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Text and images by Jill Heinerth Last summer, I embarked on a transformative journey alongside the passionate young environmental scientist, Kayla Martin. It was a season that left an indelible mark on both our lives, a tale of mentorship, perseverance, and the power of community. Kayla Martin playing in the sea foam in Les Escoumins. The story began when I seized a unique opportunity to nurture Kayla's burgeoning talent. She was a beacon of potential, and I was determined to foster her growth. Drawing upon the network of organizations that support me, I took a leap of faith and dipped into my personal funds to launch an expedition. This venture was more than just a scientific mission; it was the next step in her career in environmental science and communication. As we prepared for the adventure that lay ahead, we ventured into local waters, diving to enhance our skills in the cold underwater environments we were about to explore and document. Yet, it didn't take long for me to realize that Kayla needed more reliable gear to navigate these unforgiving waters. In this critical moment, when determination met resourcefulness, Suunto came to our aid by transferring my annual gear support to her. Hollis, recognizing the importance of our mission, provided Kayla with a state-of-the-art sidemount harness, and Fourth Element crafted a snug, protective drysuit to keep her warm in the chilly depths. I passed along essential equipment like a backup computer, undergarments, and various other items she required for our underwater expedition. A small plane lies in a freshwater quarry in Quebec, one of the first stops on their expedition. The result was a remarkable collaboration that transcended the boundaries of our initial project. Our shared dedication to environmental preservation and scientific exploration continues to flourish. Fast forward to the present day, and Kayla has emerged as a trailblazing leader in her field. This year, she is at the helm of an expedition dedicated to surveying an undocumented shipwreck, an endeavor that exemplifies her unwavering commitment to education, conservation, and groundbreaking environmental research. Our journey serves as a testament to the profound impact that a helping hand and the right tools can have on shaping a promising career. Diving is an expensive passion, and the financial barriers often deter young enthusiasts from pursuing studies that could safeguard our precious planet. This experience has reinforced the belief that if you encounter a young and eager individual in your midst, someone who harbors the potential to be a future leader in their field, consider rallying your community to lend support. When we equip and empower the next generation, the possibilities are limitless, and together, we can shape a brighter future for our world. Watch now: How Great Lakes Freshwater is Linked to the Ocean More people have walked on the moon than have been to some of the remote places Jill Heinerth has explored on Earth. Jill Heinerth is a veteran of over thirty years of scientific diving, filming/photography, and exploration. Her expeditions include the first dives inside Antarctica icebergs and record-breaking scientific missions in deep underwater caves worldwide. Jill’s book INTO THE PLANET – My Life as a Cave Diver has drawn wide acclaim from the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, and even Oprah magazine. Her children’s book, THE AQUANAUT, has been selected by Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library as a part of her inspirational initiative. Jill bought her first Suunto gear in 1988 and still dives with Suunto. For more info: www.IntoThePlanet.com

By Jill Heinerth Deep beneath our feet lies a mesmerizing world that remains largely unknown: a network of water-filled caves winding through the darkness, carrying the lifeblood of our planet. As a cave diver, I have dedicated my life to exploring these mysterious subterranean passages. I invite you to join me on a captivating journey into the depths, where fear and discovery converge, and where the delicate balance of survival and exploration unfolds. The Hidden Pathways These underground tunnels, sculpted by the gentle touch of rainwater permeating the Earth's surface, act as conduits that transport precious freshwater from deep aquifers to springs, rivers, and estuaries. Ultimately, this water embarks on a journey to the vast ocean, sustaining a thriving plankton community that generates the very oxygen we breathe. The caves I explore serve as the life-supporting veins of our planet, nurturing the lungs that allow life to flourish. The Thrill of Exploration While most people recoil at the thought of descending into the darkness of caves, I am irresistibly drawn to their constricted corridors. Equipped with cutting-edge technology and relying on each measured breath, I embrace the unknown depths. In the remoteness of my office, the boundaries between fear and discovery blur, and a single misstep could spell disaster. The exploration of these caves is not without risk, but the reward is an unparalleled sense of fulfillment and a chance to educate others about the fragility of our water planet. A Perilous Pursuit Cave diving has rightfully earned its reputation as a dangerous activity, but it also represents the frontier of scientific exploration. Aquanauts, including passionate enthusiasts, daring researchers, and scientists, push the limits of human capability as they navigate through the eternal darkness of labyrinthine limestone networks spanning the globe. Armed with multiple scuba tanks, advanced rebreathers, and swift diver propulsion vehicles, they boldly venture deep into these treacherous passageways, pushing the boundaries of exploration in terms of both distance and knowledge. Unleashing Art and Science As a filmmaker and photographer, I find myself balancing the creation of art with the meticulous monitoring of life support equipment in demanding circumstances. Whether I embark on solo adventures or join scientific expeditions, self-sufficiency becomes paramount. There is no Mission Control to solve my problems when I find myself blindly searching for a broken safety line in a cloud of silt with zero visibility. The challenges are immense, but so are the rewards. Unveiling Hidden Wonders Through my explorations, I have had the privilege of becoming the eyes and hands of scientists, unveiling a world that has never before been witnessed. Underwater caves serve as virtual museums of natural history, where I collaborate with biologists to uncover new species, assist physicists in studying climate change, and aid hydrogeologists in examining our precious freshwater reserves. These subterranean pathways have led me to grim sources of pollution, vibrant life thriving within Antarctic icebergs, and even ancient skeletal remains of the Maya civilization in the Yucatan Peninsula. Connecting to the Source By venturing into the world beneath our feet, I glide through limestone, passing beneath homes, golf courses, and restaurants. I delve into the ancient conduits of volcanoes and navigate crevices within colossal bodies of ice. Following the trail of water, I am guided from mountain creeks to resplendent blue springs, each emitting its life-sustaining bounty from within the heart of our planet. Even when the passages pinch and my dive is forced to come to an end, the water continues to flow from some enigmatic source. The journey is endless, beckoning me forward to explore the caverns, immeasurable to my imagination. It is a privilege to uncover these hidden shrines and share concealed mysteries from deep inside our planet. I want to connect humanity to where their water comes from and show people that what we do on the land’s surface will eventually be returned to us to drink. More people have walked on the moon than have been to some of the remote places Jill Heinerth has explored on Earth. Jill Heinerth is a veteran of over thirty years of scientific diving, filming/photography, and exploration. Her expeditions include the first dives inside Antarctica icebergs and record-breaking scientific missions in deep underwater caves worldwide. Jill’s book INTO THE PLANET – My Life as a Cave Diver has drawn wide acclaim from the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, and even Oprah magazine. Her children’s book, THE AQUANAUT, has been selected by Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library as a part of her inspirational initiative. Jill bought her first Suunto gear in 1988 and still dives with Suunto. For more info: www.IntoThePlanet.com

William celebrates after completing a new world record. Depth freediving is unlike most other sports. To be successful, you need to be like a Zen master - calm and clear minded. Adrenalin, anger, stress, the flight and fight response are the sworn enemies of champion freedivers like Suunto ambassador William Trubridge. Instead, they cultivate calm and relaxation through a combination of mental and physical methods. It’s his decades of exploring, developing and mastering these methods that led William to launch his new Mental Immune System program. It’s a double-pronged approach that uses these methods to dissipate stress, as well as to create barriers to its formation. We caught up with the underwater Zen master himself to discuss the system. William just set a new underwater endurance swimming record by completing a distance of 50,575 m underwater on a breath hold, with no propulsive assistance. The distance was swum as 2,023 underwater laps of a 25 m pool in Nassau, Bahamas. He did it to raise awareness about the mental health crisis facing the world today. Read on for our Q&A with William. What is the Mental Immune System? It’s a system for dealing with stress or anxiety issues. Or the general pressures of our age, and mental health problems that have become a real crisis in recent times. It’s like an app you can upload into your brain to work in the background. The idea is that it is programmed into your subconscious mind. It involves breathing and mental techniques that both have proven to have huge benefits for maintaining calmness and equanimity. How did you come up with the idea? I came up with the idea just by seeing how applicable the mental and breathing techniques that I used in freediving throughout my career were to deal with daily stress. Freediving is not like other sports in that the stress response, the adrenalin, the fight or flight reflex, cannot be channeled into a better performance in the same way they can in boxing or sprint running. In freediving it’s counterproductive because you’ll end up using oxygen quicker, maybe panicking underwater, which is the worst case scenario. And the same applies to stress in our day to day lives. We’re not confronting sabertooth tigers anymore or living in the wild. Stressful situations normally involve family, loved ones, business, work, day to day life and in pretty much all of those if you respond with a flight or fight response you’re not going to go very far in life. The more calmness we can generate in those situations the more we will thrive. So freediving is very similar to daily life in that respect. I saw how effective these techniques were in freediving and when I started to use them myself in day to day life I found they were helpful and started recommending them to others and teaching them. I feel like it would be a crime for me to not make these techniques readily available. Why now? We’re living in an age of mental health crisis. It was getting worse before COVID, and then the pandemic catalyzed it. The statistics are frightening. 40% of adults suffer from anxiety disorder and/or depressive disorder. It’s not just that people feel a little anxious now and then; it’s an actual disorder. And a lot of people are taking drugs to cope, which is creating other dependencies. Then there’s the younger generations which is maybe even worse. Kids who are run into the ground by these anxiety problems. It’s something that is very difficult for our species at this point in time and we need all the techniques we can get to help us, especially methods that don’t come at a cost by causing dependencies and other stuff. The Mental Immune System is long lasting and it is self-replenishable and has no side effects. Freedivers use a variety of breathing exercises. How does the program work? It’s a double prong approach. Because stress attacks us mentally and physically we need to respond with mental and physical techniques. The physical mostly revolves around breathing techniques; a specific type of breathing that’s simple enough to learn and switch over to and is hugely powerful. The mental techniques are similar to mindfulness. It’s basically a variation of mindfulness that uses the brain itself to break the spiraling thought patterns that we get into and the negative self-talk we do. How is it different from mindfulness? The game changer, the thing I think that makes the system so powerful, is it is programmed into the subconscious mind. If you’re freaking out, the last thing you’re going to do is sit in a corner and practice some funky breathing method or meditate with your eyes closed. You cannot do that in a business meeting or during an argument with another person. It has to be a technique that is there in the background and operating without your conscious involvement so you can be carrying out your role, whatever that may be. That’s the game changer - to program it into the subconscious mind. In the same way that our physical immune system is completely autonomic; we don’t tell our white blood cells to go and fight a virus. It has to be automatic. I think the same applies for the mental immune system. Find out more here! Lead images: André Musgrove

William Trubridge prepares for a depth dive.   It’s the first international freediving competition since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic so a lot of excited freedivers are arriving at Dean’s Blue Hole pumped to dive deep at Vertical Blue 2021. Running between 13 to 23 July, it’s likely to be the most celebratory edition in the event’s 11 year history. The first Vertical Blue since 2018, organiser and Suunto ambassador William Trubridge has been working around the clock to make it happen. The ongoing travel and health restrictions due to the pandemic have increased his work load 100 fold. But knowing how much it means to the freediving community makes it all worthwhile. “In these last 18 months a lot of people have been trapped and locked down, not able to travel or go to the sea, but everyone has been continuing to train and they are all amped to get back into the water,” William says. “It's the first big freediving event since COVID hit so we will get a chance to see where all the top athletes are with their training, and what they have been able to improve on, or whether they are behind now because of a lack of depth training. First indications are that everyone has been training really hard and there are going to be some epic performances.”   Follow the action at Vertical Blue via YouTube live!     All the top athletes in depth freediving, in all three disciplines, are attending this edition. “All the current record holders will be in attendance and most of the people who are within reach of world records,” William says. “At the last Vertical Blue in 2018, there were some days when the average depth amongst men and women across all disciplines, including no fins, was deeper than 80 m. This year I think it could be even deeper. In training at the moment the dive line is rarely less than 100 m. We're going to see some mind blowing performances.”   Check out our visual guide to freediving    William and his arch freediving rival Alexey Molchanov will be competing – a now longstanding tradition – for the top spot in Constant Weight without Fins (CNF). The stress of organizing the event isn’t giving William the dedicated training and recovery time he needs to be at his very best. Moreover, he isn’t sure he’ll be anywhere near his best. Depth freediving is a sport where being in a relaxed state is essential for success. “My training was going very well up until about a month ago,” William says. “I was making steady progress towards attempting a world record in Free Immersion. I'd gotten within a couple of meters of achieving it. I was doing beautiful, comfortable, relaxed dives to that depth. That's when stuff started to go downhill with the organisation work and the stress ramped up. “Hopefully if I can get everything resolved, then take a few days rest, and then build my training back up again, maybe by the end of the event I might be able to do some kind of a dive,” William continues. “I doubt it will be a world record dive. But never say never, fingers crossed, let’s see what happens.”   All images: © Daan Verhoeven  

