Archive for January, 2010
Local Australian council finds way to resolve “surfing rage”
January 19th, 2010
Posted in Surfing
The Manly Council in New South Wales, Australia is currently finding ways to resolve the growing incidence of “surfing rage,” wherein individuals would catch a wave ahead of someone who’s already waiting for one or sneaking in from the inside to catch the wave. This usually result to misunderstandings and fights among surfers.
The council officials are thinking of coming up with rules and regulations in order to educate the surfers, beginners or pros, about the proper etiquette in surfing.
Overcrowded waves, more visitors and other factors have been pinpointed as causes of increasing “surf rage.”
Neil Ohlback, the president of a local surfers action group, said that the rules and regulations, which will be posted in conspicuous areas of the beach, are welcomed. He added that something must be done in order to improve this growing situation.
The move is expected to gain opposition from other groups.
New sky diving record set at world’s tallest building in Dubai
January 19th, 2010
Posted in Diving
A world-renowned sky diver made another achievement when he set another world record for base jumping atop the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Nasr Al Niyadi, together with his trainer Omar Al Hegelan, made a perfect landing after jumping more than 2,200 feet from the 160th floor of the building on Tuesday last week.
The duo, members of the Emirates Aviation Society, made the drop at speeds reaching 137 mph in just one and a half minutes.
Niyado was also one of the 15 recorded base jumpers to have jumped off the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in the past.
In an interview, the young diver said that he felt amazing after achiving this feat and will be looking forward to more adventures in the future. He said that he has been to more than 2,000 jumps but the newest one is the best yet.
Scottish facility to lose diving boards in favor of £10 million swimming pool
January 14th, 2010
Posted in Diving
Diving boards and other facilities at the Sub Aqua Club in Montrose, Angus in Scotland will be phased out in favor of the multimillion swimming pool plan which the city council is considering to approve.
The council officials revealed during a Town Hall meeting last Monday the decision in relation to the matters discussed during a public meeting held three months ago.
Local divers have asked for a pool with a depth of 3.5 meters but the council decided that the main pool will only have a depth of two meters, which is unsuitable for diving events. This development means that the Sub Aqua Club will be forced to close down.
There will be six lanes in the main pool with 25 meters in length. Swimming classes for any age bracket could take place in the area.
Officials stated that the diving boards will have to go because they could not justify the additional funding of about £900,000 for a facility that’s only used by about lesser people. Adding diving boards in three and five meter heights would also mean an additional £1.7 million in funding.
Bullying forces diving athlete to switch schools
January 14th, 2010
Posted in Diving
Tom Daley, a 15-year old diving Olympian for the British team, has reportedly switched schools after he claimed that he’s being bullied from his former school.
According to reports, Daley, who was part of the British diving team in last year’s Beijing Olympics said that he’s being bullied at Eggbuckland Community College and that he has no choice but to transfer to a public school in Plymouth.
Plymouth College said that Daley is welcome in their school and even agreed to provide substantial scholarship assistance to the 15-year old, who also placed second at the World Diving Series event in Sheffield recently.
The officials at the Eggbuckland Community College said that they are now conducting an investigation on the claims made by the diving star.
Daley recounted the bullying experiences he got at the school, saying that he’s been called names, thrown at with bits of paper and a lot more.
Daley continued to gain honors for the country after winning a gold medal at an international diving competition held in Florida, United States in May. He said that he’s looking forward to meet new people in the new school. The school officials also feel the same.
Diving blooper leads to death of 32-year old man
January 11th, 2010
Posted in Diving
A cliff diving blooper at the east Valley along Salt River in Arizona resulted to a death of a 32-year old man.
According to reports, divers from the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office took two hours to recover the body of the young man on Monday night.
The friends of the unnamed victim recounted to local media that the jump as a mistake from the start. The man was at a forty-foot high cliff along the river and was already warned by deputies in a patrol boat not to jump and just to back off.
However, the man seemed to believe that he can do the cliff diving stunt as he was egged on by a lot of people below to jump in the water. The man then jumped but instead of hitting the water, his head hit the rocks instead. The horrified spectators could only look on as they heard the ear-splitting crack of the victim’s skull as it slammed against the rock and see the man’s limp body go into the water.
Friends revealed that the man was married with two daughters. Officials said that there was a drowning incident a couple of days ago on the same spot but this time that man went into the water to save his son but ultimately cost his life.
American diving duo score gold medal win
January 8th, 2010
Posted in Diving
Three-time Olympian diver Troy Dumais blended well with younger partner Kristian Ipsen to win the gold medal in men’s synchronized 3-meter springboard diving competition at the USA Diving Grand Prix in Florida last weekend.
The American scored 443.13 to win by a large margin against rivals. Dumais, now 29 years old, is hoping that younger divers will do well in upcoming diving competitions and make the U.S. team a force to reckon with in the international scene. He’s happy that Ipsen is showing a lot of promise.
After the win, Dumais said that going for great synchronized dives must be done at the same time, at the right time.
The competition, which took place at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Complex, was a fierce one with all teams performing their best. The British team of Nicholas Robinson-Baker and Ben Swain took second place after finishing with 422.70 points while Americans Jevon Tarantino and Christopher Colwill snagged the third place with 410.70 points.
However, the duo was not able to receive the bronze prize duo to FINA’s ruling that only one team per country can win a medal at a particular event. The bronze honors went to Stefanos Paparounas and Alexandros Manos of Greece instead.
British scuba diving enthusiast clinches “Best Job in World”
January 6th, 2010
Posted in Diving, deep sea diving, scuba diving, scuba diving gear
A British scuba diving enthusiast bested other applicants for what would be labeled as the “Best Job in the World” – to become caretaker of an Australian island near Great Barrier Reef.
Ben Southall will have a six-month stint as caretaker of the Hamilton Island, which is based in the northern part of Queensland. He’ll be paid more than $100,000 by staying in the island, exploring the beaches through snorkeling, scuba diving and sailing. He’ll also write an online diary weekly to inform the world about the wonders of the island.
The 34-year old resident of Hampshire, England will fit well in the job considering that he’s a fan of adventure including scuba diving.
The global recession and expected decline in tourists prompted Tourism Queensland to launch this campaign. Dubbed as “Best Job in the World,” the contest was launched in January and more than 34,000 applicants submitted their entries.
The publicity paid off, hundreds of thousands of online visitors all over the world accessed the website. The tourism team trimmed down their prospects to 16 finalists before they chose Southall.
Southall will have a three-bedroom house plus unrestricted access throughout the island in order to effectively come up with convincing online entries.
Scuba diving adventures despite the chilly New Year weather
January 6th, 2010
Posted in Diving, Diving specialists, scuba diving, scuba diving gear
About 25 scuba diving aficionados dove into the 47-degree water of the American River located at Lake Natoma on Friday in celebration of the New Year. Despite the cold weather, the divers were enthusiastic about the event and were not bothered at all.
Both male and female participants wore drysuits and wetsuits before going through the scuba diving activity.
The event is dubbed the 12th annual “Polar Bear Dive” and it was organized by Andy’s Scuba World in Sacramento, California. The divers cruised up to the Rainbow Bridge. They have a buddy or diving partner assigned before they dropped below the surface.
The participants said that it was a memorable day and was worth the cold temperature. Others say that they will make this a yearly activity.