Tanya Streeter: a Deep Interview
Posted By Peter Scott on 9 September 2002
Photo Credits - Dan Burton and Tim Aylen
Peter - So how are things?
Tanya - Busy, busy. Media attention for this record has been crazy. British tabloids are calling in the middle of the night. I had to get up at 5am one morning to do a radio interview.
P - What made you want to do no limits again?
T - I've gone through most of the freediving disciplines, but for the most part, I am inspired by those who came before me, like Mandy-Rae Cruickshank and Audrey Ferreras' AIDA no-limits records. They went so much deeper than my last mark of 113m. After doing 120m in Austria in less than ideal conditions, I knew that a personal goal of 140m was reasonable. No limits was also the best choice for my sponsors, Club Med, Red Bull, and the Turks & Caicos Tourism Board, since my free immersion and constant weight records were unchallenged. They made the record event possible. That was a big part of the reason for the record.
P - What is it like to be a sponsored freediver? Any career advice?
T - Don't quit your day job! (laughter) My sponsors are wonderful and enabled me to do a great record event and promote the sport, but it's far from being a reliable living. So don't quit your day job.
P - Where would you like to see freediving in ten years?
T - I hope we're more unified and have less internal fighting, more progress, and a single set of rules. I believe in the AIDA system and I think the numbers speak for themselves.
P - You were on your way to do the record when you heard about Benjamin Franz's accident, how did the news affect you?
T - I was deeply affected. My first concern was for Benjamin and his friends and family. I think about him a lot. Before Provo [Turks & Caicos], I was thinking 140m for the record and to not know what happened to Benjamin was hard. It's important that the sport have an explanation of what happened, so that we can say to the press, okay, this is what happened. When Pipin had his serious blackout a few years ago, he hushed it up and only a few people know what really happened. It's vital that the truth gets out about serious accidents, for the sport, and of course, for the safety of the athletes. Did Benjamin go deep and have a problem or was it a result of many dives on the same day? We don't know. I hope we can find out. But my main concern is for him.
P - What's the most dangerous thing about no-limits?
T - By far it's the danger to the safety scuba divers. If we're talking about the athlete, I would say the narcosis.
P - How was the narcosis on your 160m dive?
T - It was "pretty good." I think narcosis is a personal thing and depends on so many variables. To me it was like a 60m free immersion dive.
P - How does it affect you?
T - When I try to explain it to my team or to the public, I say that it affects your coherent thought patterns. It makes you think that you've done something, when you haven't, or vice-versa. Once, I thought it was time to release my safety harness and to my surprise, I found I had already done it. Oops.
P - How do you fight the narcosis?
T - We train for as many 'unexpected' things to happen as possible and make them habitual. Things like lift bags not inflating, getting tangled, or visits from curious marine life—if something strange happens and your reaction isn't already automatic, then you're likely to have a problem.
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