Krk and Cres Island welcome the world’s best free-divers
Adriatic Depth Trophy diving competition is set to take place from 5-12 September 2020. Competition will be located in the area between Plavnik on Krk Island and Cres on Cres Island. Krusija canal will host the world’s best divers, as they prepare to reach the bottom of the Kvarner Bay.
AIDA Croatia is the organizer of the competition. Vitomir Maricic, multiple world record holder and free-diving instructor says that Croatia overall doesn’t have ideal depths for best competitions. However, some of the competitors will try and break the records in the categories without fins and with stereo fins. The lack of a natural diving environment is made up with good location and thoughtful organization. Considering the COVID-19 pandemic, this will be the biggest competition of its kind in 2020. Another important notion is that competition is being held under 2 diving federations – CMAS and AIDA. ADT will serve as a Croatian, Slovenian, Hungarian and Serbian state championship. Basically, it is one of the several events held under the Adriatic Freediving Trophy. AIDA Croatia is also one of the most active AIDA branches, as it hosts several competitions every year.
Without new events, this sport doesn’t have a future. This is a fantastic, interesting sport, although not very popular in Croatia. Vitomir emphasizes that AIDA always tries to give a chance to all competitors, which is why ADT also includes competitors from other countries. However, there were also applications from other countries, like France, Columbia, Cuba, Brasil, Morocco, Italy, Germany and so on. International interest just shows how much of a potential diving in Croatia has. Because of the pandemic, there will be COVID-19 tests done on site. Moreover, additional scientific research will be done with competitors, to better understand the extreme conditions they go through while diving.
Popularity of free-diving keeps increasing. Even though it’s not too popular in Croatia, the country still has a respectable national team with world-class athletes. Mental aspect of diving is something which attracts newcomers to join. Since the environment of diving cannot be replicated, athletes from other sports keep coming to diving educations and seminars. In general, people don’t realize their potential. Once they figure out how to control their mind in this specific environment, they will keep coming back.
Source: Krk Danas
