"Crystal Water Competition" - freediving on the Hancza River!

“The Crystal Water Competition” is an intriguing name for a freediving event. From 15-19 August 2017, in Mierkinia on Lake Hancza, a group of freedivers met once again to push their own records in safe conditions.

Each starting day, and there were 4 in total, the contestant could declare one of the 3 disciplines and the maximum depth at which the plate would be set. In order to score a set of points in a given trial, one had to bring a “tag” (a ticket attached to the plate) and perform the correct surface procedure.

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The competitors mainly favoured the FIM discipline – that is, simply pulling themselves up and down the rope. There were also some freedivers who tried their hand at constant weight diving with fins (CWT) and without fins (CNF). I was the only female competitor, but I hope that in the next edition, victory will not just come to me…

The thermocline these days was already appearing around 8 metres. The freediver’s wetsuit insulates the body very well from the surrounding water, it’s like a second skin and doesn’t let water in, but all exposed parts of the body get cooled down rapidly by the water at 4 degrees C. But cold is not the only impediment to diving in Polish waters. Below 30 metres it was difficult to see any rays of sun. The only thing that could be seen was a soft light attached to the freediver’s head and the one at the plate at the end of the line, just above the weight on the line, to be able to see and reach for the tag.

Darkness does not bother freedivers very much. Especially on the way down, as we usually close our eyes for most of the descent. Then we can fully concentrate on balancing the pressure … because it’s not so easy when you don’t have any air in the cylinder on your back. It is mainly this element that determines the so-called limit depth, below which it is impossible to equalize the pressure and you have to return to the surface.

Turning back is always possible and should be done in case of any problematic situations. If the surface procedure is done correctly, then the competitor will simply receive penalty points for the difference in declared and achieved depth. Fortunately, this time there were a lot of “white cards” signifying a correctly performed dive and a set of points scored.

The weather was excellent. Practically windless conditions were favourable and it was possible to undertake dives to new depths. However, nobody reached the bottom and this was not the aim of the competition. The maximum depth the competitors could declare was 70m. The deepest dive was performed by Marcin Rutkowski reaching the plate at 62 meters below the surface, however, due to too long surface procedure (the competitor has 15 seconds from the moment of ascent), this attempt was not scored. Thus, the greatest depth of 61 m was reached by Arkadiusz Skóbel. Both competitors performed their deepest dives in the FIM discipline.

The overall men’s classification in the individual competitions was as follows:

FIM
1st place Arkadiusz Skóbel – 61 m
2nd place Marcin Rutkowski – 59 m
3rd place Mateusz Włodarz – 40 m

CWT
1st place Arkadiusz Skóbel – 56 m
2nd place Marcin Baranowski – 50 m
3rd place Filip Jakubiak – 35 m

CNF
1st place Marcin Baranowski – 38 m
2nd place Marcin Rutkowski – 32 m
3rd place Mateusz Włodarz – 26 m

Classification among women (although that’s saying a lot):

FIM
1st place Agnieszka Kalska – 43 m

CWT
1st place Agnieszka Kalska – 39 m

CNF
1st place Agnieszka Kalska – 30 m

The competition was organised by the Freediving Association Poland according to the standards of the international organisation AIDA, according to which the world championships are held. Safety was ensured by referees and security guards in the form of one of the most experienced competitors, a multiple Polish record holder – Robert Cetler, and a counterweight system which, in the case of problems, would pull the freediver out on a rope to which a special leash is attached. These safety measures were not used even once during the competition.

We would like to thank everyone who contributed to the organisation of the competition and the sponsors who funded the prizes in cash and kind: BANDI, TAPKAR.

“The Crystal Water competition is held on a biennial basis, but already at the end of January there will be an “Extremall” competition, where freedivers dive in the ice break, although not as deep…

Photos on the surface: Diana Wądołowska
Photography under water: Agnieszka Kalska