NEW Record Attempt - Martin Stepanek In The Red Sea

[ricki]

http://stepanek-wr09.com/web/images/gfx/header.jpg

Photos and updates at:
http://stepanek-wr09.com/?page=novinky&id=&lang=en


These are the current world records which Martin Å*těpánek wants to beat from 22nd
to 30th May 2009 in Sharm El Sheik in Egypt:

Constant weight apnea – 120 metres (the record held by Herbert Nitsch)
Constant weight apnea without fins – 88 metres (the record held by
William Trubridge)
Free Immersion – 109 metres (the record held by Herbert Nitsch)


Good luck Martin, we're pulling for you!


http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1885/82/6/44512930950/n44512930950_1609560_8290.jpg

[ricki]

Martin is back on his game, sinus' have eased. He hit 107 m (352 feet) constant weight (mask, fins, snorkel, weight belt only) yesterday! He did this with NO PACKING!? Packing is a way that advanced free divers use to compress air in their lungs increasing the volume and bottom time. In Martin's case this means increasing volume of 8 liters to 12 liters (adult males are typically around 5 liters without packing), 30% more air. This is almost akin to one of us grabbing a quick breath and dropping for a shallow, casual free dive. Amazing things are in the works. Good luck Martin!

More at: http://www.freelikenoother.com/

[Gebi]

Rick, It was awesome to help train Martin for the past 2 months. I worked with Martin to improve his flexibility by assisting him with resistance flexibility strength training. His body is amazingly adapted to his sport. He is for sure a world class athlete and deserves the record. I know he is well prepared and settling in to his routine. he's goona pull it off I can feel it! gebi out.

[ricki]

I bet your work with Martin translates into expanded capability. You got me back into kiting when I thought I might have to hang it up due to wrist injury and other damage. Best of luck to Martin and thanks Gebi for helping him work towards the new record attempt.

Rick, It was awesome to help train Martin for the past 2 months. I worked with Martin to improve his flexibility by assisting him with resistance flexibility strength training. His body is amazingly adapted to his sport. He is for sure a world class athlete and deserves the record. I know he is well prepared and settling in to his routine. he's goona pull it off I can feel it! gebi out.

[ricki]

YOW, Niki, Martin's fiance and fellow pro free diver just put this up ...

Martin just made 119.8 m or 394 ft..
This is with a mask, monofin and
weight belt, nearly 400 ft., AMAZING!!!

[ricki]

Here is a short video from today showing the mood of the place and conditions.

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Lots more info, photos and videos at: http://www.freelikenoother.com/

[ricki]

This is an intriguing video clip, you should check it out. Martin's sink phase or when he develops negative buoyancy due to weighting and normal lung compression below 20 m is impressive. In free diving much below 66 ft. you may wear a 3 mm full suit with hood but may carry only 0 to 3 lbs. of lead and still go negative. Boyles Law is a wonder. His kicking speed during ascent is surprisingly fast too. You work to develop ideal speeds of descent and ascent through extensive training. You need to balance exertion, air consumption vs. efficient travel up and down. Imagine all that negative buoyancy from compression hundreds of feet down to overcome on ascent. Martin needs a new free diving watch though, his ruptured under the pressure!

[Jared S]

Martin Stepanek has set a new World Record with a 122 meter self propelled dive, known as the constant weight (CWT) discipline. He swam down 122 meters, grabbed a tag attached to a bottom plate, and then swam back up using a monofin, for a dive time of 3:36. The CWT is considered the premiere discipline due to being able go very deep, and having to be extremely athletic in regard to gas efficiency and overall conditioning.

Martin CWT dive was rather significant as he is the first human to go beyond 400ft self propelled on one breath.

Today, he broke the free immersion record (FIM) with a dive of a 110 meters, setting another World Record in this separate discipline. Free immersion is when a diver pulls down the line using his hands and back up the same way without wearing fins. It is a slower discipline without having fins to propel him or lengthen his hydrodynamic shape, and his dive time was 3:56.

There is more photos and video on the links posted above in the thread.

I learned freediving from Martin and know how gifted but also how hard he worked to achieve these dives. Cool thing is there are several days left to rest and try for some additional records...

But really all that I can say is "hats off....122 meters !!!"

Jared

[ricki]

Great accomplishment Martin and nice summary Jared. Thanks for putting it up. What an incredible series of performances. Is Martin going for a record in a third discipline? Best of luck to him.

There are video clips including one of the 122 m with fin and the one to 110 m without at: dives at http://www.freelikenoother.com/

The technique and focus that goes into these dives is phenomenal.

[ricki]

Question, how many folks are comfortable swimming down to 100 ft. and looking around. Quite a few of us. How about to 200 ft.? Well, what about 300 ft.? Uh, 400 ft.+ and in just 3 1/2 minutes??? As you know, the impacts aren't necessarily linear with depth, things get harder. This is really a remarkable accomplishment for Martin. Then to drop down to 362 ft. the next day without fins. He really is a good instructor too. Your goal may not be (or perhaps it is), to set world records. You just might want to be more comfortable on your drops to 60 ft. or 90 ft., increase your bottom time without straining too much. I think he can deliver the training and techniques to get you there through www.freedivinginstructors.com It's a fun and intriguing course and worth checking out if you want to get deeper, easier into the big blue.

[ricki]

"PRESS RELEASE 29.5.2009

Martin Å*těpánek comes back from Sharm El Sheik,

Martin Å*těpánek has once again secured his position as the World’s Best Freediver and shown that he is in the best possible form. In the past week Martin set two new world records, first one on May 22nd 2009 in the discipline of constant weight with fins with a 122 meters dive in 3 minutes and 36 seconds. The second record was set in free immersion, when Martin swam to 110 meters in 3 minutes 56 seconds. Martin Å*těpánek has been one of the best freedivers since 2001, when he set his first world record with a static apnea performance of 8:06. After this event Martin has become more interested in depth disciplines and with his 15 World Records is truly a legend of this beautiful water sport.

The third discipline in which Martin Å*těpánek wanted to set a new record was constant weight without fins. The current record of 88 meters is held by William Trubridge. Martin has just announced his decision to close the event 2 days early, which will come as a shock to many outside the Sony Team.

David Čani (organizer of the event) says:
„For us here it was a sensible decision on observing his declining energy levels which were hit hard during his mid-way yalla yalla encounter and never quite recovered.

The next date to remember in order to follow Martin’s exploits is the end of 2009, when Bahamas host the World Freediving Championship, because that is the time when this record man plans to break the third record. We have no doubt we will see more breathtaking performances from this man before the year is out!!!"

and a video interview with Martin including some dramatic footage from his world record dives

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http://www.freelikenoother.com/

Wonder if the comp in the Bahamas will be on Long Island in Dean's Blue Hole?