My stupid mistake, the guy's name is Ben Coleman, not Ben Gowland. I'm too much into the ranking lists, I screwed up the names. -chris
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Swedish Dahab event - Update
- Thread starterCEngelbrecht
- Start date
Thread Status: Hello
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THANKS!
Fantastic pictures! some of the best I have ever seen. Way to go guys...
I am planning to bring a group of British freedivers out to Dahab at New Year - will any of you be there then? I know its a while away but we have to have some good weather to look forward to
I MISS Egypt so badly when I see those shots and read about your hilarious pretend competition!
Sam x
Fantastic pictures! some of the best I have ever seen. Way to go guys...
I am planning to bring a group of British freedivers out to Dahab at New Year - will any of you be there then? I know its a while away but we have to have some good weather to look forward to
I MISS Egypt so badly when I see those shots and read about your hilarious pretend competition!
Sam x
And now the daily sports from Dahab. We had two attempts in the Blue Hole today, both came out succesful. First Bevan went for 85 meters in constant weight. I may have praised him yesterday, but today the dive was completed in quite a memorable fashion. Bevan dove with the lanyard which aparently he isn't used to, so he managed to tangle himself around the lanyard just as he started his decent, wherefore he had to cancel his dive some 5 meters down. Bummer, you'd think, but Bevan was given one more chance with an extra 2 minutes top. A delay had been thought of, but was a bit risky, considering the safety diver's bottom time, so Bevan had to hurry breathing up again. He dove again, and the most of us thought the record was a gonner, but after a long, long dive, where he aparently turned twice for the last couple of equalizings (didn't touch the rope), he cleared the surface with the little black tag saying '85' in white writing. Again, well done, Bevan.
After Bevan, the rope was pulled up 20 meters for Sebastian's 2nd try at 65 meters free immersion. This time, he remembered the ok sign in time and the dive was clear. The Swedish record is his.
Tomorrow is the last day of attempts. Mikael Hurtig is again going for 90m on the sled, and after a quick break both Lotta and Sebastian will try constant without fins, Seb on 44 meters and Lotta on 32 (according to their prerequisites). Extra air will be brought out to the Pyramid tomorrow to allow all the helping hands to fool around with the sled when the records are over and before the party tomorrow night.
Keeping you posted,
Chris Engelbrecht,
judge at work in Dahab
After Bevan, the rope was pulled up 20 meters for Sebastian's 2nd try at 65 meters free immersion. This time, he remembered the ok sign in time and the dive was clear. The Swedish record is his.
Tomorrow is the last day of attempts. Mikael Hurtig is again going for 90m on the sled, and after a quick break both Lotta and Sebastian will try constant without fins, Seb on 44 meters and Lotta on 32 (according to their prerequisites). Extra air will be brought out to the Pyramid tomorrow to allow all the helping hands to fool around with the sled when the records are over and before the party tomorrow night.
Keeping you posted,
Chris Engelbrecht,
judge at work in Dahab
Sorry ERIC F, Bevan went under before he could read your message. I guess it concerns you latest ideas of how to use the mouthfill technique more eficient. Obviosly Bevan need to figure something out since has reach a barrier around these depths (he had to a few times before getting the tag today).
As for myself I did my best dive ever, it was one of those where time did not exist and he only thing I can think of to improve is the angle of my head the first 7 meters.
It is such a lovely thing to complete a dive exactly like you planned it : the rest before, the diet, the amount of sleep, the timing of the warm up until TOP, the warm up in water - and then the start, weighing energy against speed, the lovely freefalling when I am so much into myself that I could be eaten by a shark and I would still focus on relaxing, falling, equalizing - the sound of the lanyard rushing along the dive line. The turn with the slight half a second of worry before you push away the thought that you are actually at 65 meters and VERY heavy. 65 is a depth I only touched once before.
Then the effort to create that "no-time- no thought" with closed eyes, until I open them and I see my safetydiver and start planning the surfacing.
I am looking forward to the unassisted tomorrow but my body is so worn after 4 PB in one week.
IVAN - thanks for liking my pictures, I wouldnt give credit to the water visibility though ;-), its all shoot at wide angle distance more or less.
20-25 is the vis I would say.
Sebastian
As for myself I did my best dive ever, it was one of those where time did not exist and he only thing I can think of to improve is the angle of my head the first 7 meters.
