December 1 - 3, 2023 marks the dates for the 2023 “UNU” Tampa Bay Freediving Challenge event which is being organized by Jani Valdivia. The event is being held at the HIGH 5 Pool located in Brandon, Florida, just outside Tampa. This event will serve as the US Nationals for both the US Freediving Federation (CMAS) and USA Freediving (AIDA).
This year marks the 3rd time that the United States has Athletes participating in the CMAS World Championships of Freediving. The event which is held in the idyllic Mediterranean seaside town of Kas, Turkey from October 1 - 9th brings participants from more than 30 countries where athletes compete for depth records in four (4) freediving disciplines. “Not only will the USFF have 14 total athletes attending, but the team make-up is 8 athletes under the age of 50 in the senior category, and 6 athletes in the 50+ master category which is a 233% increase over 2021” said Jeremy Stephan, President of the US Freediving Federation. “This year’s team is made up of some of the best depth freedivers from across the United States.”
Since having been launched in March of 2018, the last 12 months have provided the US Freediving Federation (USFF) with tremendous growth from the freediving community across the US. The pandemic and the economy has caused people to re-evaluate what is important in life, focus more on themselves and get connected to the environment.
To support this growth and strengthen the USFF, a few appointments will be taking place over the next month with the first one being Dr. Juan Valdivia as the Medical Director.