Suunto ambassador, pioneering underwater explorer and film maker, Jill Heinerth has dived in icebergs, explored deep underwater caves, and more recently documented the impacts of climate change in the Arctic Circle. Capturing our changing planet and educating the public about the growing threat of climate change is what is increasingly moving her to dive and explore our blue planet. On World Ocean Day 2021, Jill shares insights from her 20 year career. Press play to watch her incredible journey! Where are you now and how has the pandemic treated you? I live in a 200-year-old mill in a small town near Ottawa, Canada. It has actually been a bit of a gift to be home with my husband for a prolonged stretch, but I am certainly eager to get back to some of my travels. This has been a good time for rest, learning, and incubating new ideas.What’s been inspiring you lately? I wrote the foreword for a new book by Frauke Bagusche. The book is called: The Blue Wonder: Why the Sea Glows, Fish Sing, and Other Astonishing Insights from the Ocean. I found it fascinating and quite inspirational. What are you working on at the moment? I'm exploring Canada's longest underwater cave system and documenting some of the endangered species I have found there. I am also actively involved in a documentary and educational initiative about the Great Lakes Watershed. With many of my projects on hold from COVID, it has been great to be involved in important projects close to home.It’s mind blowing how many incredible expeditions you’ve been on – how have they changed you? Absolutely! As I get older, I feel more urgency to work on projects that really matter and that will leave a lasting educational legacy. I am drawn to work that communicates about water literacy and climate change. I think that motivational stories from the natural world and exploration can connect people to critical global issues.Is the underwater exploration and expedition scene attracting more women now?It is not happening quickly enough for my liking, but I am seeing more women involved in exploration. I think there are a lot of women that face serious roadblocks; difficulty getting career positions and opportunities. You say you’re the canary in the coal mine – what are you seeing right now in terms of alarm bells? Oh gosh, where should I begin? I'm 56 years old and I am truly shocked by the magnitude of change that I have seen in the natural world in my lifetime. The coral reefs I dived on 30+ years ago are dead and devoid of fish. The sea ice in the north sets up later and thaws earlier each year. The lakes that I learned to dive in have been grossly affected by invasive species. We are living in a rapidly transforming world. It frightens me, but I do not give up hope.What does humanity need to do to avoid crossing the tipping point? I hope we have not already crossed the threshold, but I would say that we all need to stay optimistic. We might not have the big answers to the world's most pressing issues, but we all know small actions and changes that we can make in our lives that help move humanity in a positive direction. We need to urgently address the warming planet and water quality issues. They are all connected. Our actions against COVID-19 are a good example. We are delivering a vaccine that might have previously taken a decade to develop and test. We have the brain trust and the explorers that can solve big problems when we all work together.How has the development of Suunto dive tech aided your journeys? I've been diving Suunto products for my entire career. They have always been innovative, well-built, and reliable. When somebody opens a box with a brand new Suunto product, they likely feel as I do... that this tool is going to accompany me on some of life's greatest adventures! One of the Suunto computers I used for record-breaking dives in 1998 is now on the wrist of a young whale researcher in Patagonia. I've passed on my older devices to others that are still using them today. That is quite an endorsement!Do you have any dream explorations you’d like to do? I have not yet visited the Galapagos or Cocos Islands. I sure hope to make that possible one day. In the interim, I will have lots to keep me busy! All images and video by Janne Suhonen, Divers of the dark

In 2020 Alenka Artnik dived to 114m, deep beneath the surface of the Red Sea on a single breath, her mind and body working seamlessly together. Arriving on the surface fully aware and in control, Alenka claimed the title as the deepest female in freediving discipline CWT, Constant Weight, diving with a monofin. Discovering the sport at a time in life when she needed inspiration and was ready for a change, Alenka was 30 and living in Slovenia when she hit the water running! Following a freediving session with friends, she quickly blew the other divers out of the water with her unearthly natural talent for apnea. Alenka’s potential was identified early on by both her fellow divers and later her first instructor. Seizing the day, she packed her fins and moved to the vibrant diving hub of Dahab. Immersing herself in its freediving community, she found the bottom of the Blue Hole at about 100m on a breath-hold in her first season of training! The new Suunto ambassador and freediving world champion Alenka Artnik summed up her passion for the sport with these words: “We come from the sea and so it feels natural... It isn't just physical, it is mental, spiritual, and mind-blowing. I use the tool of freediving to explore my spirituality and carry it through into each part of my life.” Eat, sleep, break dive record, repeat! In 2016 Alenka celebrated her first World Record at the CMAS World Championships diving to 92m CWT wearing bi fins. The following year the record-breaking freediver won gold again at the same championships and graduated to the 100m club (CWT) at the Caribbean Cup, making her only the fourth female freediver to be crowned in the club. Alenka, like so many other freedivers, has always dived with Suunto. Her Suunto D4i Novo was her first freediving computer, and now she dives with a Suunto D6i Novo, but soon she will be going deep with the D5. It is fair to say Suunto dive computers have always been at the centre of Alenka's training. World Champion Alenka explained that she currently uses multiple Suunto devices when diving, "At the moment I'm using my two Suunto D6i Novo devices. One is for notifications of my depth that I wear on my neck weight close to my ear and the other I wear on my wrist so I can check my dives during training." She went on to say that analysing her dives afterwards is a key part of her dynamic training schedule and Suunto’s high performance in this area is one of the many reasons she chooses Suunto every dive, “I record all my dives in my training logbook with the help of the MEM Logbook function. I always rely on the logbook function of my Suunto dive computers to study my dives.” Finding her flow In recent years Alenk has continued to win competitions and break records but her focus has shifted from “winning” to a quest to optimize her performance, she summed it by saying “getting better motivates me.” The gains from this new approach are evident in her calm and collected surface protocols, something she attributes to entering the flow state, the world champion describes what she means by this: “In the end, I think that it is all about the flow state. You put yourself in a mental state of flow. It is the peak performance, the maximum performance- but effortlessly.” summarises Alenka "For me, it is about how to do the best performance with the least effort possible. More with the mind and less with the physical effort. Good awareness, being super present the whole dive and less with the physical effort.” 100% commitment Ten years on since Alenka discovered freediving, as she approaches 40 and with future hopes of freediving being billed at the Olympics, she is continuing with her hard push to dominate the depths with ease. Alenka is also part of a growing number of athletes in this discipline that are trying to demystify the sport, increase its popularity and ultimately help save our oceans. “Freediving promotes a healthy lifestyle, but best of all more freedivers promotes more Ocean Ambassadors to protect our water planet.” Alenka Artnik All images from Alenka Artnik ©

William takes the 126m depth tag on his world record attempt dive. © Johnathan Sunnex COVID-19 kept Suunto ambassador William Trubridge isolated on Long Island in the Bahamas since March 2020 allowing him to focus exclusively on training with few distractions. After several months he started to see the benefits and his performances in many areas were the best of his career so far. Although he is disappointed he didn't achieve a new world record, William is undeterred in his drive to continuing pushing and exploring the ultimate human limits for freediving. Willam, what was the goal for this event? My goal was to try and break the world record in Free Immersion, FIM (in which the athlete pulls on the rope to descend and ascend), currently at 125 m world record set in 2018 by Alexey Molchanov. I held the 124 m world record in FIM previously since 2011, but I thought it was about time I got it back! Why now? I came to the Bahamas in March and somewhat fortuitously have been trapped here safe in the remoteness of the island ever since, and happily, my family was able to join me in the summer from Japan. COVID has been tough for everyone but it has meant that I have been able to focus on my training maybe more than I would have normally, having not had any courses or competitions scheduled. This has facilitated the best kind of training with no competitions looming, I've been able to maintain focus on the goal. I really felt like I was in the right place to attempt the record. It's been four years since your last attempt, why the long pause? Firstly, I think it is becoming more and more difficult to break world records. As with any sport, it’s not something that can continue indefinitely. There is always going to be a plateauing effect as we approach the human limits, wherever they are, and this is happening now in freediving as it has in other sports. In recent years there hasn't been much of an increase in FIM depths, and any of the disciplines of freediving as there were prior. Also, in the last four years, I have been involved in a lot of other projects, and starting a family has been the biggest. That has involved not just a shift in day-to-day life and rhythms, but your whole perspective, and it is one of the most difficult things we go through but I have learned to take it in my stride. Now I am settled into family life, my training has been going well and my performances are the best they have ever been. I am ready to get back into it. William ascending on the line. © Johnathan Sunnex How are you feeling training wise? I have done many of the deepest dives I have ever done in this discipline in recent months and also in other parameters of base training to do with breath-hold times, static apnea, and exhale static apnea (breath-hold with empty lungs) reaching the longest times I've ever done in these difficult exercises. In terms of breath-hold and depth adaptation, I am in the best condition of my life. A world record attempt is a whole other monster so although all the signs are good, you have to deal with the mental game and the weather conditions, for which relaxing in the water with a thin wetsuit can sometimes be problematic. What's changed in your training since your last world record? Quite a lot has changed in my training since the last record. I am always in a constant state of development and evolution as I research and experiment with myself. I have focused on my weaker links, which are mainly breath-hold, but if any of the factors slip then you won't be able to dive deep. Is technology or science helping with the evolution of the sport? There is always a benefit from an increased understanding of the physiology and science of the sport. Especially in my 17-year career, there have been huge changes. When I first started training I was feeling around in the dark a bit but now I have a more definitive, but not a complete idea. I'm sure that in the next ten years athletes will be far better equipped with an understanding of what's happening in their bodies and how to maximize that in their training. What happens in your body when freediving and what you require mentally and physically is unlike any other sport. From the dive reflex, the compression, the heart slowing, to the high acidic and lactic loads we are still discovering more efficient ways to train to maximize performance in those parameters. Has your outlook or mindset changed in any way? Yes, it has changed. Becoming a father has been the biggest shift. It changes your attitude toward risk, and your risk tolerance decreases. In freediving though, it has not changed so much, but in other areas like driving, and driving scooters in Indonesia in particular, it has definitely changed! A lot of my training has been about identifying risks and accommodating them with enhanced safety mechanisms. The turning point 126m down, with 126m more to reach the surface! Johnathan Sunnex © You turned 40 this year (congrats!); how does getting older affect you in this sport? And is there more risk? It is hard to say what the effects of age on the sport are. We've seen athletes perform well into their 50s and 60s. Natalia Molcahov, before her untimely disappearance, was smashing women's world records in her 50s. It's definitely a sport where we benefit from the maturity of age and the slowing of the metabolism, but the risk lies in susceptibilities we are not aware of that increase with age, that I have been working on identifying. We need to be aware of this and prevent risks before they occur if possible. How has the pandemic helped or hindered your preparation? The pandemic has had a huge effect, mostly negative but some positive. I've been able to focus on training but mostly it has just been me and one other person here. However, now the record attempt team has increased and it is nice to connect and have more of a support group for training. The biggest impact has been the uncertainty. As an athlete, with sports like freediving, you are aware of the fact that it is an expendable job, not as important socially as a Doctor and a teacher. More of a luxury in society as the arts, the sports, they are the first to go in a major fallout or crash. Now having a family has been the main impact on me but luckily I have been able to train consistently through this period with the hope to capitalize on that. What drives you to continue with this? Surely, you've found the human limits for apnea now? No, we have not found the human limits, we never will. it is just a matter of stretching out the grey area of possibility and finding an approximation. We know we can go at least one or two more meters, maybe ten, twenty, who knows! It becomes more and more improbable and our job as athletes is to stretch into that zone and redefine human limits as much as we can. How was the world record attempt dive? Ah, 2020. Did anyone other than Jeff Bezos escape its infamy? I was hoping to end the year on a good note, by attempting a world record in Free Immersion. In training, I logged a dive to 126 m that was not just a personal best and one meter deeper than the current world record, but also one of the strongest and most enjoyable dives in this discipline of my career. Based on the strength of this dive, I announced a world record attempt for December 2020. Then disaster hit. The worst incident of my life. A deep underwater blackout in training was caused not by low oxygen but most likely by toxic levels of carbon dioxide. It was something that has to date been a hidden risk, lurking latent in the deepest depths of competitive freediving. I was under the water for almost 7 minutes and revived by the impeccable action of my safety team as well as a lot of luck. William surrounded by safety divers, who in training revived him after disaster hit while deep underwater. © Johnathan Sunnex What made you try again? Afterward, I wasn’t even thinking about a world record. I took two weeks off and enjoyed being a father to my 20-month-old daughter. But when I tentatively returned to breath-hold and the water I found miraculously that my form had remained, or even improved. Mentally there didn’t seem to be any scars either. After consulting with my team and doctor I decided to press on with the attempts. I built back through the depths again to the point where I was diving close to the record depth. Then 2020 threw me some more challenges: bad weather, a problem with my ear and jaw, a commercial shoot with dates that had to change and overlap with the record attempts… I was still diving strong, but not with the consistency I need in the build-up for an attempt. When the window came for attempting the record I spent the first few days finding my feet again with dives to 118 m and 121 m. Then I decided to attempt the record on the 11th December 2020. After such impressive results in training, what happened on your world record first attempt? The day arrived, and so had a cold front, with low grey skies and temperatures plummeting. The wetsuit I’d been training in wasn’t enough, and after testing the waters I called the dive off, knowing that shivering would cause me to waste precious oxygen before the dive even began. The next day was perfect. The sun makes all the difference when we’re lying stretched out on the surface of the water preparing in the final minutes before a dive. It was the right day for a record attempt, and I felt good, perhaps too good. My time was slower, more relaxed on the way up, and this slight adjustment might have affected my efficiency negatively. After retrieving the tag from 126 m and returning to the surface, I took two breaths then fell back momentarily in a brief surface blackout. It ended as quickly as it had begun, but the damage was done and the dive was disqualified. How did this affect your mindset for the next attempt? I needed to take a day off after the blackout, which meant I was left with one last day, the 14th. The cold had returned just a little, and this combined with some minor mistakes in the descent snowballed into an increasingly negative mental and physical state, until soon after the turn I felt like the dive was almost certain to end badly. I tugged sharply three times on the rope to signal my surface crew, who released the counter ballast, pulling the rope up and giving me a free ride back to the surface. Being pulled quickly upwards, as the weight of the water column slipped off my shoulders it was replaced by the weight of disappointment, and the knowledge that there would be no silver lining to end this year with. What drives you to achieve deeper depths in this sport? Regardless of the result, I have to credit my amazing support team who were faultless in running these attempts. Alex Llinas, Kevin James, and Richard McKenzie were my safety divers, Jani Valdivia was medic, Jonathan Sunnex and Michelle Lynn were taking video, Riccardo Paris was managing the platform equipment, and Chris McCay and Olga Sidorova were the AIDA judges for the attempt. My 24/7 support team has been my incredible family, who have kept me fed, nourished, and motivated in every way. Thank you to my partner Sachiko, our beautiful daughter Mila, my mother-in-law Lily, who has put up with so many months here in the Bahamas, and to my parents and brother who have cheered me from New Zealand. Of course, I couldn’t have even had the privilege of attempting this without the support of my sponsors, Suunto and Orca, who have been loyal to me through both the highs and lows. What's next, William? The hunger for training and plumbing new depths of the oceans and human aquatic potential has not weakened at all, and the day after the attempts finished I found myself drawn back to the Blue Hole for an easy training session. Of those enticing depths, I will never tire. All images were taken by Johnathan Sunnex ©

