AIDA Team World Championships 2006 - Hurghada, Egypt

Last Week of November: Pre-competition training

Deron Verbeck trained in Makadi Bay, the competition site, with Will Winram (Canada) and Herbert Nitsch (Austria).  Craig Gentry, Matt Townsend, Juliana Howe, Annabel Briseno, and Jessica Wilson trained on the north side of Hurghada with a conglomerate of Czechs, Canadians, Norwegians, Brazilians, Kiwis, and Japanese (herein referred to as “Team UN”).  Training conditions were challenging for Team UN, with rough seas, unreliable boats, intestinal issues, and a 17C/62F swimming pool for static training.  At one point, Annabel and several others were left drifting in 3-foot seas for more than three hours, while the rest of Team UN were stranded on the disabled boat watching the wind take them away from the divers in the water.  The episode ended happily when someone on the boat was able to get a cell phone signal (the boat lacked a radio!) and called the dive shop for a rescue.

Boat troubles and high winds caused the loss of two more constant ballast training days for Team UN.  Jet lag, head colds, and “yala yala” also visited several members of Team USA, but spirits remained high.  The 23C/73F water was a little chilly for some, but the 30m+ viz, the insane variety of sea life (we’re in the RED SEA!), and the fellowship of training kept the athletes happy.

Camel Cop

Carlos Coste