It is such a lovely thing to complete a dive exactly like you planned it : the rest before, the diet, the amount of sleep, the timing of the warm up until TOP, the warm up in water - and then the start, weighing energy against speed, the lovely freefalling when I am so much into myself that I could be eaten by a shark and I would still focus on relaxing, falling, equalizing - the sound of the lanyard rushing along the dive line. The turn with the slight half a second of worry before you push away the thought that you are actually at 65 meters and VERY heavy. 65 is a depth I only touched once before.
Then the effort to create that "no-time- no thought" with closed eyes, until I open them and I see my safetydiver and start planning the surfacing.
I am looking forward to the unassisted tomorrow but my body is so worn after 4 PB in one week.
IVAN - thanks for liking my pictures, I wouldnt give credit to the water visibility though ;-), its all shoot at wide angle distance more or less.
20-25 is the vis I would say.
Sebastian
The story of Bevan's dive reminds me of August 12, 2001. It was the day after I had done the 82m record. I was going for 90m, and there was a red tide and zero vis in the first 5m. I got my countdown, the divers were down, and then I packed and started the dive. I lost the line in the zero vis (no lanyards in those days). I came up to the surface immediately (perhaps 10-15 seconds into the dive), and Kirk told me I had 90 seconds to get back down. Considering it takes me 40 seconds to pack, I had 50 seconds to recovery, relax, and then go. I spent about 70 seconds recovering & relaxing, so I only managed to pack about half full. I started the dive with great apprehension. After a great psychological battle I turned around at 35m. It turns out the line had drifted into the wall and the scuba divers had stirred up a huge pool of dust trying to get the line off the wall. Likely I would have hit the wall head first, been shocked, and then been in zero vis and unable to find the line to go back up.... a lanyard would have been nice but we had huge scuba lights attached all over the descent line to keep the blackness illuminated.
Anyway, having been through the 'failed start' problem, I can respect Bevan's dive all that much more, especially considering the equalizing problems at the bottom as well!
Eric Fattah
BC, Canada
Anyway, having been through the 'failed start' problem, I can respect Bevan's dive all that much more, especially considering the equalizing problems at the bottom as well!
Eric Fattah
BC, Canada
thanks for that.
and thanks again eric for your reply(if you didnt receive my pm please let me know cause i was told i was logged out after i hit send?)
my question to eric was regarding safety and not equalizing as sebastian was guessing. though i was pretty hit and miss with the equalizing the few days before the first attempt. got on DB the night before and found something eric had written that i had missed: to blow into the cheeks at cheek-fill depth rather than reverse pack into the cheeks. this worked a treat on the 80m dive. the 85m dive i had problems again though, but this i think was due to me filling at the wrong depth(i go on feel as i cant hear my mosquito- maybe i should look at it). i was using a sphera and not goggles as chris thought. goggles might be the go, but it's definitly possible for anyone to equalize with a mask to 90m+. no substitute for practice i guess.
the swedes all leave here tomorrow unfortunately. but i'm stuck here another 6 month if anyone is comming out here and wants someone to dive with.
and i would like to thank chris englebrecht, sebastian naslund, mikael hurtig and lotta for letting me join their week of training and records. it has been very enjoyable indeed.
and thanks again eric for your reply(if you didnt receive my pm please let me know cause i was told i was logged out after i hit send?)
my question to eric was regarding safety and not equalizing as sebastian was guessing. though i was pretty hit and miss with the equalizing the few days before the first attempt. got on DB the night before and found something eric had written that i had missed: to blow into the cheeks at cheek-fill depth rather than reverse pack into the cheeks. this worked a treat on the 80m dive. the 85m dive i had problems again though, but this i think was due to me filling at the wrong depth(i go on feel as i cant hear my mosquito- maybe i should look at it). i was using a sphera and not goggles as chris thought. goggles might be the go, but it's definitly possible for anyone to equalize with a mask to 90m+. no substitute for practice i guess.
the swedes all leave here tomorrow unfortunately. but i'm stuck here another 6 month if anyone is comming out here and wants someone to dive with.
and i would like to thank chris englebrecht, sebastian naslund, mikael hurtig and lotta for letting me join their week of training and records. it has been very enjoyable indeed.
bottle diver saves the day
Last day of attempts.
Overcast and windy. Waves breaking at reef.
Mikael is going for 90 meters No limit. Stops several times to deal with equalization while going down. Reaches bottom and opens bottle to fill sack. Due to diving with waterfilled goggles he doesnt see the hose getting out of the liftsack and freeflowing outside.
He gets under the sled thinking it is stuck. Stands on the bottomweight at 92 meters trying to push the sled upwards.