Spring into action slowly but surely after a longer break between dives. Photo by Alex Kydd. Partial as I am to pies, chips, peas and as many garishly colored fatty sauces as I can cram in, there comes a time when the wetsuit constricts the internal organs so much that radical action is called for. With the new diving season nearly upon us, it’s an opportune moment to review the best ways to trim down and ease those rusty diving muscles back into action. Ease those rusty diving muscles back into action. Photo by Alex Kydd. Improve fitness Get in shape with some cardiovascular exercise, eg. running, swimming or cycling (as well as getting the ticker pumping, this will help develop flexibility, tone and strength in the core muscles of the back, abdomen and legs). Stay hydrated Keep those fluids up, particularly if you’ve had alcohol in the 24 hours before diving. It takes a few days to really get hydrated so stay on top of your water intake. Easy start Short, shallow, and in calm conditions are the only way to get back into the water after a pause. Diving is more fun when it is safer, and careful preparation, visualizations and warm up dives are good practice. Stop smoking No other action will have a more positive effect on your gas consumption, bottom times and overall health. Lose weight A lighter, more hydrodynamic physique will benefit you before, during and after dives. Service kit Regulators and demand valves in particular. Ensure your BCD/dry suit is working properly, your computer has sufficient battery power and the rest of your kit is in good condition – preferably before you get to the dive site! Test dives Try out any new equipment in a pool/sheltered area to get used to it. This goes for recently serviced kit too, have a few dives and be sure you are ready togo diving. |mportant O2 Ensure you have access to oxygen in case of emergency, and make sure you have enough to last. Everyone should know where the oxygen is stowed whilst you are diving, if you aren’t sure then make it your business to find out. Be prepared Keep the details of your nearest chamber/helpline to hand, and if in any doubt, call them earlier rather than later, Photo by Alex Kydd. And remember, some basic but often overlooked ways of minimizing your inert gas burden and decompression stress: Plan the Dive, Dive the Plan Stay well within your planned dive parameters – your computer has an algorithm but has no idea of how tired/unfit/hungover you are, so don’t push its limits Slowly does it Keep your ascent rate controlled – watch your buoyancy, particularly in the shallow part of the water column. Safety chill Incorporate safety stops and pad them out if you have spare gas to do so, especially when you’ve been diving deep, strenuously, or in cold water. Imagine all the wonderful encounters you may experience if you hangout out a little bit longer underwater. Post dive chill Avoid doing any hard exercise for several hours after the dive (this includes lugging all your kit up hill) – bubbles are liberated from off-gassing tissues for some time after you’ve surfaced, and the less they are agitated the better. Multi day chill If you’re diving on multiple occasions over several consecutive days, try to insert a dive-free day every 2-3 days to allow your tissues to desaturate completely. Stay down Don’t go to altitude sooner than is recommended – generally 24 hours from completing your last dive. Photo by Alex Kydd. It’s worth emphasizing that in spite of doing everything correctly, and following all the established preventative strategies outlined above, divers still get bent for no apparent reason. There’s no justice in this world, and life is inherently unfair. So make the call, ask for advice, alert someone, even if you feel you can’t possibly have DCI - any symptom that wasn’t present before the dive should be assumed to be DCI until proven otherwise. About Dr Oli Dr Oli, Hyperdive.co.uk, much like the surface of our blue dot planet Earth, is approximately 60-70% water. He constantly strives to put much of the other 30-40% to good use in the field of diving medicine. Serving as the Medical Director and Senior Hyperbaric Physician at London Diving Chamber, UK for 13 years, this post at one of the busiest hyperbaric chambers in the UK has given him extensive experience in the assessment and management of all types of diving accidents and emergencies. In addition he has gained a thorough knowledge of the practice of hyperbaric medicine, for non-diving conditions.

It is with great sadness that we announce the news that our beloved Dr Bruce Wienke, a true pioneer in his field of dive specific algorithm design, has passed away leaving behind a great legacy. A keen diver, and downhill skier, Dr Wienke’s interest in diving was reflected in his achievements, and great success as seen in his accolades. His astonishing CV included Instructor Trainer and Technical Instructor with NAUI, a Master Instructor with PADI, Institute Director for YMCA, and an Instructor Trainer/Technical Instructor for SDI/TDI. “Most of the diving I have done has always been interesting and exciting. To my Australian friends, diving the Great Barrier Reef was incredible. Another favourite place is diving underneath the Arctic ice. It is just amazing; the water is cold of course, but it is just amazing. It is so clear, and perhaps because of the overhead ice and the associated underwater activity it’s like diving in a three dimensional surrealistic world. It is fantastic, and contrary to what you might think there is a variety of life down there. Very cool.” Dr Bruce Wienke. Dr Wienke joined Suunto in the late 90’s, where he hit the ground running and didn’t stop. The collaboration arose after some of his diving work published on core screen modelling in the open literature and was noticed by Ari Nikkola who was at the time presiding over the inhouse the algorithm development at Suunto. Employing his great expertise in the diving specific algorithm field, he joined Ari Nikkola in the development of the revolutionary Reduced Gradient Bubble Model (RGBM). The RGBM, a name first coined by Dr Wienke, is a dual phase approach to staging diver ascents over an extended range of diving applications (altitude, nonstop, decompression, multiday, repetitive, multilevel, mixed gas, and saturation) and a giant stride forward from previous modified Haldanean decompression models. Prior to joining the Suunto family, Dr Wienke was a Program Manager in the Nuclear Weapons Technology Simulation and Computing Office at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) where he completed research up until his death. As head of the LANL Nuclear Counter Measures Dive Team involving Special Warfare Units both above and below the water, he trained alongside the special forces well into his 70s. His interests were in computational decompression models, gas transport, and phase mechanics. He was the author of five monographs on his field, as well as more than 200 technical journal articles and was an active contributor to underwater symposia, educational publications, technical periodicals and decompression workshops. Alongside his high achieving work life, he served actively as a consultant for decompression algorithms within the dive industry and he worked with Divers Alert Network, DAN, on applications of high performance computing and communications for diving. Wienke’s first Suunto dive computer releases were the Vyper and Cobra in 1999, which is still accompanying divers all over the world on their underwater adventures, shortly followed by the iconic, best-selling Suunto Stinger dive computer. With his continued support, Suunto together with Dr Wienke, using his own source code, created the Technical RGBM. Now including helium gas, and rated to a depth of 120m, the Suunto HelO2 and D9tx opened the door to the technical dive market. A major new release in 2012 from Dr Wienke saw the Suunto Fused RGBM which combined the Full RGBM and the Technical model. Greatly benefiting both the recreational and technical diver, the algorithm now supported rebreathers, and new depths were conquered with a 150m rating. The Suunto Fused™ RGBM 2 can be found in the latest releases, the Suunto Eon Series and the D5. The algorithm manages dissolved gas and free-gas in both the tissues and blood of a diver making it significantly smarter than any previous models. Dr Wienke described this algorithm as a supermodel. Dr Bruce Wienke was a widely regarded and respected figure of the dive industry, and he will be by missed all his Suunto family. He died on Saturday 15th February 2020, and is survived by his wife, Annie.

