Vertical Blue 2010: Trubridge and Nitsch Set New World Records

April 23, 2010 - PRLog -- New Zealander William Trubridge and Austrian Herbert Nitsch set new bests in the free immersion (FIM) and constant weight (CWT) disciplines respectively.

In FIM, divers must retrieve a Velcro tag from a metal plate, which is lowered by rope to the announced depth. They are not permitted propulsion equipment such as fins but can use the rope to pull themselves down.

Trubridge, 29, dived to 116m below the surface and, despite taking a few extra seconds to pull the Velcro tag from the plate, completed the dive in 4min 9sec. The depth was verified by a Suunto D4 dive computer. This is Trubridge’s tenth world record and his first in FIM since 2008.

“It was hard to get the tag from the bottom as I struggled with some narcosis,” said Trubridge. “But it’s great to have the free immersion record again.”

Nitsch reached an incredible 124m to set the 30th world record of his career and the deepest self-powered dive of all time. In CWT, athletes must also retrieve a Velcro tag from the plate, but cannot use the rope during the dive. They are, however, allowed fins to assist them.

The 40-year-old took 2min 13sec to reach the bottom, and looked strong during his ascent. With 35m remaining, his legs appeared to tire and he resorted to alternate arm and leg strokes to successfully complete the dive in 4min 10sec.

Trubridge’s new record puts him ahead in the Suunto Dive-Off, a competition held during Vertical Blue to find the best all-round freediver. Divers score points based on the ratio of their dives in three freediving disciplines to current world records. Nitsch lies in second place with Australian Walter Steyn in third. American Carla-Sue Hanson leads the women’s table.

Vertical Blue 2010 continues until April 27.

Images ©DeeDee Flores:
IMG_1513.jpg – Will Trubridge (NZL) during his world record-breaking dive 116m in the free immersion discpline, at the Vertical Blue freediving competition on April 22, 2010.
IMG_1875.jpg – Will Trubridge (NZL) shows off his depth gauge after setting a new free immersion world record discipline at the Vertical Blue freediving competition on April 22, 2010.

All images and text are free for editorial use in connection with Vertical Blue 2010 only. To purchase high resolution versions, contact DeeDee Flores (deedeeflores01@aol.com).

Video highlights can be embedded into websites using links on www.underwatervideography.com. Higher resolution videos are available for purchase from Duncan Brake at Oceanic All Stars (duncan.brake@oceanicallstars.com).

Please send a voucher copy or link to the published story to Nick Warren at the address below. For more information and images contact:

Nick Warren
zooom productions
Felderstrasse 12
5330 Fuschl am See
Austria
www.zooom.at
Tel: +43 6226 8848-25
Mob: +43 664 544 9241

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Suunto is a leading designer and manufacturer of sports precision instruments for diving, mountaineering, training, hiking, and skiing. Prized for their design, accuracy and dependability, Suunto sports instruments combine the aesthetics and functionality of watches with sport-specific computers. Headquartered in Vantaa, Finland, Suunto employs more than 500 people worldwide and distributes its products to over 100 countries. Suunto is an Amer Sports brand together with sister brands Salomon, Wilson, Atomic, Precor, Mavic and Arc'teryx. www.suunto.com. For further information: Markus Rampf, Sports Marketing Manager, markus.rampf@amersports.com.