Worlds 2004: from behind the lines - Day 4
Posted By Peter Scott on 8 August 2004
The Sound of Waves
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Greg Hamilton awoke at three am to the sound of waves slapping broadside against the barge. Swish, thwack! A wind had risen and the tarp and the tents billowed out in anticipation of the day ahead. If the barge were not firmly anchored to the ocean bottom, then surely Greg would have found himself in foreign waters by sunrise. In the dark and under the Canadian stars - all our constellations are shapes of animals, famous hockey players and beer bottles, eh? - he grumped at the elements and buried his head in his thick sleeping bag and tried to give his buzzing mind a rest from the details of the day to come.
And what a day it was! It started ominously with clouds and light drizzle. But, as you will soon see, sports fans, this was all part of the plan. The last three days of rain made for much better visibility underwater. The warm sun came out mid-morning and shone through wisps of fog and cloud curling around the shores of Howe Sound and the Coastal Mountain Range and quickly brought cheer and spirit to all the volunteers who had yet another long day ahead on the barge and in the water.
Despite the first-time deployment of this particular competition line set-up with live feed video and expensive HMI lights, results were good. The zero-time countdown started without delay and all competitors went through without any major incidents. For the first time in any freediving competition - thanks to a network of industry partners - spectators, media and some volunteers on the barge were able to watch competitors complete their dives in real time on a fifty-inch plasma screen. Yehia Safwat, all the way from his freediving stronghold in Egypt, commented that be able to watch things on a monitor would be something to emulate in future competitions to attract media attention and spectator interest. Before each diver went down, Jennifer Toepke, veteran competition announcer also on loan from the Red Sea, gave dive details for the benefit of the viewers, while Kirk Krack added details to explain what viewers were seeing. Play-by-play commentary and simultaneous dives are only a short step away if freediving is ready for it.
Seeing the action has had quite the impact on several volunteers who have not previously experienced any aspect of freediving. Kelly Dunlap, who just moved to Vancouver the week of the World Championships, said that she had formed her impression of freediving by reading the archives and forums on Deeperblue.net. But to be on the barge and see the smiles on the faces of competitors from around the world when they complete a personal best or describe the feeling of being underwater has inspired her to try freediving. “At last I can combine my passion for rubber and water into one,” she said with tongue in cheek. She has already made arrangements for an introductory lesson on condition that a shiny black wetsuit be part of the package.
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