Trimixdiver Tarek aproaches and puts hose back into sack. Sled starts moving about 45 seconds later than calculated.
Mikael reaches surface and gets LMC after short breath.
Myself does 44 meters unassisted CNF. New swedish record.
Lotta turns at 25 CNF. Final decision pending.
Over and out from the blue hole i Dahab, red sea.
Thank you; Tarek, Amad, Massoud, Philippe, Monica, Eusebio, Ben, Jocke, Bewan, Lotta, Micke, Peter, Ahmed, Samir and Happy the dolphin...
Last day of attempts.
Overcast and windy. Waves breaking at reef.
Mikael is going for 90 meters No limit. Stops several times to deal with equalization while going down. Reaches bottom and opens bottle to fill sack. Due to diving with waterfilled goggles he doesnt see the hose getting out of the liftsack and freeflowing outside.
He gets under the sled thinking it is stuck. Stands on the bottomweight at 92 meters trying to push the sled upwards.
Trimixdiver Tarek aproaches and puts hose back into sack. Sled starts moving about 45 seconds later than calculated.
Mikael reaches surface and gets LMC after short breath.
Myself does 44 meters unassisted CNF. New swedish record.
Lotta turns at 25 CNF. Final decision pending.
Over and out from the blue hole i Dahab, red sea.
Thank you; Tarek, Amad, Massoud, Philippe, Monica, Eusebio, Ben, Jocke, Bewan, Lotta, Micke, Peter, Ahmed, Samir and Happy the dolphin...
Attachments
Sled malfunction - beware
It was a bit risky yesterday with Mikael's dive to 90 meters on the sled. Sebastian already wrote a few words about it, but I don't think it really displays how Mikael Hurtig owes Tarek Omar his life.
Mikael's dive started in lousy windy conditions, where the Blue Hole the day before had been as plain as a piece of paper. As Mikael went down he was planning, having failed in the equalizing two days before, to do what ever it would take to get to the bottom, stop the sled to equalize, fill the sinuses, the whole shabang. While waiting at the surface, the safety apneists were holding onto the rope the whole time, telling us 'now he stops', 'now he keeps going', 'he's breaking', 'clonk, he's at the bottom'.
And then nothing. 'Nothing', 'still nothing' they say, many seconds last. Finally something happens, 'he's coming up'. A long time last before someone say 'I see the balloon' and starts pointing towards it. At this time the dive has lasted 2½ minutes already, and it was planned to last maybe 2. At some 2:45 the baloon hits the surface and Mikael comes after. He takes a very short breath and after some 5 seconds he looses body control and waivers downward. The guys are quick to grap him and he remains conscious, breathing very shallow because of blood filled lungs. After some 15 seconds he's at the side of the raft and is handed the oxygen. He spits quite a lot of blood from his throat, which could indicate that he has worked a little too much at depth.
After that, everyone takes a planned break before conducting the last two attempts. I recall the no fins attempts conducted purely on the back bone, but I don't recall much else. I reckon my head was full with what ever went wrong on Mikael's dive. I should give time to congratulate Sebastian on his succesful 44 meter dive, an amazing feat given the circumstances.
In between the two sessions, we had time to ask resurfaced Tarek about what had happened down there, and he tells about how the hose fell out of the baloon as the baloon hit the disk and how it was free flowing on 90 meters, how he stuck it back in, while ignorant Mikael had moved to the bottom of the sled pushing at it, thinking it was stuck.
I really didn't feel good hearing that, and the whole time while the organisation was packing up everything, cause it was the last day, did I peak over at the sled camera lying in a crate waiting to be transported back to Dahab for a closer look. When we finally did open the camera house and looked at the recording (which in a horrible sort of way is damn good footage), you can clearly see how Mikael struggles with the equalizing, how he stops the sled like 3 or 4 times, and finally how the sled slams onto the bottom and throws the balloon downward, pushing the air filling hose clear out. It didn't happen the 3-4 times Mikael hit the breaks going down, it had to happen at the very buttom. You clearly see the hose dancing around, spilling the air out in the open sea and not into the balloon. You see Mikael not realizing the root of the problem, you see him move below the camera to push on the sled. And then you see the saint: Tarek Omar bin Misr come into the frame, grab the hose and with effort get it stuck back into the balloon. All of this takes very few seconds that seem an eternity. You finally see the sled begin to move, you see it make it to the surface, you see Mikael clear the surface, loose control and being grabbed by three different safety people. Marvelous footage, actually.
