New Record for Variable Ballast : A Personal Account
Posted By Patrick Musimu on 20 November 2002
After my third world record set in the Constant Ballast class at -87 meters/287 feet, (in Dominican Republic waters, April 2002) I spent 5 months on Ambergris Caye, Belize. After some preparation in the shallow waters there, Subaquatic Safety Systems (SSS) Hyperbaric Chamber's owner Mauricio Moreno put me in contact with the Director of TDI/SDI Central America. He arranged everything for my next world record attempt in Mexico. Bahía Divers, located in Akumal, became our dive operator and we were hosted by Bahía Principe Resorts.
After setting 3 records in the physical disciplines of Freediving, I decided to explore the darkness of the abyss and compete in the sled disciplines. I chose the Variable Weight Class, wherein the athlete uses the sled (weighted device) to go down but has to come up by pulling or finning, without the help of an inflatable balloon. During my training I had already approached the 90 meters/300 feet depth just by finning up and down, without help of any weights, so I knew I was ready to make this next step
This discipline was totally new to me. I did not have much experience riding the sled. The training was supposed to last for 1 month and I had planned my progression really slowly. As a Physical Therapist I am aware of the time required for the human body to adapt to this kind of stress.
I had no real target, only that of going beyond the actual world record of -117 meters. While waiting for the construction of the sled we started the training with a weight attached to my ankle, with me gliding along the main rope. I knew I was physically strong, so the key the questions were:
- Can I cope with the stress?
- Can I equalize at those depths?
- How much will the narcosis affect my dive?
- Will my monofin be a handicap for this dive?
I had only 24 days to figure all that out when I started the in-water training cycle. As we were in the middle of the hurricane season we were taking a lot of risks. Murphy's Law struck us twice, with hurricanes Isidore and Lilly reaching the Yucatan Peninsula. We encountered many problems - weather, mooring, equalization, flu- forcing us to postpone the event to November 10th, 2002. The easy and slow progression was just another utopian dream. We were already behind the schedule. I have to admit that at that point Isabelle was of great moral support, and I had a fantastic crew that kept encouraging me. Above everything Audrey's tragic accident hit us tremendously and a cold wave of fear and uncertainty struck the whole team. This tragic accident reminded us the necessity of a good and efficient safety system. The training went on and it bonded our team even more.
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