An explorer alone in a frozen landscape breaks into the ice and descends into a vast, alien underwater world with no light besides what she carries. The eerie atmosphere, the unknown behind the curtain of darkness, the presence of another, all create tension in this film praised as a cinematic masterpiece. Initially released in 2018, Dive Odyssey, by Finnish filmmaker Janne Kasperi Suhonen, is the story of an explorer and an aquanaut meeting in a mystical underwater labyrinth, hidden from the world by deep snow and frozen ground. “I often make the analogy between technical diving and space,” says underwater explorer Andy Torbet, who plays the enigmatic aquanaut in the film. “The cold, the darkness, the psychology and the total reliance on your equipment to survive. But more than that you are entering the most alien, other-worldly place in our planet. And if you needed any convincing the aquatic world is one of alien wonder this film does just that.” Photo by Dive Odyssey. The film was shot in the old and long abandoned Ojamo limestone mine near the city of Lohja, 60 km from Helsinki. It’s now a modern day diver’s paradise with many kilometers of tunnels to explore, all starting at a depth of 28 m, and descending to 250 m. The main character in the film, the mysterious orange clad explorer, is played by technical and cave dive Gemma Smith. Shooting the film was no glamourous Hollywood acting gig. “As we all know roses grow out of the dirt and in this case, the dirt was the hardest diving I have ever done,” she says. “I am so proud of this project that when I am 90 years old, I will still look back on these dives and be impressed.” Photo by Dive Odyssey. Enduring four to five hour long dives in 2° C water was a challenge for the dive team. Add to that the need for a large amount of equipment, self dug entrance holes in the ice, and the requirement to film at night to ensure the popular dive spot was empty. “Imagine this: rebreathers, scooters, overhead environments, large decompression obligations with a reverse thermocline at the surface as we hit the lake to decompress once we were out of the mine – and all at night time,” Gemma says. After the dive team’s first dive in Ojamo, a short two hour jaunt, they returned to the surface only to discover that the exit hole had frozen over. The surface team quickly broke the ice to set the divers free. After that, strict surface protocols were followed to continually break the ice and prevent the exit from freezing over again. “With water temperatures hitting 0° C diving conditions were tough,” Andy says. "Mix in dives to almost 100 m with kilometres of underground scootering carrying torches and cameras and you begin to realise this was a team effort where every individual is top of their game. It’s an environment most people would never choose to go, let alone make a film in. But the people made it possible.” In order to dive the Ojamo mines, or any overhead dive environment, special training and equipment are required. The tunnels are perfect for cave and mine divers to explore. They are horizontal, and in layers with constant depths. The longest straight stretch is 1.7 km. Ojamo has become one of the most popular dive sites not only in Finland, but all of Scandinavia. Suunto dive engineers regularly dive in the mine. The team of dedicated divers have amassed thousands of hours inside the tunnels while testing Suunto technology. This is an important part of the development process, and to constantly improve to ensure all Suunto devices meet strict performance targets. It wasn’t always a labyrinthine diving paradise. Back in the 18th century it was limestone mine, and was then converted into a prison camp during the Second World War, when Finland was fighting the Soviet Union. The prisoners worked around the clock in hellish conditions until the end of the war. Mining operations recommenced after the cessation of hostilities, but not for long, however. The value of limestone plummeted in the 1960s; the mine was abandoned, leaving it to slowly fill with water and ultimately preserving its magic and history. Diving inside the eerie tunnels through the crystal clear water you can see what was left behind, including extensive tunnel systems, miners tools scattered on the floor, lightbulbs that look ready to switch on, even boxes of dynamite lay frozen in time in the cold water. Divers have spent many years exploring and mapping the system, keen to discover unexplored routes. Why not explore this underwater adventure park yourself? Learn more about the film here: https://diversofthedark.com/ https://www.diveodyssey.net/ Lead image: Photo by Divers of the Dark

Suunto Ambassador, pioneering cave diver, explorer and author Jill Heinerth talks about diving physiology in episode one of this four part series. Can’t wait to watch the episodes? Click the links to dive right in! Watch Episiode 1 now Watch Epsiode 2 now Watch Episode 3 now Watch Episode 4 now In this episode, Jill Heinerth discusses the basics of dive physics and physiology and how to better use your dive computers as an effective tool when planning, and executing dives.   Talking biological tissue and dive computers, Jill explains how the body reacts to the inert gas you breathe during a dive. When the body is subject to pressure from depth during a dive, it ‘on gasses’ as the inert gas dissolves into your tissues.   Our body tissues include the blood, the brain, ligaments, skin, bone, fat and all your organs and each tissue is delivered different amounts of blood, therefore absorbing different amounts of gas.   The rate in which tissues uptake and release the gas occurs differently for each group of tissues. The groups are sorted into different compartments alongside tissues that have similar gas saturation properties and behave in the same manner.   A dive computer allows the diver to view information that assists them on a dive, and the diver has the opportunity to decide to follow the device.   A dive computer will not, for the most, consider the individual differences of each diver using it. The "type" of diver that is considered is an average person, and there is an added safety margin to take into account to accommodate variations.   Your Suunto dive computer is based on mathematical models. This model, or algorithm, calculates the on gassing and off gassing of your compartments. The algorithm implemented at the core of a computer is a simulation of what happens to gases in a diver's body in an environment where pressure changes.   The research and development team at Suunto test, test and test again to ensure they meet the strictest performance targets. The dive team at Suunto are constantly improving and fine tuning the devices by diving with them over and over again, because we know you will too.   Check out episode one now and explore these topics further. Episode 2 In episode two of Dive In, Jill Heinerth discusses how your dive commuter calculates ascents or decompression stops as we delve deeper into the basics of diving physics and physiology for both recreational divers, and those who dive beyond.   Having discussed how the human body stores and releases inert gas in the last episode, this week Jill examines how your dive computer calculates the maths that work out how the body gets rid of gas during off gassing, and how an ascent is just the beginning of the off-gassing process. Off gassing ends when the body has reached and found equilibrium with the surface.   When the body cannot take on any more gas into solution, it is termed- critical super saturation. This critical moment of reaching maximum pressure is known as the M value.   Different compartments mean lots of M values to consider in order to calculate how the body off gases when ascending during a dive.   Recreational divers will only consider the fast tissues. The time and depth parameters that recreational divers adhere to, keeps them away from nearing critical super saturation point. This is so they may directly ascend to the surface without a decompression stop.   Tech divers load both their fast and slower tissues, and this adds another layer of considerations. Sunnto has a team of dedicated researchers, engineers and testers who are constantly improving algorithms and have much real world dive data to use for their improvements.   Jill dives with Suunto, and says, “I have been diving with Suunto dive computers for over 20 years. Part of this is because I have seen the rigorous testing regiments, I’ve seen the manufacturing standards, as well as their active algorithm research and development. I’ve been to the factory, seen their testing and I know I can rely on their commitment to excellence.”   Find out why decompression models use up to 16 different theoretical tissue compartments and many more hot topics as Jill explains how your computer works in the second episode of Dive In.   Tune in next time for episode 3 to watch Jill get deep with personal factors and gradient factors. Episode 3 Do you know what your Personal Factors are?   In a world where we are able to choose a product based on what is best suited for our individual needs, why would such a crucial piece of dive equipment, your dive computer, be any different?   Personal factors should not be over looked, yet many divers never read in to the dive computer manual deep enough to understand that their device can be tailored to suit an individual’s need. External influences can be taken into account and the dive computer conservatism setting can factor in risks for each dive. This is a very important part of safer dive planning.   During this episode of Dive In, we look at what the personal factors on a Suunto computer are, and how they need to be applied.   Jill also talks gradient factors, algorithms and dive teams. Few users, or even instructors actually understand how gradient factors work, or what they are. She shines a light on how different decompression models behave, and how dive buddies can work together even if they are diving following different decompression models.   Jill delves into what each number of the gradient factor represent, which one is more important and how to use them in your dive planning.   Jill also looks into the deep stop mystery. As divers we still have a lot of research to do into them, and over the years there has been much conflicting anecdotal advice. There is much misinformation buzzing around social media and dive forums leading to a vast amount of confusion.   Watch now as Jill Heinerth sets us straight on the key issues in this episode of Dive in. Make sure you tune in next week for the fourth, the final and bonus episode where Jill shares her story of getting hit.   Episode 4 In the final instalment of Dive In, Suunto Ambassador Jill Heinerth discusses her experience of getting ’hit’ with Decompression Sickness (DCS) twenty years ago, what she has since learnt, and how she has adapted her dives to suit her.   Jill was thousands of dives into her career and thought it would never happen to her. DCS, or the bends, is a sports injury and there is a spectrum of how the bubbles can affect your body from a skin rash to paralysis. In many cases the resulting tissue damage will remain, perhaps increasing the risk of another hit. Making a few minor changes to her dive since her experience, watch to see how Jill optimises her off gassing phase on a dive and what surprises she has found by doing that little bit extra.   No mathematical algorithm can guarantee your absolute safety, and it is unfair to blame a device if you do get bent. Use your computer to the full and be armed with the knowledge of exactly how it works. Dive computers open up a whole wealth of new underwater adventures, so for one last time, let’s Dive In with Jill.        

As a pioneering cave diver and explorer, documentary maker and author Jill Heinerth has educated and inspired people around the world about our incredible underwater world and the human impact on it. The International Scuba Diver Hall of Fame is an annual event that recognizes people who have significantly and positively impacted the industry through education, exploration, adventure and more. Founded by the Cayman Islands Ministry of Tourism in 2000, the award ceremony will take place in September 2020 in the Caymans. During an announcement ceremony at DEMA Show, 2019, Jill spoke of what the award means to her. “Such an amazing honor for a young woman who started her professional diving career in the Cayman Islands a long time ago. This is really fantastic at a time in my life that is very meaningful where I am just releasing my new book Into the Planet and a new documentary, Under Thin Ice. Thank you for this incredible honor! I look forward to visiting the Cayman Islands to accept it.” There were three more nominees announced for the 2020 induction and they are Handicapped Scuba Association Founder Jim Gatacre, DEMA Executive Director Tom Ingram, and Undersea Hunter Group Founder Avi Klapfer. Jill was at the Suunto booth this year signing copies of her incredible memoir, Into the Planet. Released in August, Into the Planet is a thrilling insight into places inside the Earth you may not have imagined exist, but where Jill has dived. She bravely illustrates intense political issues and presents hard evidence about the impacted ice caps and beyond. Her autobiography explores life-or-death decision-making in critical underwater situations, the pain and difficulty involved in recovering the dead bodies of her tragically lost friends from caves that no one else in the world has the ability, training, and mindset to access due to such extreme conditions. Speaking at a Suunto function during DEMA Show, 2019, Jill talked about her memories, which are fascinating for both divers and non divers thanks to their important messages.

