Welcome to my homepage on
freediving.
Freediving is diving without
compressed air - skindiving or snorkeling as somebody calls
it. When freediving one therefore has only the amount of air
available which via one inhalation can be put into the lungs.
With this in mind it might seem limited what a person can do
under water on only one single breath of air - but if you like water,
like to train and are interested in the physical and mental
processes which take place in the body under breath-holding
(apnea), then it is actually possible to learn to do quite a
bit.
Whether you are enjoying
freediving as a hobby or on a more serious level, the pleasure
of gliding weightlessly and effortlessly through the water
will be the same. Though it is not until one gets curious and
catch interest for the basic techniques in freediving that one
will achieve a sensation of complete happiness and freedom
from body and soul - and time and place. Likewise, one will
discover new and deeper sides of oneself and feel more inner
peace. Freediving, therefore, is not just a sport which is
performed once in the water. It is a lifestyle which one takes
along - also when leaving the wet element.
If YOU have the urge to start
freediving it is just to get started. All it takes is a mask,
snorkel and flippers, and maybe a
wetsuit.
But always remember - NEVER
DIVE ALONE - good luck ;0)
Experiences with
freediving:
My personal experiences with
freediving go back to my childhood (age 2-3 years) - at that
time though, it was called snorkelling. Since my parents have
always travelled a lot I have been fortunate to enjoy lots of
wonderful hours in the seas around the world. Also, I was
partly brought up at sea since my parents have a boat and sail
a lot. Besides of these facts there is a nice swimming pool in
the backyard of my parents house and it was actually in this
pool that the first Danish freediving club was
created.
Of more ”serious”
freediving/scubadiving can be mentioned diving on wrecks, in
caves, lakes, rivers, with sharks, dolphins, mantarays,
stingrays, a whale shark, a sperm whale, seasnakes, turtles,
seals.......et cetera - in countries such as the Philippines,
Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Thailand, Spain,
Portugal, Malaysia, Brunei, (former) Jugoslavien, Italy,
France, Greece, Tyrkey, USA, Honduras, Belize, Fiji, Sweden,
Norway....etc.
Very "serious” freediving was
my training in Spain in the summer of 2000, the Danish
Championship on the island of Bornholm in august 2000, the
World Cup in Nice October 2000, the AFK Championship in april
2001, an intensive course at Apnea Academy with Umberto
Pelizzari in Sardinia July 2001, training with the French
national team in Nice July 2001, training in Spain 2001, the
World Championship in Ibiza October 2001, Rhein-Main Cup in
Germany November 2001, first Danish Indoor Championship
December 2001, Seraing Apneé Cup in Belgium February 2002,
Berlin Apnoe Nacht in Germany February 2002, the AFK
Championship May 2002, AFK Ranking Competition June 2002, Oslo
Freediving Clinic in Norway with Kirk Krack from Performance
Freediving in June 2002, training in Spain July 2002 and the
Danish Championship of freediving in August
2002.
Work as
organizer:
·
Four years helping blind and partially blind children
on camps.
·
Trainer in the diving club
Biodyk.
·
From 1995 - 98 I was also coach for the underwaterrugby
team in BioDyk.
·
From 1997 - 98 team manager for the 1. division in the
under water rugby club ”Vandhundene”.
·
Founder, Vice Presedent and chief coach in AARHUS
FREEDIVING CLUB (AFK).
Other
experience:
·
"Marine/diving biologist" in Brunei, where I wrote
articles on wreck diving and bio-diversity.
·
In 1999 handling the economical papers as ”transport-
coordinator" for the Danish national team of under water
rugby.
·
Since 1994 active member of the
”rainforest-organization” Nepenthes, where I have helped with
exhibitions, animal-keeping and various arrangements for the
general public.
·
All summer of 1996 employed as an animal-guide in the
Danish tropical zoo “Randers Regnskov”.
·
Autumn 1999 employed as a teacher at the Department of
Zoophysiology - University of Aarhus, Denmark, in the course
“Elementary Chordate Zoology”.
·
Spring 2000 employed as a teacher at the Department of
Marine Biology in the course “Marine Ecology” - University of
Aarhus, Denmark.
·
Autumn 2000 employed as a teacher at the Department of
Zoophysiology - University of Aarhus, Denmark, in the course
“Elementary Chordate Zoology”.
Courses:
I have passed the following
courses of life-guarding and First Aid:
·
CPR, general First Aid (numerous times).
·
The ”extensive” life-guard test (level
C!)
·
Basic course in First Aid.
Chronology:
I do not know exactly where
to start or stop - but I will try to make the ”list” as brief
as possible!
Since a kid, I have been a
swimmer and all my “youth” I was doing competitions. I have
won quite a nice handfull of medals in both national and
regional championships. Furthermore I have sailed
competitively as well.
1973
Born March 8th in Aalborg,
Denmark.
1978 - 86 Member of Aalborg
Swimming Club.
1986 - 91 Member of Aalborg
Judo and Jiu Jitsu club.
1987
Danish champion in judo.
1988 Danish
champion in judo.
1990 - 91 Exchange student in
Pensacola Beach, Florida. Trained swimming in the morning and
surfed and snorkelled in the afternoon. I also surfed
competitively and was a member of the Surf Club at Gulf Breeze
High School.
1993
Mathematical student from the ”Gymnasium” of Hasseris,
Denmark.
1993
Enrolled at the Faculty of Biology at the University of
Aarhus.
1993
Member of the Marine/Environmental Diving Club
“BioDyk”.
1993 - 94 Player on the under
water rugby team in Biodyk.
1993
Snorkelling/under water hunting/surf in Tenerife,
Spain.
1994
Member of the under water rugby club ”Vandhunden” -
playing in the Elite-division.
