Archive for the ‘Freediving’ Category
Easter events at the NDAC. Good Friday – Easter Monday 2013
Thursday, February 14th, 2013
Easter 2013 at the National Diving & Activity Centre
Starting on Good Friday and continuing through to Easter Monday we will have lots happening over the Easter Weekend at the National Diving & Activity Centre. It’s the perfect excuse to book a wooden wigwam and make a long weekend of glamping and diving.
All divers visiting the site will receive a small Easter egg when then arrive at NDAC.
On each day of the Easter weekend, from Friday to Monday, we will have a raffle with a giant Easter egg as a top prize.
On Saturday 30th, Sunday 31st and Easter Monday we will hold a BBQ.
For the divers, freedivers and snorkellers there will be eggs hidden underwater throughout the weekend for you to find.
On Saturday 30th we will have a GUE Experience Day.
In the evening there will be a talk at the View Cafe Bar on avoiding incidents.
The 100 ft Freedive Challenge
Friday, May 27th, 2011
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Grace Capel has an unusual charity Challenge! In October 2011, Grace Grace is training with Sam Kirby and Saltfree Divers at the National Diving & Activity Centre, and last week she successfully completed her AIDA** course. Grace has a fantastic blog that is well worth following to see how her training progresses at: http://100ftfreedivechallenge.blogspot.com/
The blog has great diary posts detailing her training from mortal to mermaid, photographs, video footage and much more!
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will attempt to dive to 100 ft (approximately the height of a ten-storey building) on one breath!
Triple Dip event cancelled
Friday, May 6th, 2011
Unfortunately the UK Freediving Depth Championship known as Triple Dip will not be happening this year.
The 30th April was the closing date for entries and SaltFree had only received half the entries they required to make the event viable.
For competitors that have paid an entry fee, if you contact SaltFree they will arrange for a refund.
Hopefully this event will come back stronger in 2012.
For more information on freediving please visit www.saltfreedivers.com the Saltfree
page on the NDAC site or contact Sam Kirby sam@saltfreedivers.com.
Further Info
www.saltfreedivers.com, www.freedivecornwall.com, www.britishfreediving.org , Saltfree page on the NDAC site
Follow Saltfree on Twitter @saltfree>
Wanted – New Freedive Instructors!
Sunday, February 13th, 2011
Saltfree Divers, based at the National Diving and Activity Centre (NDAC) have announced this week that will be running a Freedive Instructor Development Course (IDC) at Chepstow this summer. This gives freedivers the chance to qualify as instructors with AIDA, the largest freedive training agency in the world.
The course will be taught by Sam Kirby, one of only two freedive Instructor Trainers in the UK. Sam led the team writing the very first courses in the AIDA Education system, and has spent several years as both the British Freediving Association (BFA) Education Officer and AIDA International’s Education Officer. Sam has previously captained the UK Freedive Team, was Chair of the BFA and is a PADI Course Director.
The instructor course is open to anyone who holds AIDA 2, 3 and 4 star certifications – but Saltfree are offering those in the lead up to the instructor course if you need to tick those boxes as well.
The IDC runs over 8 days from 20 to 28 August 2011 and costs £850 (discounts available if you also need to do other courses). The course includes a solid grounding in the theory of education, lots of practice sessions to hone your teaching and coaching skills and the chance to prove your own freediving knowledge and ability. You will learn to teach in the classroom, pool and open water – using the superb facilities at NDAC, and a nearby pool. On successful completion, candidates will be qualified to teach up to AIDA 3* level, anywhere in the world.
Accommodation of all shapes and sizes during the course is available in the new Wigwams on site at NDAC, at local campsites, B and Bs and hotels.
Saltfree are also offering work experience teaching alongside their qualified instructors at NDAC or with Freedive Cornwall to anyone who completes this course. Whilst unpaid, this will give any new instructors the chance to grow in confidence as an instructor and learn from the pros.
Freediving is an ever-growing sport and the UK still has a shortage of instructors in many areas. Becoming an instructor is not only a great personal challenge and achievement – it might also earn you a nice little bit of pocket money!
For more information or to enrol please visit www.learntofreedive.com or contact Sam Kirby sam@saltfreedivers.com
Further Info
www.saltfreedivers.com, www.freedivecornwall.com, www.britishfreediving.org , Saltfree
page on the NDAC site, www.learntofreedive.com
Follow Saltfree on Twitter @saltfree>
More freediving dates for your diaries>
Take part in the Tripple Dip Event>
Saltfree Divers to host Triple Dip – the UK Freediving Depth Championships
Wednesday, February 9th, 2011
Saltfree Divers, based at the National Diving and Activity Centre (NDAC) have once again been invited by the British Freediving Association to host the UK Freediving Depth Championship. Running over the weekend of 10-12 June, the competition will involve athletes from all over the UK and overseas, competing in three of the toughest freediving disciplines.
