International diving athletes are arriving in Sabang for the upcoming Freediving Competition 2017 that will be held on Nov. 26 – Dec. 1. The competition is one of the 24 Sail Sabang 2017 events. 

More than 40 international freediving athletes are participating in the competition and will compete to win a total prize of Rp. 200 million prepared for the winners of this competition.

One of the athletes is world-record holder William Trubridge from New Zealand. “I just finished my first training for Sail Sabang Freediving Competition, Sabang has a beautiful ocean,” said William.

During his first training, he managed to descend 90 meters down amid the nice weather. “Waves are great, the clarity of the water is good. The entire condition is exciting for us freedivers,” he added.

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Freediving is an underwater diving activity that relies on divers’ ability to hold their breath as long as they can until resurfacing.

Stanley Sradaputta, a freediving expert who assists the event, said that unlike scuba diving, freediving athletes need time for preparation.

“The competition is next week and they are already here, they need to train. You can’t reach a certain level of depth in short time, you need to adapt and do a survey,” Stanley said. (asw)