The Kona Challenge 2003: Part III
Posted By Kaori Mitani on 22 February 2004
The fourth day of the competition dawned, Saturday, November 15. Annabel would attempt the free immersion 71m, Megumi the constant 56m dive.
It turned out to be an unpredictable and mishap-filled day.
First the shuttle boat broke down, and the judges and crew had to paddle to the comp boat by kayak. Then the comp boat wasn't positioned correctly. When the comp line was dropped it wasn't deep enough, and the line and bottom camera dragged on the sandy bottom. Changing the boat's position and resetting the line took time. The weather had become overcast, and the water was getting choppier as the proceedings dragged on. Finally the line was ready, and the divers approached.
When Annabel reached the comp boat, she was clearly suffering from congested sinuses and unable to equalize. On her first warm-up dive she could barely dive to 4m. On the second warm-up she dove to 20m but, exhausted, resurfaced on her third warm-up after another drop of only 4m.
It was the event's most critical moment for Annabel's coach, Matt. He discussed aborting the attempt with the judges, but finally he and Annabel agreed to go ahead with the dive. Annabel flooded seawater into her nasal passages to open up her sinuses. On the fourth warm-up dive she finally equalized and was able to dive deeper. The ocean had become rougher and the comp boat was rocking by now. Waves splashed on her face, but Annabel was suddenly set to go.
She took an incredibly short 2 minutes and 45 seconds to complete the 71m dive, causing observers to think at first that she hadn't made it. She looked in good form. There was a minute of anticipation-filled silence, and then Annabel was given the OK by judges. She had set another world record at 71m in the free immersion. The dive had been 25 seconds faster than her usual time, according to Matt, even though she slowed twice to equalize on her descent. She had been astoundingly successful despite her stress and physical fatigue, and that this was only her sixth-ever free immersion dive.
- Bookmark with :
- what are these?
