August 3rd & 5th: Aruna hosted two freediving safety management seminars, focused on raising awareness and preventing accidents in the sport. The idea was sparked by recent incidents in the Japanese freediving community, leading to the formation of a study group dedicated to improving safety awareness.
These seminars weren’t about teaching freediving safety techniques per se, but rather about understanding how to prevent serious accidents—such as entanglement at depth, DCS/DCI risks, and equipment failures.
In preparation, Aruna spent several months interviewing athletes and coaches to gather real-life cases to share. Meanwhile, Pim went to consult the famous Dr. Adel at Sharm El Sheikh Hyperbaric Chamber (SHC), addressing medical questions raised by freedivers.
The sessions focused on presenting specific incidents to help participants better recognize potential risks in our beloved sport.
The seminars were well-received, with great feedback from attendees. Plans are already underway to continue them next year—potentially expanding beyond Tokyo. We hope these efforts will inspire freedivers to think more critically about safety, both in training and during recreational dives.
Special thanks goes to Misuzu Okamoto.