Mandy Sumner is Queen of the Deep at Triple Depth Freediving Competition

DAHAB, Egypt - Oct. 10, 2015 - PRLog -- Mandy Sumner of Hawaii has won gold at another international freediving competition.  Mandy won a gold medal at the world championships a month ago. Triple Depth is her third depth competition in that time. She won the overall title after finishing on top of all the three depth disciplines challenged by athletes over three days from October 5-7. Her gold at world championships was in Constant No Fins.

Mandy is on a freediving odyssey that began with this year’s depth world championships in Cyprus a month ago. Her next stop was Kalamata, Greece, where she won dual silver medals during the Apnea Games. Triple Depth is her current international stop and her third set of medals. Mandy is relatively new to freediving and has made quick progress in her rise to being crowned World Champion. Clearly, she is not stopping there.

Mandy said, "I'm really happy with my performances at Triple Depth as it’s my third competition in a month. The Blue Hole is an amazing place to dive and so beautiful. It's so peaceful sinking into the darker blue waters as you go past the Arch and I have had a great time with the organizers and all of the athletes. I’ve made some great new friends in this competition and I am very happy for all of their personal bests (PBs) and national records. I'm extremely happy with my new PB of 70m in Constant Weight! My training during the week I have been in Dahab has been unreal. I am finally seeing what my abilities are and I am very happy that these depths are happy easy dives so far. I'm looking forward to another two weeks of depth training and an instructor course before I go to my final depth competition of the year in La Paz, Mexico."

Triple Depth is an annual event that is hosted by Freedive Dahab at the Blue Hole of Dahab, Egypt. Triple Depth includes all three freediving depth disciplines (Constant Weight CWT, Constant No Fins CNF, Free Immersion FIM) crowning the best of depth; awarding the overall winner with the most points from all three performances. This year’s event featured athletes from thirteen different countries.

The Blue Hole is a freediving and diving mecca for Europe and the region providing ideal conditions and easily reached depths perfect for supporting all aspects of freediving and scuba diving. The world famous “Arch” is part of the Blue Hole that leads to the sea at depth.

Constant No Fins (CNF) is one of the most difficult of competitive freediving disciplines, as it requires the athlete to swim to depth and back under their own power with no swimming aids while holding their breath. The athlete may only use arm and leg strokes to perform. The motion is a modified breaststroke style.

Constant Weight (CWT) challenges the athlete to swim to depth and back with the use of fins or a mono fin under their own power while holding their breath.  The athlete is not allowed to contact the competition line other than to recover their tag at depth while turning.  Upon reaching the surface the athlete must perform a surface protocol within fifteen seconds of their return to the surface.  Constant Weight is one of the most respected and contested disciplines in freediving.

Free Immersion (FIM) is the freediving discipline that requires the athlete to pull their way to depth and back using their hands to pull down and up the competition line while holding their breath. It is one of three recognized self-powered disciplines in the diving to depth arena. The other two are constant weight and constant weight without fins.  Both require the athlete to swim to depth and return under their own power.

USA Freediving is a non-profit association founded on a democratic representation of freediving within the United States and internationally. Founded in 2003, USA Freediving brought together a diverse group of 21 founding members, all interested in the development and growth of freediving. In just six months, this highly dedicated group was able to create an association recognized as the voice of freediving in the United States by the international community. The association has grown to over one hundred members with continued growth expected. http://www.usafreediving.com

The International Association for the Development of Freediving, AIDA, is the international sanctioning body for freediving, individual and team competition, and freediving world record attempts. For more information about AIDA please visit http://www.aidainternational.org.