The 1st Southern California Freediving Competition is a GO!!
Who said US freediving depth competitions are only limited to ideal ocean conditions where the water is warm and calm?! Well, no longer!
The first US Freediving Federation (USFF) and World Confederation of Underwater Activities (CMAS) sanctioned freediving depth competition in the continental United States has been officially announced and is a go! The invitational competition, Vertical Green 2022, will run May 14th - 15th, 2022 in the cold and deep waters of the Redondo Submarine Canyon in Redondo Beach, California, USA.
Redondo Submarine Canyon (Redondo Beach, California)
“Southern California is one of the most active freediving communities in the United States and it is awesome to see everyone come together and provide this opportunity for a fun and safe competition. This is one example of the growth surge that freediving has experienced over the last few years, said Jeremy Stephan, President of the US Freediving Federation.”
Twenty highly experienced cold water freediving athletes will be vying to be crowned the Vertical Green 2022 deepest cold water diver in Constant Weight No-Fins, Constant Weight Monofin, Constant Weight Bi-Fins, and Free Immersion disciplines.
Just a typical Saturday at Redondo Submarine Canyon (Redondo Beach, California)
The competition will be bolstered by a highly qualified medical team lead by Emergency Medicine Physician Dr. Fernando Silva (MD, MS, DiDDM candidate) as the competition’s Medic, advised by Dr. Juani Valdivia, with the full support of a strong safety team consisting of highly certified cold water freedivers with Lance Lee Davis (USFF CNF National Record holder) as Head of Safety. The competition will be officiated under CMAS rules by USFF Head Judge, Rebekah Phillips (CMAS International Judge) along with the support of Assistant Judges.
Competition counter ballast and dive platform……even the local dolphin wants in!
A CMAS Judge course will be offered as part of Vertical Green 2022 for anyone interested in becoming a USFF Assistant Judge. The course will be held May 12th - 15th, 2022 with classroom and practical requirements. The classroom component will be completed prior to the start of the competition and the practical component during the competition.
A Competition Safety course in connection with Vertical Green 2022 will also run May 7th - 8th, 2022 in Redondo Beach, CA for qualified experienced cold water divers interested in competitive freediving safety support.
If you are interested in attending any of these courses, contact verticalgreen22@gmail.com.
Many volunteers will be contributing countless hours and personal resources to see this competition come to fruition. A GoFundMe donation drive has been established to help offset these costs. You can donate at https://gofund.me/1633ccea