On Sunday 13th July 2008, at the SaltFree Double Dip competition in Chepstow, Mark Harris successfully retrieved his tag hanging 67m deep, setting a new UK record in the Men’s Free Immersion discipline. Not only is this 3m deeper than his previous record set in Egypt in December last year, but it was achieved in the dark and cold waters (similar to supercooled Guinness below -50m) of a quarry lake, during a competition in which many freedivers had to turn early due to the difficult conditions. Mark is a very dedicated member of the BFA Committee, runs a freediving club in Richmond and currently also holds the UK Variable Weight Freediving record.
Mark Harris – Britain’s Deepest Man!
Mark Harris, also known as ‘The Blue Lightning’, sets UK freediving records in Free Immersion and Variable Weight.
Mark set the new British Variable Weight record to 80 metres, 15 metres deeper than the previous record set by Paul Whincup in 2005! He chose to pull himself back to the surface by using his arms only, despite having planned a Free Immersion record attempt on the same day! Indeed, not half an hour later he pulled himself down the rope again. Unfortunately he lost his nose clip shortly after leaving the surface, but he chose to carry on with one hand holding his nose, pulling himself down with one arm only, to reach 64 metres below the surface and back up for a very clean Free Immersion record.
On the same day, Ben Noble, also member of the BFA committee, became the deepest Australian freediver by breaking no less than 3 national records: a Free Immersion dive to 50 metres, a Variable Weight dive to 72 metres and 80 in the No-limits discipline!
Mark and Ben both are members of the BFA committee. On top of the huge amount of work required by their roles, Mark also manages to organize courses and training sessions for the Richmond freediving club and Ben works for the Australian AIDA and is a forum mentor on DeeperBlue.
Congratulations to both of them! More details and gossip can be found in this DeeperBlue thread.
Dave King sets British Freediving Record in Constant Weight
The British Freediving Association is pleased to announce a new UK Record in Constant Weight for David King. On the 1st November 2007, David achieved a depth of 78 metres, whereby he had to swim using a single monofin to that depth and back again. This took place at the 4th Individual World Championship in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. The previous record holder Alun George, had set the depth to 76 metres in 2004.
Marcus Greatwood sets new British Freediving Record in Free Immersion
The British Freediving Association is pleased to announce a new UK Record in Free Immersion for Marcus Greatwood. On the 19th October 2007, Marcus achieved a depth of 61 metres, whereby he had to pull himself on a submerged line to that depth and back again. This took place at the ‘Triple Depth’ competition, in Dahab, Egypt. The previous record holder had set the depth to 60 metres in 2005.
Sara Campbell sets 3 Freediving World Records in 2 days!
‘Triple Depth’ international freediving competition, Dahab, Egypt:
Londoner Sara Campbell has rescued British Sport from the doldrums this weekend, with a spectacular coup of 3 World Freediving records, over a 48 hour period. This is nothing short of amazing, and has knocked the world freediving community sideways.
On Friday the 19th of October 2007, Sara surprised everyone in the opening discipline of Free Immersion when she reached a depth of 81 metres, pulling down a measured line using arms only. In doing so, she relieved Russian freediving stalwart Natalia Molchanova of her previous record of 80 metres.
Just one day later, spectators were staggered to find that Campbell had posted a depth of no less than 90 metres for Constant Weight, where the athlete must descend using swim fin(s). This was viewed as a gross over-estimate for the diminutive newcomer, who has been freediving for less than one year. With utter disbelief, the audience were shown just what grit and determination can result in, when Sara returned to the surface with a depth tag. Not only had she beaten the previous World record holder Mandy-Rae Cruikshank, but had done so by an extra 2 metres.
On Sunday the 21st of October, the final day of the competition, there were no surprises that Sara would aim deep for another world record, this time in Constant Weight No-Fins. As the name suggests, a swim to the depths with no assistance of any kind, with Nataila Molchanova again the title holder with 55 metres. Sara reached a metre deeper to beat this, setting the new CNF world record to 56 metres.