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Freediving: Alice Hickson & Adam Drzazga named 2019 National Pool Champs!

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Following the recent UK National Pool Freediving Championships, Alice Hickson and Adam Drzazga have been crowned the 2019 British National freediving pool champions!

Alice Hickson bi-fins. Photo Credit: Daan Verhoeven

Alice held her breath for 6 minutes and 38 seconds in the static apnea discipline, swam 162m in dynamic no fins (a stylised form of breast stroke under water) and topped it off by swimming 179m in bi-fins securing herself a national record along the way – and ensuring ownership of all 4 pool disciplines.

Adam held his breath for just under 7 minutes, 6 minutes and 52 seconds to be exact and swam 116m no fins and 117m in bi-fins.

Adam Drzazga Static. Photo Credit: Neil Wood

The overall international female winner was Agnieszka Kalska of Poland who swam 180m in both no fins (a new personal best) and bi-fins (a national record) and held her breath for 6 minutes 49 seconds and the male winner was Tomasz Ratajak also from Poland who scored a hat-trick of personal bests with a no fins swim of 137m, 198m in dynamic with monofin and a 6 minutes 4 seconds static.  The newbie winners were Naura Suksomstarn (04:30 STA, 135m DYN mono, 57m DNF) and Rafael Nolasco (04:52 STA, 177m DYN mono, 106m DNF).

Tomasz Ratajak with Agnieska Kalska

This year’s UK National Pool Freediving Championships was hosted by Bristol Freedivers on Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 March.  Forty-five athletes from fourteen countries convened on Hengrove Leisure Centre some vying for a position on the podium, others there to enjoy the fun of competing, maybe trying for national record or a personal best.  Five national records fell, Agnieszka Kalska (POL) 180m DYN bi-fins, Alice Hickson (UK) 179m DYN bi-fins, Rafael Nolasco (BRA) 177m DYN and Naura Suksomstarn (THA) 135m DYN and 57m DNF.  And 56 personal bests were officiated.

Freediving is a sport were you can gain as much enjoyment competing against yourself, trying to improve your own distances or time, as you can from trying to beat a fellow athlete.  In fact it is not uncommon to see two athletes in probable contention for a medal coaching one another and enjoying the success of the other.  Despite the fact of competing under the surface of the water, seemingly alone, you never are. You are constantly surrounded by a team of safety divers, underwater media filming and taking pictures, judges and assistant judges following on the surface and probably a coach.

Agnieska – DNF International Female Winner. Photo Credit: Daan Verhoeven

Having a coach makes it very much a team sport where the coaching can have a direct impact on a performance – in static apnea, the athlete relies on their coach to help them mentally and physically relax while resisting the urge to breathe and keep a quiet eye on them until they surface.  In the dynamic disciplines a coach allows the athlete time to relax and focus inward before the dive by taking away all other distractions, and being there at the end of their dive when they surface to talk them through their surface protocol, which has to happen within 15 seconds of their airways clearing the water in order to meet competition requirements and get a white card from the judge.

This is Bristol Freedivers second time organising the National Freediving Pool Championships and they didn’t disappoint, it was a superbly well organised with top judging, brilliant volunteers, excellent safety and quality sponsorship from Mares, the British Freediving Association, AIDA International, 2971, Infinity Freediving Cyprus, Saltfree Divers and Blue Water Freediving School. Congratulations to the female and male UK podium winners Lucelle Simms and Alex Atkins who took home silver medals and Beci Ryan and Gary McGrath bronze.  And to the International silver medallists Alice Hickson (UK) and Artiso Vounakis (GR), and bronze Lucelle Simms (UK) and Jesper Lauridsen (DEN).

To find out more about freediving in the UK, visit www.britishfreediving.org.

Marine Life & Conservation

IUCN Spotlights Green Fins at Bali Ocean Days 2025, Calling for Stronger Business Model in Marine Conservation

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IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Global Ocean Director, Minna Epps, has spotlighted Green Fins Indonesia along with a call for stronger business models that sustain marine conservation. Speaking at the inaugural session of Bali Ocean Days 2025 held on 7-8 February, Epps emphasised the need for sustainable financing to support and scale marine conservation initiatives such as Green Fins.

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Activities earlier in the week with the Coral Triangle Center in Sanur and Ceningan Divers in the Nusa Penida Marine Protected Area shaped the IUCN Ocean Director’s message at the conference and showcase, aligning with the theme of the blue economy and impact finance to sustain marine ecosystems.

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“Tourism has such a big impact on marine biodiversity, and we need it to adhere to a certain code of conduct,” Epps said. “That is why through our funding facilities, we worked with The Reef-World Foundation advancing Green Fins so dive operators can become certified with standards. But this kind of initiative has been around for a long time and it’s also a tool used to improve [MPA management], but it needs to come with a business model. I also believe in market-based instruments to evolve this programme.”

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IUCN’s visit is part of their Blue Natural Capital Financing Facility (BNCFF), which supports at least 21 projects around the world, building the business case for investing in the future of our ocean.