Blue Element kicks off tomorrow for their 3rd event in Dominica. Suunto Dive caught up with one of the founders, Johnathan Sunnex, to find out what it is all about before media manager and freediver Francesca Koe takes over our Instagram feed tomorrow. Photo by Daan Verhoeven What is Blue Element? Blue Element is an international freediving experience that encompasses multiple days of diving, beach clean-ups, island exploration and much more! It is held annually in the picture perfect island of Dominica! Sofia Gomez Uribe and I founded Blue Element freediving in 2016. This is the third BE competition which was founded in 2016. Hurricane Maria prevented the 2017 edition, but last year the BE team were able to re-establish the event despite the country still being in recovery mode after the hurricane devastation. The event is held in Soufriere Bay/Scotts Head in the very south of Dominica. Dominica is a small island nation, a part of the Lesser Antilles island chain in the Caribbean. Why is the location so amazing? The Soufriere Bay offers world class conditions year round, unlike any other location on earth. The water temperature ranges between 26-30°C, the visibility is between 20-30m and there are no waves, no currents and effectively no depth limit. To add to this, the bay is surrounded by high mountains carpeted with lush tropical jungles creating the perfect backdrop. The custom built freediving platform is currently set in 160 m and just a five minute swim from shore. Are you expecting any records? The Blue Element team pride themselves in creating an atmosphere where athletes can perform at their very best. Dozens of national records and several world records have already been set here over the past four years and we expect this event to be no different!Blue Element 2019 will be attended by 30 athletes from around the world, including many national record holders, vice and world champions. We can expect to see many records fall at this event including national, continental and possibly world records. What disciplines compete and on what days? Athletes have the choice to compete in as many or as few of the competitive depth disciplines as they choose. There are six days of diving split into three sets of two. We are expecting 30 athletes to be competing this year and more than 150 official performances. Have you seen the event grow? Hurricane Maria was quite a setback and it took a lot to regain momentum. The event continues to grow each year and this year we will have almost three times the number of athletes than attended the inaugural competition. Photograph by Daan Verhoeven What can the athletes win? Suunto D6i’s, Suunto D5’s, carbon blade Alchemy fins and shirts, custom made Elios wetsuits, Octopus nose prize packs, All-Swim swimwear, high end Pacsafe back packs made of recycled fishing nets, ADIDAS shirts, Recycled plastic Blue Element T-shirts, custom medals. Who are the judges? Two of the world’s leading judges, Carla Hansen and Vedran Milat. Who runs the safety team? Chief of Safety Louisa Collyns of the UK returns to lead our experienced team of safety divers. The safety team have been hand selected and are comprised of several 80-90m divers in their own right. Will the rules be governed by AIDA or CMAS standards? AIDA International. Who is taking the official pictures? Predominantly the man, the myth the legend, Daan Verhoeven. I will likely join him behind the camera for some session. Will you have Dive Eye? Not this year but the event will be covered by our professional media team with event videos and live streaming from the platform. We have cameras placed strategically to get all of the best angles from both above and below the surface! You will be able to catch the live stream from our Facebook page, and the videos will be uploaded to our social media channels. We will also be taking over the Suunto Dive Instagram feed live from the dive platform. Photograph by Daan Verhoeven What is your history in freediving? I have been involved with freediving since 2011. I competed for the first time the same year in Kalamata for the Med Cup and then the AIDA World Championship. I placed somewhere in the middle of the field, but these events and the athletes who were in attendance inspired me to make a full commitment to freediving. I vowed to myself that when I would return I would be there for a podium placing. I moved to Egypt and I started to teach and train full time. Living next to the ocean mean't I had easier access to depth which allowed me to progress quickly and I made my first dive below 100 m in November of 2012. The following year I returned to Kalamata for the AIDA Depth World Championship and, as I had hoped, this time I managed to place third in free immersion, winning a bronze medal. I ranked third overall for depth diving in 2012 and 2013 with deepest official results of 105 m CWT, 101 m FIM and 65 m CNF set in the Bahamas at Vertical Blue. After the death of two friends (fellow freedivers) I switched my focus towards coaching and safety diving. I had thoughts about leaving the sport, but I soon realised that that wouldn’t change anything and that I would be better off staying and trying to make the sport safer. I ran safety seminars and returned to Long Island in the Bahamas, this time as the Chief of Safety and co-organiser. I hand selected a group of free divers that I knew would be up to the task of looking after the deepest divers in the world pushing their bodies to the absolute limit. I applied the same mindset to running the safety team to what I had used in my own personal training. We approached safety diving with performance in mind. Team bonding for cohesion, rescue drills and emergency training to sharpen our skills, incident reviews for learning opportunities and to strive for improvement. This approach has since been adopted by many other events and has set the standard for the international freediving community. Since then, I have coached athletes to more than 70 national and continental records as well as seven world records. I am an instructor trainer with AIDA International and I continue to organise freediving events. I enjoy exploring and documenting the underwater world with my camera, and have dived in all continents, including both polar regions. Will you compete? Once the competition is underway and everything is running how it should, then yes, I plan to take off my organizers hat for a few minutes each day to perform some dives! Photograph by Daan Verhoeven Any hot tips or words of inspiration you would like to share? Freediving, like life, is often a trial of tribulations. Success takes patience and persistence but inevitably hard work and determination pays off. Links: Photography by Daan Verhoeven Blue Element Facebook Blue Element Instagram Blue Element Website

A team of Suunto divers embarked on an epic journey to the remote islands of West Papua last year to explore the flourishing waters of Raja Ampat. They were amongst the first divers to experience the Suunto D5, and to shared jaw dropping video and images every diver dreams of seeing firsthand. This marine environment there boasts the richest reefs in the world, and unsurprisingly entices divers from all over the globe to make the journey and discover this paradise for themselves. Let's explore together! Why I Dive, film by Janne Suhonen. Photographer Steve Woods.

"I have dived and documented climate change firsthand for decades. How we plan for it and adapt to it in the next few years will determine the future of our civilization. That’s what draws me to scuba dive under the ice in the northern reaches of my homeland, Canada.”-Jill Heinerth wrote for the LA Times this week. Jill Heinerth © Under teh sea ice near Bylot Island Spending the first half of the year on the Underwater Canada Expedition, Heinerth uses her adventures to connect people to their water planet compelled to demonstrate how their lives impact the source. Jill and her team successfully visited every province and territory in Canada to dive and tell the tales of water from her experiences in each region. ⁠ Unstoppable in her plight explorer, cave diver and Suunto Ambassador Jill Heinerth is currently travelling and speaking to audiences and media platforms across Canada and USA on her book tour. Released in August, Into the Planet is a thrilling insight into places inside this earth you may not have imagined existed, that Heinerth has dived while bravely illustrating intense political issues and presenting hard evidence about the impacted ice caps and beyond. Photo Courtesy of U.S. Deep Caving Team/Wes Skiles⁠. © Diving with the US Deep Caving Team at Wakulla Springs, I felt like I was involved in a space shot. But there is no Mission Control to call for help on a journey that can reach miles into the earth.⁠ With the upcoming DEMA Show fast approaching on the diving event calendar, Suunto Dive are super excited to announce Jill will be joining the Suunto stand to sign copies of her incredible adventures in documenting climate change, cave diving and film making for the past 30 years on 13th and 14th November 2019 in Orlando, Florida. Into the Planet is a riveting account of one of the most dangerous yet exhilarating pursuits in the world. ⁠ Jill Heinerth © Ice Formations “As one of the most celebrated cave divers in the world, Jill Heinerth has seen the planet in a way almost no one has. In a workday, she might swim below your home, through conduits in volcanoes or cracks in the world’s largest iceberg. She’s an explorer, a scientist’s eyes and hands underwater—discovering new species and examining our finite freshwater reserves—and a filmmaker documenting the wonders of underwater life." Into the Pla Often the lone woman in a male-dominated domain, she tests the limits of human endurance at every tight turn, risking her life with each mission. To not only survive in this world but excel, Jill has had to learn how to master fear like no other.” -Into the Planet by Jill Heinerth

Suunto Dive are super excited to announce Alex Kydd is joining the Suunto Ambassador family. Photographer, marine biologist and diver originally from Melbourne, Australia, Alex now proclaims to being “based on” Ningaloo Reef Western Australia honoring the number of hours that he spends exploring underwater capturing his breath-taking images. A rare shot of Alex Kydd in front of the camera taken photographer Alfred Minnaarr. © Alex trains like an athlete in his discipline. Practising every day, editing all the time and descending beneath the surface has led him to achieve artistry in his images. Alex's photos stand out above the rest with his dedication and passion aiding his continued development as a photographer enabling him to produce his unique shots. “The ocean is my happy place. Every time you enter the water you never know what you might see and it's such a misunderstood ecosystem. Everything is connected and the more time you spend in it, the more you appreciate.” Alex Kydd by photographer Alfred Minnaarr © Beginning his diving journey with snorkelling at 16 in the cool waters off Melbourne where he grew up, he later began scuba diving on a trip to Thailand in 2009 where he firmly solidified his love and respect for the ocean. Exploring his passion further Alex studied Marine Biology at university and four years ago he started his journey into the world of underwater photography and has had not had a chance to look back. “At age 16 I first started taking photos. I had a very basic 2m waterproof camera for snorkelling in Melbourne. I progressed slowly to more upgraded cameras over the next few years. Eventually I had enough savings and I got myself a DSLR and housing. I was going out taking 500-1000 photos per day and editing them every night. This I believe, fast tracked me to learn. The best advice I can give for underwater photography is to find a mentor or like-minded people to learn from.” Alex’s next stops on his extensive adventuring are Raja Ampat, West Papua, French Polynesia and Fiji where he will be exploring with his new dive computers including the Suunto EON Core, Suunto D5 and Suunto Tank POD. Alex’s favourite device at the moment is the Suunto D5. He also represents Fourth Element and Ocean Positive as a team diver. Alex Kydd: Instagram

Well known now for his higher-level training of professional and technical divers, along with a wealth of experience Johan began life in Netherlands and completed his first dive in Tunisia with CMAS in 1996. Immediately impressed he purchased all his own equipment and rose to instructor level in a short time. He concentrated on specialising so he could broaden his knowledge which is where Johan developed his passion. After divng on the wrecks in the North Sea he found his calling and continued training in wreck diving and Trimix so he could explore deeper sites that hadn’t had their treasures pillaged like the wrecks at shallower depths. “At greater depths I found the wrecks were more intact. I am talking about wrecks 80 meters and these wrecks are less exposed and also in better condition because they are not so exposed as those at shallower depths.” Johan de With selfie. To help him explore even more depth, his dive training led him onto rebreathers. He realised the limitation of many of his open circuit dives was the number of cylinders he could carry it seemed only natural for him to transition from open circuit. “In 2015, together with Markku Diedrich, I dived a world record mixed team in Lake Thun, Switzerland (fresh, cold water) I was on OC and Markku on CCR where we travelled to a depth of 166.5m.” Recording of the team’s deepest dive in a book of records. Johan’s deep accolades do not end there. “On the rebreather I dived into caves to a depth of 14m. On open system in the caves up to 103m. On the rebreather in open water up to 183m. Open water on open system 166.4m.” Johan now works as commercial diver and an instructor at the only private institute of commercial professional diving in the Netherlands. He also teaches deep technical diving and has his own gas filling station, Techduikschool Nederlands. An important part of his diving is communicating information to the dedicated team of Dive Engineers at Suunto HQ as he puts computers to the test in the field and ensures they meet strict performance targets. The infomation Johan feeds back allows the engineers to improve and fine tune devices allowing for the best user experience and in turn lets divers focus on the action and rely on their robust companions in the toughest conditions. In action training professional divers in the Netherlands. “I dive and test a lot for Suunto and share as much information as possible and give feedback about these computers both positively and negatively. I currently dive with the EON Steel and the EON Core and with the also since its release, the Suunto D5. I use this during all my dives both OC in open water and caves and CCR in open water and in caves. As a backup I have my bottom timers with wet-note, and a spare computer in my pocket. Everywhere and always, even with commercial diving I take the Suunto D5 into the water. I do this so that I also have a digital log of all my commercial dives.” Suunto Dive computers stand the test of these extreme adventures alongside Johan. Johan is not just an Ambassador for Suunto Dive, he represents brands including Ursuit and Bare drysuits, Tecline, Ammonite for lighting and Paralenz to capture the action on camera also with great satisfaction and pride. "Regardless of environment depth or length of the dive or type of dive OC or CCR, technical diving must be feasible for everyone regardless of their financial status. These are brands that certainly think of the customer with price quality. I notice these companies listen and do a lot with the feedback given by us as Brand Ambassadors and testers of these materials.” Jyri Vehmaskoski, Suunto EON Steel product team: "You don't dive if you don't trust your equipment. Everything we build is tested by real-world divers like us. Our gear is functional, accurate, and built to take a beating – and has hundreds of test dives to prove it." Learn more about Suunto Dive products at suunto.com