On Saturday 11 June, freedivers will show us how deep they can go without their fins. In the morning, they will compete in “Free Immersion”, where divers pull down the rope using their arms only as propulsion. The UK Records in this discipline are 70m for men (Mark Harris) and 81m for women (Sara Campbell) – both set in warm water. At Triple Dip, in the much more challenging waters of the NDAC, we anticipate having quite a few athletes reaching around the 60m mark.
Later in the day, athletes will return to compete in what some consider the very purest form of the sport, “Constant Weight No Fins”. Using only an adapted breast stroke technique to propel them, athletes make the delicate balance between working hard to begin their descent and ascent, and allowing their natural buoyancy to take over to preserve oxygen. A relatively new form of the sport, “No Fins” has become very popular amongst the Saltfree regulars, and we hope to see some performances to rival the current British records (Sara Campbell’s 56m and Dave Tranfield’s 53m).
For those slightly less serious about their “No Fins” – this is also the chance for a challenge at Saltfree’s infamous “bikini dive” record. The diver must go as deep as they can wearing no fins, weights or wetsuit – just a bikini. This slightly mythical record is currently held by the otherwise entirely masculine, David “Lammy” Threlfall at 22m!
Final results will be decided on Sunday with freedivers returning from the pubs, B and Bs and campsites of Chepstow to compete in “Constant Weight with Fins”. Using either a monofin, or long, freediving fins, this is the discipline that just about everyone has a go at. We expect to see depths from 10-15m from our new athletes to the bottom of the quarry (around 70m) from the British Team contenders. UK records are currently well below the bottom of the NDAC, so unless the army lads get their dynamite out, the records are safe for now. There is however a local challenge, as no female has currently reached the bottom of the lake – and only one guy (“Deepest” Dave King) has ever made it.
Results from Triple Dip will count towards selection of the UK Team for this year’s World Championships. The BFA will select the top three male and female athletes in each discipline to represent the UK against the world’s best over 10 days in Kalamata, Greece in late September.
Triple Dip is not just open to super-deep freedive heroes though. Every year freedivers of all abilities take part, facing their own personal challenges and also competing for the coveted “Best Newbie” prize – a computer kindly donated by Suunto. Prizes are also awarded for the best and worst duck dive of the day, and of course a suitable reward for the bikini dive.
For more information, to enter, get involved or join Suunto and the BFA in sponsoring the event, please visit www.saltfreedivers.com the Saltfree
page on the NDAC site or contact Sam Kirby sam@saltfreedivers.com.
Freediving can be dangerous and should never be attempted without formal training. Do not freedive alone.
Further Info
www.saltfreedivers.com, www.freedivecornwall.com, www.britishfreediving.org , Saltfree page on the NDAC site
Follow Saltfree on Twitter @saltfree>
More freediving dates for your diaries>
Interested in being a freedive instructor?>
Saltfree Dates for your diary
Tuesday, January 11th, 2011 
SaltFree are the largest freedive group in the UK and offer regular training meets, record hosting, courses for all levels of freediver from beginners to performance coaching for those at the top of their game.
SaltFree also organise competitions, dive trips and events throughout the year. If you are a freediver or are interested in becoming one, here are some dates for your diary:
Freediver Beginner Courses
16/17 April,
14/15 May,
9/10 July,
13/14 August,
10/11 Sept,
08/09 Oct,
(becomes AIDA 2 Star with one additional dive session
AIDA ** Pool Freediver 22 Jan
Christmas Dip and Do 22 Jan
Emergency First Responder – Primary Care 23 Jan
AIDA *** Freediver (takes 2 weekends) 2/3 Apr and 7/8 May
Triple Dip – The UK National Depth Championships 10 – 12 June
2011
AIDA **** Freediver (takes 2 weekends) 25/26 June and 9/10 July
Freedive Meets
16/17 April
14/15 May
4/5 June (priority for Triple Dip entrants)
10 – 12 June (Triple Dip competition only).
16/17 July
13/14 Aug
10/11 Sept and 08/10 Oct
The Saltfree diary is available on the Saltfree website here>
For more
information about freediving at the NDAC click here>
