AIDA Freediving Team World Championships

Introduction

19.08.2008 - Sara Campbell will report back on all the competition news.

© Tom Smith

Just two weeks to go to the AIDA Freediving Team World Championships.... Constant Weight World Champion, Briton, Sara Campbell has decided to play another role this year, rather than competing. After her mum died earlier in the summer, and after seeing bewilderment on yet another person's face when she said she was a freediver ("Wow, that means you jump out of planes without a parachute, doesn't it!"). she has decided to document the event for the press both through images and words. Her newest sponsor, Ocean Optics and Fuji, have kindly given her an underwater camera, housing and fisheye lens to start taking pictures of freediving to help raise the level of awareness of the sport.

Sara said: "While raising awareness of the sport is hugely important for me - I'd love to get recognition from Sport England and the Olympic Committee -  I'm also very passionate that people begin to understand that, as well as being a beautiful, challenging and fascinating sport, it is also the most environmentally-friendly way for us to interact with the underwater world. Hopefully my photos will spark some interest in freediving and encourage more people to give it a go, but will also help share the beauty and importance of the underwater environment with a wider audience."

As well as being in the water to take photos, Sara will also be acting as coach to the members of the British Team - three women and three men - who will be competing in Constant Weight (going for ultimate depth), Dynamics (lengths underwater) and Static (pure breathhold). both British teams are look strong and ready to take on the rest of the world! For more information check out : www.sharmfreedivingworldchampionship.com

Sara continued: "I'm really looking forward to being involved in the Worlds but without the pressure of competing this time round. Logistically this is the mother of all competitions and there's lots of work for the support members of the team, to make sure the divers can train, focus and relax, which is hugely important for them."

Later on this year, Sara plans to return to competitive freediving, but in the meantime will be focusing on having fun in her underwater playground in the Red Sea.

"I got into competitive freediving so quickly that I never really had a chance to do the fun stuff - getting off a boat to be surrounded by sharks, cruising the reefs hoping to spot a turtle, a ray, even a dolphin. I also want to go and check out some of the wrecks scattered around the Sinai coast. Not only are they historical monuments, they become havens and breeding grounds for a large percentage of the underwater wildlife, creating unique ecosystems, sheltering all sorts of fish, crustaceans and corals. With my new underwater camera, I hope to use my freediving to do some real exploring and get to know and understand this amazing world a bit better."