 1469-865X | Copyright © 1996 - 2024 deeperblue.net limited.

DeeperBlue.com is the World's Largest Community dedicated to Freediving, Scuba Diving, Ocean Advocacy and Diving Travel.

We've been dedicated to bringing you the freshest news, features and discussions from around the underwater world since 1996.

ADVERT