What should we expect from Freediving Legends?

Hey Roland,

I belive U didn't quite understat what the point was.

I belive if u care about the sport u should care about the public opinion. I myself wouldn't want anybody to talk bad about freediving, especialy if it wasn't the truth, because it just wouldn't be fair. I guess it wouldn't affect my diving but I belive it would affect the expanding of the comunity. If there would be lots of bad stories about freediving im sure we wouldn't have so many young and new freedivers to teach the beauties of the sport. Just think of their moms... There would be shortiges in financing the clubs. What sponsors would like to invest in a sport that the public doesn't like. Im sure there would eventualy be problems in pool access, etc. So I belive every freediver should care a bit at least. U said u never heard anything bad, well I belive its because people do care, and be asured this can change quickly. There's no news like bad news they say...

I belive Ur looking at the freeding comunity in a lot smaller way than U should. The freediving comunitiy is only one. The comunity are all the freedivers and u just belong to it because u freedive. U can't choose not to be. Lets just take a simpe case. Lets say (hypotheticaly) U go to a pool without a buddy and overdo it. Have a blackout and nearly drown. People just round around U and the older start to say this is a crazy and dangerous sport. The word comes out. It gets to the newspapers. And they like this kind of stuff (we had a half page in our news about a BO on our competition and only a quarter on the results). Than bad words comes out to more people. The pool manager decides to ban freediving in his pool (i belive that did happen last year in some countries because of a terrible article in a magazine)... Now the point.. Wouldn't that affect a great part of freediving comunity? And how could ur actions affect it if u wouldn't be a member of the comunity?

I belive u that U don't feel any responsibilty to the comunity. Most of us don't. Its just to big of a concept to see it, but as long as u care about the sport u can't make a lot of things wrong. Just follow ur heart. That what most do and it works.

no offence, its just my oppinion and im not saying it should be urs.

SanSan

nice, a debate.

i would think that nobody owes anything to the freediving 'community' or 'the sport'. there is no reality to 'community' save the idea that resides in the heads of us people who feel the need to create and identify with things bigger and better than ourselves. and none of this terrestrial play of ideas has anything at all to do with the sport of freediving, as in the the actual act and enjoyment of being underwater, alone, and enjoying a holiday from thoughts such as these.

i enjoy this forum, as i do meeting with other freedivers. but to my mind it has nothing to do with freediving. as does wanting to be the deepest diver in the world. take us out the water and we are (unfortunately?) all too human.

2:20am, time for bed

b

hi sansan,

no problem, man. i'm far from getting detached from my peaceful state of being by this thread. i appreciate your arguments.

anyhow,

as i mentioned earlier i think that the only people interested in public opinion are those with a business interest (and maybe those who are affected by pool restrictions). since these are probably the minority of freedivers, i don't see where an individual freedivers responsibility towards public opinion comes in. that includes the legends, of course (to not forget the topic of the thread).

if you have a club or an organisation then again i understand your interest in public opinion, but then you are not talking about freediving here but about an interest apart from that.

all this talk about making freediving grow as a sport, getting more newbies, events, competitions...what is this all about? seems to me that some people forcefully want to push the development and create all these arguments and reasons to justify their personal goals.

i hear this argument about sponsorships, funding, etc often. and i still fail to see the connection. i freedive 10 months a year (i could make it 12 if i wanted to) and i don't get sponsored by anyone. i decide to not drive big fat cars, or have plasma tv's, so what are you telling me? that freediving is expensive and freedivers need financial support??

all you actually need is a pair of fins, mask and some water.

peace and harmony, i say

roland

ps: still waiting for veronikas comments

Immerlustig, you are right. (and SanSan also)
But this pool restriction could be really hard for those, who (as I and my buddies) could only get into water in pools (most of the time), believe me. You wrote, and I totally agree with: "all you actually need is a pair of fins, mask and some water."

Jee

I guess ur somehow right Roland. U don't need anything except fins, a mask and water :duh .

Now consider this. Im quite a few kilometers from a suitable dive point and diving only in pools just isn't the same. I help out in our local club and I know what could be done. Be assured I don't have any comercial interests what so ever, I have my job... But still some sponsors of our club would be greatly appriciated. We are trying very hard to organise summer camps for instance. Not all people have the ablitiy to dive 10 months a year as u do. They are looking for some nice places which are hard to find here, they are looking for some company with other freedivers and for some knowledge and experience. We are trying to give them that, to give them an opportunity to dive better. We don't charge them for that...

On the other hand we are trying to educate as many as we can. We want people to dive safe and we want them to enjoy freediving. Not all are born for water and get frustrated the first time they try it on their own. But with a little help...

As u can see I don't like only the diving part, I also like the company and the mentality behind it. And I feel that teaching others how to dive and how to do it safe should be a part of freediving...

As u mentioned there are more and more out there whou would like to profit from this. I think this is bad because everyting gets screwd up and corupted when u try to comercialize it. And I just can't stand by and watch them doing this...

Roland,
had little time during the last days, will come back to you asap.
LG Veronika

omg I wasted 5 mins to read all this and it made me soooooooooooo sleeeeeeeeeeeepy