I'll ask Sebastian if he can put this clip on the internet somewhere, cause this is important footage for freedivers and organizers to see. A tiny detail got screwed up and then what do you do. My sensere gratitude to Tarek for reacting instinctively and innovatively on the situation, I'm so thankful that I made him sit down in front of this computer one night in the beginning of the event and showed him the internet clip on www.21c.ca with the sled recording of Audrey's fatal dive and how Pascal Benabé reacted on it. I'm so thankful that he was prepared in advance for anything down there. I'm so thankful for technical diving.
A silly little mishap that maybe, maybe not could have proven fatal. Tarek was also carrying a back up lift system, Mikael was wearing a metal ring on his waist just in case. I'm sure Mikael would've made it to the surface anyway, but at least now it was only a small samba and some blood in the throat.
This is an important freediver story, that's why I use so many words to tell it. Please spread it around so that all learn from it.
We're leaving today, we had a nice party last night, good bufet, we saw videos from this last week, including the sex show by Happy the Dolphin. It's been educational for me as a judge, and I'm sure for everyone else as freedivers, scubas or helping hands.
Signing off from the Gold of Sinai,
Chris Engelbrecht, residing judge
It was a bit risky yesterday with Mikael's dive to 90 meters on the sled. Sebastian already wrote a few words about it, but I don't think it really displays how Mikael Hurtig owes Tarek Omar his life.
Mikael's dive started in lousy windy conditions, where the Blue Hole the day before had been as plain as a piece of paper. As Mikael went down he was planning, having failed in the equalizing two days before, to do what ever it would take to get to the bottom, stop the sled to equalize, fill the sinuses, the whole shabang. While waiting at the surface, the safety apneists were holding onto the rope the whole time, telling us 'now he stops', 'now he keeps going', 'he's breaking', 'clonk, he's at the bottom'.
And then nothing. 'Nothing', 'still nothing' they say, many seconds last. Finally something happens, 'he's coming up'. A long time last before someone say 'I see the balloon' and starts pointing towards it. At this time the dive has lasted 2½ minutes already, and it was planned to last maybe 2. At some 2:45 the baloon hits the surface and Mikael comes after. He takes a very short breath and after some 5 seconds he looses body control and waivers downward. The guys are quick to grap him and he remains conscious, breathing very shallow because of blood filled lungs. After some 15 seconds he's at the side of the raft and is handed the oxygen. He spits quite a lot of blood from his throat, which could indicate that he has worked a little too much at depth.
After that, everyone takes a planned break before conducting the last two attempts. I recall the no fins attempts conducted purely on the back bone, but I don't recall much else. I reckon my head was full with what ever went wrong on Mikael's dive. I should give time to congratulate Sebastian on his succesful 44 meter dive, an amazing feat given the circumstances.
In between the two sessions, we had time to ask resurfaced Tarek about what had happened down there, and he tells about how the hose fell out of the baloon as the baloon hit the disk and how it was free flowing on 90 meters, how he stuck it back in, while ignorant Mikael had moved to the bottom of the sled pushing at it, thinking it was stuck.
I really didn't feel good hearing that, and the whole time while the organisation was packing up everything, cause it was the last day, did I peak over at the sled camera lying in a crate waiting to be transported back to Dahab for a closer look. When we finally did open the camera house and looked at the recording (which in a horrible sort of way is damn good footage), you can clearly see how Mikael struggles with the equalizing, how he stops the sled like 3 or 4 times, and finally how the sled slams onto the bottom and throws the balloon downward, pushing the air filling hose clear out. It didn't happen the 3-4 times Mikael hit the breaks going down, it had to happen at the very buttom. You clearly see the hose dancing around, spilling the air out in the open sea and not into the balloon. You see Mikael not realizing the root of the problem, you see him move below the camera to push on the sled. And then you see the saint: Tarek Omar bin Misr come into the frame, grab the hose and with effort get it stuck back into the balloon. All of this takes very few seconds that seem an eternity. You finally see the sled begin to move, you see it make it to the surface, you see Mikael clear the surface, loose control and being grabbed by three different safety people. Marvelous footage, actually.
I'll ask Sebastian if he can put this clip on the internet somewhere, cause this is important footage for freedivers and organizers to see. A tiny detail got screwed up and then what do you do. My sensere gratitude to Tarek for reacting instinctively and innovatively on the situation, I'm so thankful that I made him sit down in front of this computer one night in the beginning of the event and showed him the internet clip on www.21c.ca with the sled recording of Audrey's fatal dive and how Pascal Benabé reacted on it. I'm so thankful that he was prepared in advance for anything down there. I'm so thankful for technical diving.
