Cape diver rises to new, lofty heights
MAKING the nation proud, 30-year-old Talya Davidoff, from Oudtshoorn, set a new South African national record – with a 64m Constant Weight with Bi-fins (CWT-BF) dive in two minutes and 31 seconds, at the Vertical Blue freediving championships at Deans Blue Hole, in the Bahamas.
The exclusive invitational, featuring 42 freedivers from across the world, runs until July 23, and Davidoff has already broken two records. In addition to the CWT-BF she also broke the Free Immersion (FIM) discipline record, with a 66m dive in two minutes and 26 seconds.
“I'm very stoked, I am the first South African to ever compete at Vertical Blues, you have to be pre-selected and you are competing against 41 of the best athletes from around the world. I was quite shocked that I was chosen, but I feel honoured to represent our country,” said Davidoff.
Diving over 6m underwater, powered by a set of fins, with just one breath, was not the easiest task but one she thoroughly enjoyed. “Soon as you get to the bottom, there is a tag, you have to drag the tag to the top, if you don't bring the tag up, the dive doesn't count. I always get worried I'm going to lose the tag. Then, when you're on the surface, you give them an okay sign, they want to make sure you are strong coming up.
“Freediving is an interesting sport, you don't have to be muscular, it is about being mentally strong, that's what it takes to be 60m underwater in one breath. You get to a sink phase, where the water above you becomes so heavy you no longer float, you just fall. You just have to become as relaxed and closed off as possible and be present for every single metre of the dive, you travel at about a metre per second,” Davidoff said.
With three more dives left, she said she was tired, and was just hoping for “good clean dives”, not necessarily to break more records.
Davidoff, who started the sport in 2015, said flexibility is one of the most important things to master the craft.
She encourages those interested in the sport to take up a course on it. “See what it's all about ... the second you understand (what to do), most people can hold their breath three to four minutes, after 30 minutes of instruction.”