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Free Immersion - 92m green experience
The coach view, by Dieter Baumann
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Again we are sitting in Herbert's BMW driving to a new world
record attempt. Sonja, Herbert's girlfriend, already gave up
to follow our discussions about equalisation techniques, how
slow or how fast to descent respectively to ascent, and is taking
a nap on the backseat of the car. We arrive very late in the
afternoon at the place of the attempt, lake Millstätter
and hurry up to get in the water. Out at the platform I check
at first the cable. As several times before it is tangled on
-25m with one of the anchor lines of the platform. 30 minutes
of hard work later all the ropes are clear again. In the meantime
it became so late that it is complete dark already. So we start
a kind of night training. A good dive to -74m completes the
training and Herbert is satisfied and with good vibrations for
the next day.
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On the next morning business as usual. I
am just here as Herbert's personal coach and not involved in
any part of the organisation for the attempt.
Having the timetable in my head, I check the things what should
be done that we stay in time, because nothing means more stress
for an athlete than unexpected delays and the "pressure"
- you have to dive now very quick because the boats are only
booked till... and so on.
A first check up results, that nobody knows where the judges
are.
So I start to catch them to get the cable measured. The cable
is hidden on an trailer and it takes some time till we can find
it. After disentangling the cable salad and putting it in the
trunk of the judges car, I phone Herbert if I should be present
at the measuring but he wants that I wait for him on the beach.
Nobody is on place that knows the parking area, about 8 kilometres
away, where is enough space to measure the cable without disturbance
and traffic. 45 minutes later the problem is solved and we have
already a nice delay. Ultimately somebody tells me that I am
supposed to do the briefing of the safety scuba divers. Of course
not prepared for this I quit and move to Herbert who arrived
already.
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As the judges arrive back from measuring I
change to my dive suit on land already and than we enter the shuttle
boat to the platform. During the judges put down the cable with
the depth gauges to recheck the depth, Herbert starts his warm
up routine. Special breathing and lung stretching techniques first
without and again after dressing up the dive suit. In the meantime
I do my personal warm up dives. Herbert follows very soon and
starts his warm up routine. Two dives later he is ready and gives
the signal to me to start the countdown for the safety scuba divers.
The trimix divers start their journey and on my stop watch flow
the seconds. Zero, Herbert can start the dive from now on but
he takes his time. 30 seconds, 1 minute, 1minute 30 after zero.
A special movement of Herbert shows me that he will start his
final breath now and about another 20 seconds he leaves the surface.
With slow moves of his arms he pulls himself down the rope and
is swallowed soon by the green darkness of the lake. The digit
numbers of my stopwatch are running through and close to 2 minutes
I feel the jerk on the cable which means that Herbert has reached
the end plate which is fixed at the target depth of 92 meter.
About 45 seconds later I dive down to 20 meters to meet him there
and to go back with him the last meters to the surface as his
safety freediver. He soon appears out from the darkness "climbing"
up on the cable in a changing rhythm of left and right arm. His
eyes behind the water filled mask are wide open and have this
kind of thousand miles away expression. It becomes brighter and
brighter and then we break the surface together.
After some deep breaths Herbert takes of this mask, looks at the
jury and says "perfect". Loud applause from the spectators
all around. After the one minute, which, according to the rules
has to pass, before anybody is allowed to touch him, a big congratulation
party starts in the water and everybody wants to shake his hand.
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Two hours later Herbert tries to go for a static
world record too, but there was not enough time to train proper
for this category, so we stop trying it after several dives.
In the afternoon we all sit together and have a nice early dinner
waiting for Herbert's decision if he tries tomorrow a -100 meters
dive, but after over thinking it, he decides to do it another
time. Of course this is the start signal for a big party.....
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