Steve Woods has amassed stacks of content illustrating his experiences underwater including thousands of photos that represent the true devastation of the human impact on our natural world. Through his photographic artistry he has successfully utilized his talent to tell the world this sad story that everything is not OK and we need to initiate change. The Driving Force Steve’s dedicated parents drove for hours across the UK so that they would be able to make their son’s dreams come true, they would take him to any shark exhibition they could locate until one day, there was to be a real shark on display. He was on the edge of his seat, apprehensive, and excited about what he was going to see. On arrival Steve rushed to find the shark only to be confronted with a papier maché model instead. Unperturbed by the severe disappointment, the young wildlife enthusiast did not give up his quest to see a real shark. © Steve Woods Photography Steve began diving at nine years old and with his family and qualified alongside his parents and two sisters in Turkey when he was twelve. “When I was a kid I used to watch old VHS documentaries, I had three or four of them that I collected over the years, relics from birthday and Christmas celebrations gone by I would view them over and over until they tapes wore too thin to play. At any chance I could I would beg my parents to take me down the local garden centre that had an aquarium inside to see the ragged tooth and the grey nurse sharks. I would sit there for hours just watching it slowly doing laps around and around the tank,” reminisces Steve. Fifteen years later he saw the shark he had been dreaming of. The Journey Steve spent his early career working in journalism in the UK driven by a deep seated desire to change the world and make it a better place. Steve grasps the importance of illustrating the issues we face as a community and wants to reach people who perhaps have a lesser understanding of the impact of their everyday actions. During his journalist years he committed a lot of time uncovering the detrimental aspects of fish farming and fisheries and spent time underwater to see how the problems could be managed and minimised. The 2008 shark experience Steve had in Indonesia stayed with him and he soon found himself burning his savings on new camera equipment, securing a one way ticket to Indonesia and leaving the world of British journalism far behind for a life of adventure and to use his photography skills to help protect the oceans. Once he arrived in Lombok he took up work with local dive centres and photographed guests on their diving adventures so they could take home cool memories from their dive trips. The experience was valuable as it gave him a deeper understanding of how to capture light in water and the technicalities of shooting stills under the sea in order to capture the powerful and clear images he does today. Soon he found himself involved in setting up a shark conservation foundation alongside a team of local groups and conservation projects called the Gili Shark Foundation. © Steve Woods Photography Gili Shark Foundation “We began photographing sharks, we thought they were all the same as did the community. When we started identifying them we noticed there were many more than we initially thought there were. Gili Shark Foundation was a great way to get the whole island working together. Everyone was involved in shark counts, events and data collecting.” Steve had achieved what he set out to do by using his passion to highlight nature and the human impact. After a successful time in the Gili islands he moved to Raja Ampat to continue working in conservation. Plastic is prevalent in remote areas, as well as most other environments and Raja is experiencing the same issues. Steve worked with the local communities to show them how to start and maintain effective conservation efforts in areas that have potential. The key to successful conservation projects is longevity with a clear plan for the future. “The only way to change the human habits it by educating an involving the local communities. If you go in and rule over a population then it is an imperialistic act. When we came to Raja, the locals were well aware the plastic waste was increasing and that fish stocks were decreasing. We worked together to come up with a plan that would enhance their lives and make them more money.” Steve says. Looking back on his career so far, he talks of many memorable moments working underwater including humpback whale, shark, manta encounters but he considers the smaller experiences that really stick with you as a photographer and as a human. “Originally when we set up the shark foundation we were rescuing sharks from fisherman in Bali and then we got permission from the government to release them into a fishing projected area in Lombok. First time I had ever done anything like this. We completed research, spoke to people and made plans. Collected the animals and sent them off on a fast boat to be released into water. Who knows if they were going to survive, but we had given them a chance.” Steve says. Three months later they identified that same shark by the dot pattern in the skin. Steve acknowledges this is a small achievement while 200-400 million sharks slaughtered every year, but this moment struck a chord and the feeling has stayed with him. More and more he uses his photography working alongside marine conservationists to support their work and he hopes to grow this reach and increase the impact. © Steve Woods Photography The Future “Visual language is so important nowadays, if people know they can change their minds.” Ask Steve how he will change the world in the future, he will tell you “one step at a time”. © Steve Woods Photography Suunto took five lucky competition winners of the trip to Raja Ampat on the Suunto D5 photo shoot, they were dive instructor Rosie Sheb'a from Australia, student Niko Lekhraj from Singapore, outdoor guide Anders Vestergård from Denmark, designer Xiaomo "Momo" Wang from China and nature activist Lilian Ellevog from Norway. See them diving in Suunto D5 images and videos.

Janne Kasperi Suhonen © Last year Suunto took a group of competition winners out to Indonesia for the Suunto D5 photo shoot to produce inspirational content. We had never explored these waters before and we soon saw the fruits of hard work. It was to say, nothing less than inspiring and the story behind this special location is just as wonderful. Steve Woods Photography © The Best Diving in the World? A young fisherman stood at the edge of the water on West Papua next to his canoe. Inside the canoe there were two turtles that he had caught on his morning excursion. Max Ammer walked past the fisherman by the canoe and immediately his interests were sparked. After a brief chat and small negotiation, the pair agreed a fair price for the sale of the turtles. Once the money was exchanged, Max sprang into action and suddenly flipped the first turtle over the side of the canoe to which the fisherman promptly jumped in the shallow water after it. In the splash and confusion Max then took his chance flipped the other turtle off the other side of the canoe back into the ocean and watched it happily swim away. With the fisherman staring in awe at what was in his understanding a ludicrous occurrence, Max simply told the fisherman, “I like turtles”. That same fisherman was soon to become the first dive guide at the five-star eco resort run by Max Ammer on Kri Island in a unique location where in an extraordinary case, the reefs are getting richer. Steve Woods Photography © The Concept Max Ammer went to Papua after a long life of nature filled early years, growing up in Nigeria on an animal refugee camp run by his parents. They nursed birds, crocodiles, chimpanzees to name but a few species back to health and released them into the wild if they could. These formative years have certainly affected Max and led him on his quest for protecting nature. Max learnt to dive while in the special forces in 1982 but it was not an enjoyable experience for him. “I learnt not how to quit but how not to quit.” Max talks of the key message he took home from his diving course. Thirty years later and Max arrived in the pristine island paradise on Raja Ampat Islands, off West Papua in 1989 in search of wrecks and little else. He had a tip off whilst living in the Netherlands that led him to pack his bags and head off around the world in search of sunken treasures. The tip was from Max’s landlord who had been based in the Pacific at the end of the war and according to the story, he witnessed the Allied forces bulldozing aircrafts and Jeeps into the water. At that time his job was building and restoring Harley Davidsons and classic bikes from the war so he was certainly interested. On arrival at the remote island he found the jeeps with ease and began removing the data plates to sell to members of the Keep Them Rolling group of classic car collectors for approximately 250$ a piece. “I found them. I still have a glove compartment form a WW2 jeep over there now.” Max muses as he sits by the ocean beach front of the Eco resort in Papua. He found the aircraft wrecks were slightly harder to find. After an initial investigation of the area he thought it best to return with a zodiac, a Bauer compressor and some equipment to dive in and find them. Morotai Island was the location of the Allied forces strategic base where 50,000 soldiers served under Supreme Commander for the West Pacific, General Douglas Macarthur. There were about 500 aircraft take offs every day from the base as he island was a major base with it being just a short step over to the Philippines and Borneo. In his search for the wrecks around Morotai Island Max formed friendships with the locals. He opened up honest communications and he fell in love with their warmth. He describes their nature as friendly and at some point, he thought he wanted to work with them, he wanted to build something great and he wanted to see change in the future. Steve Woods Photography © The Dive Show The idea of the eco resort idea came to light as it was the perfect balance of working with the locals and working with people while protecting nature. Max took their ideas to a dive show with intention. He designed an iconic stand never seen at a dive show before and filled it with plants and local artefacts to entice people to the yet unbuilt resort. He decided that if he landed three sets of guests they would go ahead with the project plan; he sold two years’ worth of guests. “I rushed back to the island and told the guys we have to build this thing the guests are coming! Sometime later, lost in time, it was ready. I was actually walking out the back door with the build team as the guests walked in the front!” Max remembers fondly. The locals lived a remote life and a lot of his team previously worked as loggers, fisherman, shark fin fisherman and poachers having had little or no access to education. Now part of the crew, they have all ceased what they were doing and are serious about protecting the reef. They earn more money, have security for their families and access to education while working on this unique reef system that is getting richer in fish species and corals. Since the beginning Max and the team have put the protection of the burgeoning ecosystem at the forefront of their priorities. This has proven to be a wise move as the fruits of the work can be seen in the thriving fish counts. Steve Woods Photography © Conservation on Raja Ampat A group of scientists from Conservation International visited the eco resorts on Raja and conducted studies and counts documenting the numbers of fish and coral species along the house reefs. They counted the largest amount of fish species in the world which led to National Geographic reporting on the resort which of course was fantastic exposure. Twelve years later, scientist Gerry Allan returned to do another count and found that there had been an increase of 91 species in the same area totalling 374 species of fish on one dive, making it the richest area in the world. Max puts this down to beginning the protection before the reef had been destroyed unlike many other marine protected zones. They are not wasting energy trying to revive an ecosystem that has already been destroyed, they are building on a top of a flourishing base and these hardy coral polyps seem able endure a larger fluctuation of sea temperatures than other species so are being transported around the word to be implanted and successfully grown in other systems. “Scientists are looking to see if it will be possible to transplant our corals from our home to other areas where they are not surviving. We are not sure but people are researching this possibility. Perhaps our corals are more evolved, stronger, but I can’t really answer that yet.” Says Max. The diverse variety of natural schemes in Raja around the two resorts include bay areas and swamps amongst the lush swarms of vegetation. The water is warm and the equatorial location has constant access to nutrient rich waters bringing in a healthy supply of food to support the great wealth of nature that relies on this orchestra of occurrence. There are of course stresses on the environment, including those caused by running two resorts on the wild and remote island but Max sees it is all about balance in this situation. “There are always stress on environment. What we tried to do at the resort is plan how we can help educate people for the future. We also work with the government, but they do not do enough, they should be more involved in our opinion, and we try to work with them and educate them, then hopefully there can be encouraged to be more proactive and initiate change.” As it stands Raja is able to handle more tourism but the expansion must be on the right terms and make the least footprint. Regimented planning and organisation will be the key to successful growth including processes such as strict waste management schemes, green energy generation and protection of nature in the area will have a positive influence. Educating guests on their own environmental impacts as visitors is an important part of the eco experience. Beginning with using eco-friendly sunscreen that will encourage better behaviours that they can take home with them and spread the word amongst peers. The resorts are aided in their plight of protection by a constant stream of researchers including overseas students that come and study the area and collaborate with the ground team. Environmental dangers are changing across Papua, including increased plastic pollution being a serious risk to the natural environment. The ground team are more than aware that they should be considerate and careful and encourage guests and visitors to adopt the same attitudes while sharing knowledge and ideas and working together so they can grow and concentrate on creating a wonderful future for the local area, its inhabitants and beyond. “We hope in September to welcome five students to conduct their own research and look at different aspects of the issues we are facing here to help towards making things better and better for the future.” Max continues with an excited tone, “we love working with Conservation International and we are blessed to have this opportunity to work alongside them.” Steve Woods Photography © Flying High for the Future There is one surprising element of this conservation project that is somewhat unexpected, their collection of Bell 47 helicopters hidden inside a huge hanger just behind the beach that houses enough spare parts to build a further three helicopters. Max built the machines himself and the advantage is they are easy to maintain. They are the best auto rotator helicopters that keeps the weight in the tips of the blades allowing them to land and take off if they unfortunately fail. Max Ammer is interested in aviation and they serve as a useful tool in protecting the local area. Illegal loggers, fishermen and general rogue behaviours are easily spotted from above. The passengers and captain can even see the dive sites from the air, flying over the water they can view corals, the aggregation of fish and whereabout they gather on the dive site. Best of all, they can see the large animals. Max talks of his record sightings, 132 manta rays on one flight and 33 dugongs on another. “You owe it to yourself to be positive. Negativity is no good, be positive and look at all the things many things you can do at least you did the right thing. If you going to be negative it’s not going to do you any good.” Max Ammer, Raja Ampat Eco Resort and Papua Diving. Videographer: Janne Kasperi Suhonen www.jannesuhonen.net/ Photographer: Steve Woods stevewoodsphotography.com The lucky winners of the trip to Raja Ampat were dive instructor Rosie Sheb'a from Australia, student Niko Lekhraj from Singapore, outdoor guide Anders Vestergård from Denmark, designer Xiaomo "Momo" Wang from China and nature activist Lilian Ellevog from Norway.⁣You can see them diving in our D5 images and videos and will also hear some of their comments from the trip during the next few weeks so stay tuned.

