The Kona Challenge 2003: Part I
Posted By Kaori Mitani on 8 February 2004
Setting a new world record is always an exhilarating experience, especially when it happens in your home town. Your closest and most supportive friends are there to toast the victory with you, and the world's biggest freediving names are there to watch. And that hometown is none other than lovely Kona, Hawaii,
That was the scene set in November 2003, when Annabel Briseno, 52, Hawaii, U.S.A, attempted four freediving world records in four different disciplines in her hometown, Kona, Hawaii, fringed by jewel-like seas where dolphins play and rainbows tinge the horizon with color. Annabel's plan was to cement her place in freediving history with a remarkable achievement: setting four world records in just ten days. The event was slated for November 8th to the 17th, just before Hawaii's winter season starts. The ocean is calm and divers can expect crystal-clear visibility.
From the outset, this challenge had Annabel's name written all over it. She described it as a "reach-the-depths-of-this-year's-goal" event, even while conceding that setting a new world record was not "just" a personal goal. The event also turned out to be a freedivers' reunion of sorts, as Kona had been the venue for the Freediving 2002 Pacific Cup international competition held a year earlier. Many familiar faces from last year's competition were present, with top international freedivers either entering the challenge or acting as support divers. There were five challengers in all, from Australia, Japan, Hawaii and Alaska.
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