U.S. Freediving Federation Announces Dates & Location
For 2019 CMAS Freediving World Championships
Los Angeles, CA, December 24, 2018: CMAS and the United States Freediving Federation (USFF) are proud to announce the 2019 CMAS Freediving World Championships will be held August 6-11 in Roatan island in Honduras. The USFF and Roatan Freediving, a local school and training center, have partnered to host the high caliber event together.
The proposed schedule of events is as follows:
· August 6th: Opening Ceremony
· August 7th: Constant Weight Day
· August 8th: Constant Weight No Fins Day
· August 9th: Open Day (rest day)
· August 10th: Constant Weight Bi-Fins Day
· August 11th: Free Immersion Day | Closing Ceremony & Dinner
“Roatan Freediving and the island of Roatan was ultimately chosen because it has the necessary infrastructure in place to guarantee safety and comfort for all participants” says Jeremy Stephan, President of the USFF. “We were specifically looking for locations in the Western Hemisphere to bring accessibility to more divers from around the world. Roatan is also known for its crystal clear, calm waters, which is always an important factor for our final decision.”
Esteban Darhanpe, owner of Roatan Freediving, will also serve as the local organizer for the prestigious world championships. Esteban recently announced that Ren Chapman has been named Head of Safety for the event and has already established rigorous protocols in case of occurrences of any freediving related emergencies. “Ren is arguably one of the most experienced and accomplished safety divers in the world of freediving and we are quite fortunate to have him lead the safety efforts this year” says Darhanpe.
Leading up to the world championships, Darhanpe will host the annual 2019 Caribbean Cup in Roatan. This world class event will be fully open for the first time and will follow CMAS competition guidelines, serving as training grounds for the world championships. “We are very grateful for Esteban embracing CMAS and recognizing the efforts we are putting into the expansion of freediving on a worldwide basis” says Anna Arzhanova, President of CMAS. “This is just one of many CMAS sanctioned competitions to be held in 2019 and we’re very excited for the continued momentum.”