On the white sun drenched shores of Roatan Island the gentle sound of the Caribbean Sea’s crystal clear water tentatively exploring the sand is lost behind the dissonance of diving activity coming from a dive platform located not far from the beach. Divers are descending, safety protocols are being fine tuned, Alex St-Jean the official event photographer is testing his underwater camera equipment while the final training rehearsals are being observed in preparation for the CMAS World Championships that fin-kick off with an almighty duck dive on 6thAugust 2019 lasting five days. The event has been organized by Esteban Darhanpé at the Roatan Freediving School and Training Centre. Chilling in the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea, Roatan Island is situated alongside a part of the 1000km of Mesoamerica Barrier Reef, the second largest reef system in the world. The best of the best from around the globe are gathered to compete at the event. They compete not only to win but to be to a part of the freediving community. A common misapprehension of freediving is that it is all about gaining the depth and in competitions this may be the case. Competition diving and its many disciplines are only one aspect of the sport. For most freedivers, the sport is just about hanging out with friends and exploring the underwater world. “To the observer, freediving is all about serenity and calmness – a peaceful interaction with the underwater world. It is exactly all these things, which is why competition freediving presents such a unique challenge.” says Will Trubridge, Suunto Ambassador and World Champion. “The conditions of a competition are slightly different to a world record attempt. In a competition you have an official pre-set time and there's a lot more people around – spectators and media. It's not as controllable as with a world record attempt,” says Will. William Trubridge captured by photographer and freediver Alex St-Jean © Organizations CMAS- The World Underwater Federation/Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques founded in 1959 and is an international federation that organises underwater activities and events and is amongst the leaders in the scientific and technical research and development. It also acts as a training standards agency in snorkel and scuba training. AIDA- International Association for the development of Apnea was created in 1992 after the film release for Big Blue. The rise in training freedivers and record breakers was developing at a vast rate and the AIDA was founded to keep track on the growing interests. The largest organization world wide of freediving event organizers, it also actively participates in scientific and technical research and development to help the world see freediving not as a thrill seekers sport, AIDA wants the recognition that “freediving is safe, fun, challenging and a fantastic blend of inner peace, concentration, technique, training, friends and team work”. Disciplines CNF- constant weight no fins is often talked about as being the purest form of freediving unassisted CWT- Constant Weight with Fins discipline means the diver can wear fins, however they are only allowed to touch the rope to stop their descent and start their ascent. This discipline tends to give the deepest performances. CWB- Constant Weight with Bi Fins. More monofins than you can shake a pair of bi fins at. FIM- Free Immersion is a more relaxed dive where the diver can use the rope to pull themselves along using the rope, the diver is not allowed to wear fins on the dive. Competition Terms Safety Teams/Safety Diver- the Dive Safety Team is headed up by Italian Freediver Marco Cosentino and is currently holding the position of Chief of AIDA Safety Committee. He has a team of twelve safety divers there for support including Suunto Ambassador Sofia Gomez’s coach, freediver Johnathan Sunnex aka Johnny Deep. Announced Dive Time- the official target time the diver will take to complete the dive, must be announced pre-dive. “You announce your dive on that day. If something goes wrong, then you don't have a second chance. It creates more of an element of chance. There is also a lot of sleuthing and spying to find out what other freedivers have done in their training to gauge how they're performing, and using that information to make pronouncements.” Says William Trubridge. Official TOP- Time of Performance, as during the competition the organisers will be sticking to strict scheduling and the divers are assigned a time the dive must commence so all pre-dive preparation must be completed by the official TOP. Duck Dive- the way a free diver ‘enters’ the water is by this type of dive as it gets the diver in a good position for descending and helps them along to few meters deep very quickly. Freefall- once the diver reaches the point of negative buoyancy on their descent and begins to sink in a state of complete relaxation without finning down. This year we have spotted the athletes with strings tied around their thighs, Will Trubridge uses his to slide his thumbs in place so his arms stay positioned during freefall in order to conserve every bit of energy. It is this part of the dive that can induce the most pleasant feelings. Many freedivers feel euphoric as they enter an almost trance-like state. Tag- a marker the diver must grab and bring back up to the surface when competing in depth competitions. PB- personal best is the athletes, longest or deepest dive they have achieved. Can also be measured by distance. Surface Protocol- the sequence a freediver must completion upon reaching the surface after a dive in a competition to convince the judges that the diver is lucid and not unconscious. The diver must face the judge’s direction remove googles and nose clip, give the OK signal and say in English “I am OK”/I’m OK” with a 15 second time limit. Hypoxic- where the body is in a state of inadequate oxygen at tissue level. If the diver doesn’t get to the surface with enough oxygen to be lucid enough to complete the surface protocol they will be disqualified. Cards- white, yellow or red. The judges will show a card at the end of each competition dive to signal whether the diver has had a fine performance with no penalties, yellow means the dive was completed with penalties and red signals disqualification from the dive. World Championships Schedule AUGUST 6th OPENING CEREMONY Much like the opening ceremony of the Olympics we hope to see the atheletes parading around Roatan wielding flags, looking strong and generally building the hype, however it may be more of a technical meeting! AUGUST 7th CNF COMPETITION DAY Suunto Ambassador William Trubridge holds the world record in this natural discipline. Will set a new world record in freediving by diving to 101m with no fins in Dean's Blue Hole in the Bahamas. The new world record was set mere three days after he established an astounding new world record dive of one hectometre. Will's record-setting and mind-boggling constant no fins dive to 101 meters took 4 minutes and :08 seconds to complete. Watch it here: AUGUST 8th CWT COMPETITION DAY Constant weight APNEA. This discipline means the diver can wear fins, however they are only allowed to touch the rope to stop their descent and start their ascent. AUGUST 9th REST DAY Rest day for re-ups on oxygen and rest. AUGUST 10th CWB COMPETITION DAY More monofins than you can shake a pair of bi fins at. AUGUST 11th FIM COMPETITION DAY / AWARD CEREMONY / CLOSING PARTY The winners get to take home a magnificent Suunto D5 dive computer and also collect a cash prize. Sofía Gómez Uribe taken by freediver Johnny Sunnex @johnnydeep110 © Follow on Instagram @Suunto Dive to keep up with Sofía Gomez Uribe as she takes over for all latest news from the dvie platform. Click here to see the offical Facebook page for the comptition.

Diving rich, rainbow colored coral reefs is every diver’s dream. We travel the planet to experience them, leaving us in awe of how staggeringly beautiful they are. Imagining our oceans without them is simply heartbreaking. Yet, mass coral bleaching events – due to a rise in global surface temperature – could cause all 29 reef containing World Heritage sites to cease to exist by the end of the century. The stakes have never been higher. To stop this from happening, divers, scientists and ocean conservationists are teaming up to find solutions. We look at five inspiring initiatives to save the coral, and also what you can do to help. Reef Rescuers, Cousin Island, Seychelles In a way, every diver should identify as a reef rescuer, and do what he or she can, even if only make donations, to support one of these initiatives. Starting in 2010, this huge and impressive restoration project has raised 40,000 corals in underwater nurseries, with 24,000 of these being successfully transplanted onto reefs, covering an area of a football field. The project utilised the coral gardening technique of retrieving fragments of healthy coral, growing it in protected nurseries and then transplanting it onto degraded reef to help rejuvenate it. Based on its learning, the project created a Coral Reef Restoration Toolkit for other initiatives to benefit from.   Secore Coral, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico Starting in 2015, this pilot project researched and tested new techniques to use coral grown in land-based or ocean nurseries for restoration, waiting until they are old enough to plant out on reefs where they are then monitored. This inspiring documentary below shows what’s possible.  Pur Coral, Indonesia Coral reefs across the world need all the help they can get, including financial support from the corporate sector for restoration projects. French ​dermo-cosmetic​s brand EAU THERMALE AVÈNE partnered with Pur Projet to create Pur Coral, a project to preserve and regenerate marine ecosystems in Pejarakan, Bali. The corals had been destroyed mostly by cyanide and dynamite fishing, which are now banned there. Since its start in 2016, the project immersed 24 artificial reef structures underwater, then planted 1855 corals, from more than 15 species, on them. ​For several years Avène has engaged in an eco-responsible initiative called "Skin Protect Ocean Respect" to raise awareness about the impact of sun protection on the environment, and particularly on the marine life and corals. Av​ène has also been a leader in redesigning its sunscreen product range, minimizing the impact on the environment without compromising on optimal UVB-UVA protection for the skin. RangerBot, Great Barrier Reef, Australia Like a Swiss army knife, a state-of-the-art robo reef protector developed by researchers at Queensland University of Technology in Australia – RangerBot – has a number of functions, all designed to protect one of the wonders of the world, the Great Barrier Reef. It’s first function is to search and destroy; its incredible cameras identify invasive Crown-of-Thorns Starfish and injects them with a lethal dose of poison. It also monitors the health of the coral and water quality. It can also map vast areas underwater at scales not previously possible. World’s largest 3D printed reef, MARS, Summer Island, Maldives The Modular Artificial Reef Structure (MARS) is an ongoing project developed by industrial designer Alex Goad. It utilises 3D printing to provide a rigid skeleton on which corals can be implanted and grown. In August 2018, they submerged the first reef off the coast of Summer Island, in an area where there has never been a coral reef, and where locals have been growing corals. Alex says the ease, affordability, flexibility of 3D printing can play an amazing role in preserving coral around the world. 6 ways you can make a small difference Conscious travel Air and vehicle travel are major contributors to the rising greenhouse emissions driving the climate crisis. Consider trying to reduce both. For example, use public transport or ride a bicycle whenever you can. And when you do fly, offset the carbon emissions from your flight by using a carbon calculator, and compensating a green cause of your choice. Hands off When you’re out diving, don’t touch coral or any marine animals. Keep a respectful distance. Don’t pursue animals to get that trophy photo. And don’t collect shells and so forth as souvenirs – remember that hundreds of people dive the same site, and if every diver took a souvenir it would create a big problem. Use eco-friendly sunscreen Use sunscreens based on eco-designed, biodegradable formulas. Avoid products that have the following ingredients in them: Octocrylène, Benzophenone, Methoxycinnamate. Take a look at Avène’s sunscreen range – they are brand of choice for divers at Suunto head office. Be a tidy diver Single use plastics really are an abomination. Divers should lead the way and quit using them. Be sure to clean up any plastic trash after your dive when you’re back on land. Start “strawkling” Strawkling is a new recreation that combines snorkeling and collecting litter. Take a net-cloth bag on your next dive, and collect any plastic litter you find. Imagine if we all did this!    Change your business practices If you own, manage or work for an organisation in the global dive community, join Suunto in getting onboard with Mission 2020 and changing your business practices so they help protect and preserve our oceans for the future.