A silly little mishap that maybe, maybe not could have proven fatal. Tarek was also carrying a back up lift system, Mikael was wearing a metal ring on his waist just in case. I'm sure Mikael would've made it to the surface anyway, but at least now it was only a small samba and some blood in the throat.
This is an important freediver story, that's why I use so many words to tell it. Please spread it around so that all learn from it.
We're leaving today, we had a nice party last night, good bufet, we saw videos from this last week, including the sex show by Happy the Dolphin. It's been educational for me as a judge, and I'm sure for everyone else as freedivers, scubas or helping hands.
Signing off from the Gold of Sinai,
Chris Engelbrecht, residing judge
THANKS!
Now it´s over, and i have to say it have been 2 marvelouse weeks! I am so thankfull to everybody that have been helping and shearing the joy of freediving with us. Tarek and his crew, Monica and Eusabio, Bevan, Philip, Ben my student, Peter my husband, Samir and Emad the owners of 7heaven hotel (where we live), Ahmed for helping wit the contakt with the Governor....big thing!... and many more who have been helping in miljon of ways, from serving fresh orange jouices at Blue hole, to building pyramids....
I will stay here in Dahab until the comp in Cyprus, and I will be back in August. Bevan:king and I will hopefully train alot together. Anybody who wants to come and freedive here, I´m happy to help with anything I can.
Thanks for all your suport!
Love Lotta
Now it´s over, and i have to say it have been 2 marvelouse weeks! I am so thankfull to everybody that have been helping and shearing the joy of freediving with us. Tarek and his crew, Monica and Eusabio, Bevan, Philip, Ben my student, Peter my husband, Samir and Emad the owners of 7heaven hotel (where we live), Ahmed for helping wit the contakt with the Governor....big thing!... and many more who have been helping in miljon of ways, from serving fresh orange jouices at Blue hole, to building pyramids....
I will stay here in Dahab until the comp in Cyprus, and I will be back in August. Bevan:king and I will hopefully train alot together. Anybody who wants to come and freedive here, I´m happy to help with anything I can.
Thanks for all your suport!
Love Lotta
The story of Mikael's dive is important.
To me it is only a reminder of a fundamental concept: do not rely on compressed air to resurface for deep diving.
I have never, and will never, go down to depth relying on compressed air to bring me back up.
Think of Sebastien Murat's system of no-limits; there is no compressed air, no valves or hoses which can fail. Similarly, one could set up a counterbalance system which would be activated when the diver reached the bottom. No system will ever be completely safe, and so variable ballast will never be completely safe. Still, I think it is a mistake to rely on compressed air, especially to be activated by the freediver who can't even see anything (? why didn't he borrow Bevan's goggles?)
Bevan sent me a private message saying he had done several of his 80m+ dives with only freedivers at 15m.... I was quite upset when I heard this, especially since this is supposed to be an AIDA event.
I am happy to hear that in the end everyone is okay.
Eric Fattah
BC, Canada
To me it is only a reminder of a fundamental concept: do not rely on compressed air to resurface for deep diving.
I have never, and will never, go down to depth relying on compressed air to bring me back up.
Think of Sebastien Murat's system of no-limits; there is no compressed air, no valves or hoses which can fail. Similarly, one could set up a counterbalance system which would be activated when the diver reached the bottom. No system will ever be completely safe, and so variable ballast will never be completely safe. Still, I think it is a mistake to rely on compressed air, especially to be activated by the freediver who can't even see anything (? why didn't he borrow Bevan's goggles?)
Bevan sent me a private message saying he had done several of his 80m+ dives with only freedivers at 15m.... I was quite upset when I heard this, especially since this is supposed to be an AIDA event.
I am happy to hear that in the end everyone is okay.
Eric Fattah
BC, Canada
yes, i agree with Eric.
unless you have a near perfect safety system and a lot of resources at your disposal then it's better to stick with variable dives. at least then you know you can get to the surface. plus it's more challenging! there are so many things that can go wrong with nolimits. as we all know it can be a very unforgiving discipline.
unless you have a near perfect safety system and a lot of resources at your disposal then it's better to stick with variable dives. at least then you know you can get to the surface. plus it's more challenging! there are so many things that can go wrong with nolimits. as we all know it can be a very unforgiving discipline.