By DIVE Staff
Wearable sports tech specialist Garmin has announced it is to be the title sponsor of the Vertical Blue freediving competition, set to take place from 20 – 30 July at Dean’s Blue Hole in the Bahamas.
Regarded as the ‘Wimbledon of Freediving’ by The New York Times, the Vertical Blue event brings the world’s top freedivers together in a ‘celebration of human potential and the relentless pursuit of pushing boundaries’. It is expected that this year’s event will see a number of world and national records broken.
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Garmin’s technology is targeted at underwater enthusiasts and competitive sport, particularly its Descent dive computer series, which offers dedicated apnoea dive features including depth alerts, rate speed alerts, and a neutral buoyancy alert – which Garmin says is aimed at ‘providing professional freedivers with the confidence and support they need.’
Garmin’s Descent Mk2 dive computer is set to be the official depth gauge of the competition, with every freediver’s depth, dive time, and efficiency captured for analysis. Not only will the Descent Mk2 be used for judging but the physiological data collected from the world’s top freedivers during the competition will assist with the development of enhanced functionality for freediving tech in the future.
The competition’s safety teams, positioned to accompany divers during their ascent will be issued with Descent G1 dive computers while onshore, the live commentary team will sport the Descent Mk2S, which is equipped with multiple sport modes, including vital features such as heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring, in addition to the freediving mode.
All of the dive entry points will be accurately recorded using the Descent series’ precise GPS positioning facilities.
Founded in 2008 by New Zealand world champion and world record-holding freediver William Trubridge, Vertical Blue attracts elite freedivers from around the world who gather to showcase their skills and push the limits of human potential in disciplines such as Constant Weight, Free Immersion, and Constant No-Fins freediving.