Bow of Vrouw Maria with divers. In the early stages of the work, investigations of Vrouw Maria were also illustrated by artwork. Drawing by Tiina Miettinen, Finnish Heritage Agency. Suunto’s Dive Engineer Pasi Lammi and his dive team, the Badewanne, were invited by the National Board of Antiquities in Finland to join the expedition to create a 3D model of the underwater site. This was not the first time the Bedawanne had experienced the wreck, they were amongst a team of divers in 2007 that got to explore her pristinely preserved wooden structure. Diving access on previous archaeological expeditions have been limited on the wreck due to the increased risk of disturbing the sea floor and concealing the wreck further or risking damage to the delicate structure. The atmosphere after the expedition dive in 2007. Roope Flinkman (left), Pasi Raasakka, Petri Puromies, Jussi Kaasinen, and Minna Koivikko. Photo by Ulla Klemelä, Finnish Heritage Agency. Down with the ship The Vrouw Maria is a Dutch two mast merchant ship that set sail from Amsterdam on 5th September 1771 destined for St Petersburg, Russia but it never arrived in port. During late September the Vrouw Maria entered into the Danish Straights and the cargo was last recorded at the Elsevier (Øresund) toll before she sank. It was reported that after some navigational errors through the stormy Archipelago Sea the ship lost its course and ran aground. Obtaining only slight damage to the hull, the vessel fell foul of another grounding shortly afterwards this time losing the rudder when a large wave freed the ship from the sea bed and the crew could not control the water coming. On October 4th 1771 the crew finally abandoned ship and made it to safely to nearby rocks after saving only a portion of cargo during the short window of opportunity they had as the water flooded in. There was some effort to stabilize the ship but the pumps were clogged with coffee beans leaked from cargo in the hold and finally, on 9th October 1771 the Vrouw Maria sank beneath the waves taking most of the cargo and revered luxuries down with ship. Onboard the Vrouw Maria when it sank were bags of coffee, sugar and fabric dyes. The most precious items in the hold were artworks purchased by Catherine the Great at auction that year in Amsterdam on their way to her residence. Other luxuries including mirrors, ivory eggs, and flower bulbs headed for Russian nobility that still lay in the sea bed today. Little was saved during the rescue and even less has been salvaged off the wreck since it was discovered. The positioning of the wreck on the sea bed had remained a mystery and regard was lost in the wreck for over 200 years. However, interests peaked in the 70’s when Dr Christian Ahlström discovered documentation of the incident in the Finnish National Archives that he then published. His findings in 1979 sparked an exciting search mission that was to last twenty more years. A wreck was discovered in 1999 by the Pro Vrouw Maria society using a side scanner under Rauno Koivusaari’s leadership, and was positively identified as the Vrouw Maria. Now twenty years later on the anniversary Suunto’s very own Dive Engineer Pasi Lammi has been invited to dive the wreck and take part in the 3D modelling project. Pasi and his dive team, the Badewanne Team are committed to working alongside the Finnish Board of Antiquities, Military Museum of Finland and collaborators from around the world in a bid to preserve the Baltic history. Pasi’s office location 2012 Virtual Simulation During 2012, at an exhibition called ‘Lost at sea, rediscovered’ there was a virtual simulation of the wreck that visitors of the Finnish National Maritime Museum could visit. This impressive footage was honoured with an award at the Europa Nostra Awards 2015 competition of the European Union. “Through a simulation constructed by Aalto University and the Finnish Heritage Agency, the general audience could examine in detail the treasure ship, which in reality is difficult to access. At the time, the Vrouw Maria simulation was a totally novel way of visualising the underwater world and making it accessible.” The virtual simulation of the Vrouw Maria wreck received a special nomination in the research and digitalisation class of the Europa Nostra Awards 2015 competition of the European Union. Image by the Finnish Heritage Agency. The Revisit - 3D model of Vrouw Maria Now with team of volunteer divers who are revisiting the wreck and taking the latest in photo 3D modelling technology underwater to create an ultra-realistic interactive map of the wreck site people will be able to appreciate the ship in all its glory from above the water. The divers use a mix of videos, photos and photogrammetry to create the final product that will illustrate how far technology has come since the 2012 simulation and give a more in depth look at the wreck. “Today was the first day and our initial mission was set up for the modelling to begin. We experimented moving the camera into different locations to get the best views of the wreck and setting up attachments to secure cameras. After this the team and I then test documented two locations so we could present the findings for the Finnish National Heritage agency. The project has just begun and the results will be released soon, and we certainly are excited to see the results.” Pasi comments. Pasi shared his dive profile from his Eon Steel paired with his Suunto App we can re live his dive with him. The completed project will go on display at the new Stockholm Treasures of the Baltic that is scheduled to open its doors in 2020. Before the final model opens at the museum you will be able to view the first version of the project on the twentieth anniversary of the discovery of Vrouw Maria, 28th June 2019, on the online 3D modelling platform, Sketchfab.com. About Pasi Lammi Pasi Lammi lives in the city of Espoo, Finland. He started diving in 2007 and had his first dives on a rebreather in 2009, after which he made the switch to JJ-CCR in 2014. His diving certifications include IANTD, NSS-CDS, PADI, NAUI and CMAS accolades and instructor level for both NAUI & CMAS training agencies where he teaches diving both in Finland and Estonia. He is an active instructor and teaches both recreational level divers and technical but his heart lies in the technical side of diving. Pasi is also a very active dive club member and joins in activities with a number of local dive clubs. When he is not training you will find him diving wrecks in Baltic Sea or mines in the Nordic countries. For Pasi diving is not only about seeking experiences of his own but also working as part of a team and sharing the experiences with others by the means of documentation of historical interests. He enjoys taking underwater images, videos and now working on 3D modelling projects has brought a whole joy to his diving. He takes great pleasure in contributing to the discoveries of new historical facts and building up the bigger picture of his cultural heritage. Filling cylinders on location in preparation to explore the Vrouw Maria on the anniversary dive, 2019.

Kate Middleton teaches freediving and offers yoga teacher training courses. © Heather Bonker Living on Gili Trawangan, a small island close to Bali, Kate Middleton spends her days freediving, doing yoga, writing poetry and training yoga teachers. It’s a dreamy life in paradise. But training for freediving demands focus and discipline. Middleton regularly competes in elite freediving competitions, such as Vertical Blue, and takes home wins and new records. Her yoga practice helps her stay relaxed, supple and strong. “Perhaps the biggest draw to freediving is the peace that comes from total immersion in nature,” Middleton says. “You might call it oneness, presence, connection, or, the ‘state of yoga’. At the heart of both yoga and freediving lies this gift of simultaneously being in contact with the inner and outer world.” © Mike Board It’s not just about fancy poses Yoga involves much more than the physical postures, called asanas, most commonly associated with it. Aside from asana, there’s also pranayama and dhyana, breathing exercises, and meditation. Each play a key role, Middleton says. The asana, or physical practice, results in greater physical strength, flexibility, mobility and body awareness. Pranayama, which is traditionally believed to enhance the life force or prana, increases body awareness, lung flexibility and C02 tolerance. Meditation fosters greater self-awareness, compassion, curiosity, focus, and self-kindness. “The greatest way yoga supports my freediving journey is how it prioritises relationship to self,” Middleton says. “When self-love is there, anything is possible. Without it, nothing is enjoyable. “If I let my inner critic run my dive session then no depth will feel like enough. When I dive from the heart, for the pleasure of being in my body and in the water, depth is irrelevant and it’s a spiritual experience.” Press play to do a simple yoga class with Kate Middleton Here are three reasons why yoga is a perfect compliment to freediving: Your personal laboratory “You can think of freediving as field research and your yoga mat as the laboratory,” Middleton says. “It’s here, back on land, where you can empty all of your findings and start to sort through them, or let them sort themselves out, one breath at a time.” Better breath holds “If you prefer a simple and clear outlook on the yoga for freediving movement, consider the fact we cannot be at peace and stressed out at the same time. Yoga reduces stress, which lowers metabolic rate and oxygen consumption. More yoga, therefore, results in a longer breath hold. You will also have more comfortable breath holds and longer dives. Oh yeah, and it’s also hard to have fun while feeling tense, so more yoga equals more fun!” Know your body better “Yoga also teaches greater body awareness. We can break that down into interoception and exteroception; the awareness of your inner body and your body in space. This helps you tune in to how you’re feeling on a dive so that you can relax into the process and also know when you need to safely surface. “As far as physiological adaptation, yoga asana is an immensely effective way to increase your lung flexibility as well as your mobility and strength.” How to get started Middleton recommends finding an authentic teacher who you connect with and feel inspired by. Sometimes that might take a while. Until then, here are four tips to get started: Learn online If you’re totally new to yoga, try doing yoga with Middleton in the video above. And check out a few free online classes on Youtube or a platform like yogaglo.com. That way you can try a few styles and see what you like. Start slowly Many of us have a tendency to push too fast, too soon. With yoga this can sometimes lead to injury. Take your time; start gently, learn to relax and breathe well first before trying more demanding asanas or sequences. Get one-on-one Sometimes the fastest way to learn is to have one-on-one classes. That way you have the teacher’s full attention, and can work specifically around your goals and to support your freediving. Immerse yourself If you are looking for an immersive experience, go and learn yoga and freediving with Middleton! She hosts yoga and freediving retreats and training camps on Gili and Bali. Lead images: © Mike Board More articles about yoga and freediving: Say namaste to the freediving island yogi Finding harmony in the deep blue sea The one thing every freediver needs

We are committed to protecting the environment and preventing pollution in our operations. "Our guiding principles are the use of sustainable materials, reduction of waste, reduction of energy consumption and co-operation with the supply chain to foster human rights and working conditions," says Erika Rautavaara, Sustainability Manager at Suunto. The most visible part of the responsibility are, in fact, our products. "We only design and manufacture durable devices that can be used for a long time in very demanding conditions. In addition, all our equipment can be repaired, and maintenance and repairs can be easily done anywhere in the world. This is very exceptional in the world of electronics."   Juha Ala-Laurila, Dive Business Unit Director at Suunto, points out that responsibility work is a never-ending task. "We are on a path that goes forward and changes its shape as the world around us changes." Right now, we are expanding our responsibility operations beyond the limits of our own business. "The plastic waste in the oceans is a huge problem, and, as a part of the diving community, we want to be involved in solving it," Juha says.   Mission 2020 sets targets We participate in Mission 2020, a global initiative by organizations within the diving community to change their business practices in order to help protect and preserve the oceans for the future. Every company in the Mission 2020 community has agreed to make a binding commitment. "Suunto commits to minimizing single-use plastics in the packaging and to select durable materials to ensure a long lifetime for products and capability for maintenance. We also commit to optimize deliveries and compensate carbon emissions from all deliveries. Through our certified and audited environmental management system we are and continue to be committed to save our common playground," Juha says. With a primary focus on single-use plastic, the project sets ambitious short-term targets of changes to be made before World Oceans Day 2020. "In the future, all our actions, operations and messages must be environmentally credible", Juha says.   Net-zero is not enough Divers see the damage caused by human activity on the ocean environment more clearly than anyone else. Many divers are also committed to solving the problem. One of them is Suunto Ambassador Jill Heinerth, a pioneering Canadian-American underwater explorer and filmmaker. She says that diving companies have a unique opportunity to lead the responsibility work by example in their daily practices. However, diving companies have also more wide-spreading opportunities. "Diving companies meet new environmentally-curious customers every day. Dive briefings can have an environmental message, and manufacturers can employ responsible packaging and process ethics. It is not just enough to talk about "net-zero" carbon impacts. We have to lead with net-positive actions," Jill explains. "If we all talk about those efforts and recognize organizations that have a good ethic, then we can spread the word. Education, process and activism are all important prongs in the environmental ethic."   Daily choices affect ocean health The problems associated with plastics, climate change, and water quality are massive. "But I have to believe that we have hope to turn the tide. We don't have the luxury of time anymore. Action has to be swift and bold. Every consumer needs to downsize and vote with their wallets. Whether that means buying local, reducing packaging or making product choices that support the environment, every action will help," Jill says.   In her projects, Jill Heinerth has studied the importance of water to all of us. "The most important message that I want to convey is that the issues we see in the ocean are connected to our everyday lives. Everything that we do on the surface of our landscape will eventually affect our water systems including the ocean. Choices we make in our daily lives affect ocean health. The effort to using fewer drinking straws is admirable, but it is just a start. We need to seek out alternatives to any plastics and move to use natural, biodegradable products as much as possible, even if they are more expensive. We need to lose the love affair with the golf course style lawn and stop using fertilizer, pesticides, and insecticides on the ground as much as possible. Those materials soak into the ground and flow toward water bodies creating massive algal blooms that kill wildlife and sicken people just like we are seeing in Florida right now."   www.IntoThePlanet.com www.mission2020.org All images: © Jill Heinerth READ MORE Ocean plastics are a problem and no one knows better than divers Under thin ice: Jill Heinerth captures climate change