In Indonesia, the project supported by IUCN was developed in partnership with The Reef-World Foundation, the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA) and the Coral Triangle Center, which serves as the local implementing organisation for Green Fins. The initiative engages marine tourism businesses through voluntary sustainability certification based on the only internationally recognised environmental standards for diving and snorkelling operations. Green Fins’ activities aim to reduce negative environmental impacts associated with marine tourism activities as well as improve the management of marine protected areas.

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IUCN’s promotion of Green Fins in Bali Ocean Days signals the need for greater private sector engagement in marine conservation across Indonesia and beyond.

Investors, donors, marine tourism operators and stakeholders looking to support scalable marine conservation solutions are encouraged to explore opportunities with The Reef-World Foundation, the international coordinator of the Green Fins initiative. To learn more about sustainable marine tourism and how to get involved, visit www.reef-world.org.

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About Reef-World

The Reef-World Foundation is a registered UK charity which delivers practical solutions for marine conservation around the world. The charity promotes the wise use of natural resources – particularly coral reefs and related ecosystems – for the benefit of local communities, visitors and future generations. It is dedicated to supporting, inspiring and empowering governments, businesses, communities and individuals around the world to act in conserving and sustainably developing coastal resources.

Reef-World leads the global implementation of the UN Environment Programme’s Green Fins initiative, which focuses on driving environmentally friendly scuba diving and snorkelling practices across the industry globally. As such, the charity provides low-cost and practical solutions to local and industry-wide environmental challenges associated with the marine tourism industry. It provides education and capacity-building assistance to empower environmental champions (within the diving industry, local communities, authorities and governments) to implement proven coastal resource management approaches.

Visit www.reef-world.org to learn more or follow them on Facebook, Instagram and X.

About Green Fins

Green Fins is a proven conservation management approach – spearheaded by The Reef-World Foundation in partnership with the UN Environment Programme – which leads to a measurable reduction in the negative environmental impacts associated with the marine tourism industry. The initiative aims to protect and conserve coral reefs through environmentally friendly guidelines that promote a sustainable diving and snorkelling tourism industry. It provides the only internationally recognised environmental standards for the diving and snorkelling industry and has a robust assessment system to measure compliance.

Green Fins encourages and empowers members of the diving industry to act to reduce the pressures on coral reefs by offering dive and snorkel companies practical, low-cost alternatives to harmful practices – such as anchoring, fish feeding and chemical pollution – as well as providing strategic training, support and resources. By reducing the local direct and indirect pressures tourism puts on coral reefs, it helps make corals healthier and more resilient to other stresses such as the effects of climate change. Look for the Green Fins logo when booking your next dive trip.Visit www.greenfins.net to learn more or follow the initiative on Facebook, Instagram and X.

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Filming 360 in The Bahamas

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In December 2024, the Shark Trust had a very special opportunity to film sharks and rays in The Bahamas. Frogfish Photography are the Bahamas Dive Ambassadors for the UK. And Caroline, Deputy Editor at Scubaverse, is the Marketing Manager at the Shark Trust. So, when the need arose to film footage of several species of shark and ray for a new Shark Trust project, The Bahamas seemed the perfect fit. A huge thank you is needed here to the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism. As they stepped in to fully support the trip both financially and practically. Ensuring that the filming expedition ran smoothly, and that we got as much time as possible in the water with sharks and rays, during the 10 day, 3 island trip.

The Bahamas is famous for its sharks and rays. Divers flock there to experience getting up close to a range of species. Our itinerary saw us visit Nassau, Bimini and Grand Bahama. It packed in as many in-water experiences as possible and had us dive, snorkel, and even take a submarine to experience them in a variety of different habitats and to capture them on film. We saw 148 sharks and rays from 8 different species (all of which have been logged on the Shark Trust Shark Log!).

But why were we there? The expedition was designed to fulfil the needs of two new projects being launched by the Shark Trust in 2025. The filming done underwater on this trip was the start of creating OneOcean360: A Shark Story. A new 360 immersive experience designed primarily for immersive domes and planetariums. The film will be the nearest experience to getting in the water with sharks and rays without getting wet! It will bring the world of sharks to an audience that may never get the chance to experience it first-hand. A Shark Story aims to deepen people’s understanding of sharks, uncovering and illustrating why they are so wonderful as well as being vital to marine ecosystems.

The film is being made in collaboration with Real Immersive. Also based in Plymouth, they have an immersive dome and are providing the technical expertise behind creating this unique experience. Reviewing the footage in the dome has been an invaluable part of the process. Both inspiring the team and allow us to refine the filming techniques to suit this immersive theatre.

You might imagine that we are using expensive cameras and even more expensive housings. But this is not the case. The entire project is being filmed using Insta360 X4 cameras. With only a few simple additions to the standard dive setup. The INON weight plate allowed us to attach this camera to a dive weight, set it down on sand or wreck, and then swim away and let the sharks be the stars. And the results are very exciting. The film will be ready this autumn. It will be accompanied by an educational pack for teachers to take away after school trips to see the film. Encouraging all those that see it to continue learning about these incredible animals.

You can support the creation of OneOcean360: A Shark Story by heading to the crowdfunder page and donating or selecting a reward.

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/a-shark-story


Read about the shark and ray dives we did on Nassau, Bimini and Grand Bahama in our next blog post coming soon on Scubaverse.

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