1994
CMAS ** scuba-diving certificate.
1995
Felix Cup in Gothenburg with the Danish national team
of under water rugby.
1996
Danish champion in under water rugby with the legendary
”Vandhunden” (Water Dogs) from Odder in
Denmark.
1996
CMAS *** scuba-diving certificate.
1996
All summer employed as an animal-guide in the tropical
zoo Randers Regnskov in Denmark.
1996 - 97 Tour around the
world focusing on diving, freediving as well as scientific
research (among other things on sea-turtles at Phuket Marine
Biological Research Center in Thailand and on saltwater
crocodiles at Wildlife Management International in Australia).
1997
December 4th. Freediving and acoustic transmission
measurements on a sperm whale during a stranding on Rømø,
Denmark
1998 - 99 One year of study
at the University of Barcelona, Spain. Studied human
physiology, animal physiology, animal behaviour, forest
ecology and Spanish (Castellano). Member of the biggest diving
club i Spain - C.I.B - and player on the Spanish national team
of under water hockey. Lots of diving, freediving and under
water hockey.
1999
European Championship of under water hockey in Kranj
(Slovenia).
1999
Autumn - employed as a teacher at the Department of
Zoophysiology - University of Aarhus, Denmark in the course
“Elementary Chordate Zoology”.
2000
Spring - employed as a teacher at the Department of
Marine Biology University of Aarhus,
Denmark.
2000
Nordic championship in under water rugby (Norway) with
the Danish national team.
2000
Summer - freediving in Spain - 40 meter dive in
Constant weight.
2000
”Guinea pig” in research concerning the function of the
heart during apnea. Ultrasound measurements during a ”dry”
static breathold (app. 6 minutes 40 sec.) at the Hospital
University of Barcelona. Furthermore, blood samples have been
regularly taken since 1998 by Doctor Palle Holck who is a
specialist on diving and diving
medicine.
2000
In charge of experiments on the effect of apnea on the
human physiology at the Faculty of Medicine at the University
of Aarhus, Denmark.
2000
Autumn - employed as a teacher at the Department of
Zoophysiology - University of Aarhus, Denmark, in the course
“Elementary Chordate Zoology”.
2000
August - First Dansih Freediving Championship (was
placed first in Dynamic apnea with fins (130 meters) and in Constant with a
dive to 45 meters).
2000
World Cup in Nice (New Danish record in Constant weight
- 50 meters).
2000
October. Four day intensive meditation course with Art
of Living in Aarhus, Denmark.
2000
October 24th. Co-founder of AARHUS FRIDYKKERKLUB - AFK
(Aarhus Freediving Club).
2001
Januar - cooperation with sport-psychologist Morten
Bertelsen - University of Copenhagen,
Denmark.
2001
January -
selected as a member of the Board of Regulation in the Danish
Freediving Federation (DFF - AIDA
Denmark).
2001
April - 6,09 minuttes in static apnea (Danish Record)
and 108 meters in Dynamic apnea without fins (Nordic record).
2001 June
28th - finished my degree of Master of Science in Biology at
the Department of Zoophysiology, University of Aarhus,
Denmark.
2001
July 1st - 8th - intensive freediving course in
Sardinia with Umberto Pelizzari at Apnea
Academy.
2001
July 10th
- 15th - Freediving with the French national team (World Cup
winners from Nice 2000) in Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, Nice - among
others I trained with “The deepest man in the world” - Löic
Leferme, who was preparing a new World record attempt to 154
meters in the categori “No Limits” (heavy sled going down -
balloon coming up).
2001
July 17th
- 27th - freediving and assistant marine biologist at
the natural reserve of the Medas Islands in Costa Brava,
Spain.
2001
September 8th - 15th. Scientific course (19th European
Stereology Course) in the Adriatic Sea in Croatia. Also a bit
of freediving.
2001
September 30th - Record attempt in Constant. New Nordic
Record with 56 meters in the lake of Hemmoor in Germany.
2001
October 5th -14th - World Championship in Ibiza. New
Nordic Record in Constant weight with 62
meters.
2001
December 8th - Main organizer of the first Danish
Indoor Freediving Championship. Won all three disciplines -
static apnea 6´20, (new Danish Record and number 8 on the
World Ranking List) - Dynamic without fins 100 meters and 130
meters in Dynamic with fins (number 10 on the World Ranking
List).
2001
December 9th - Selected for the Board of the Danish
Freediving Federation (DFF - AIDA
Denmark).
2001
December - ”Ranked” as the best Nordic Freediver on the
Swedish websitesom www.freedivingspots.com (click on the
Swedish flag on the front!).
2001
December - summa summarum - a big freediving year for
me ;0) I reached all my goals and placed myself between the
Top 10 freedivers in the world. I am most proud and happy
about my 62 meter Nordic Record dive from the World
Championships in Ibiza, which placed me as number 13 on the
World Ranking List, since my training possibilities for “deep”
(Constant weight) diving have been very limited. For further
information on my rankings, also for the year of 2000, click
on www.freedive.nu (under ranking) - or look at my homepage
www.planetfreedive.dk
2002
February 4th employed as a Research Scientist at the
Institute for Eksperimental Clinical Research, Hospital of
Skejby, Denmark.
2002
March 1st enrolled in a project comparing the lung- and
heart function for freedivers and soccer players at the Center
of Sports - University of Aarhus,
Denmark.
2002
March 17th - main speaker at the premiere on Bob
Talbots beautiful "OceanMen" in Tycho Brahe Planetarium &
Omnimaxtheater in Copenhagen, Denmark - check
www.tycho.dk/forestillinger/oceanmen.html
2002
May 4th - 5th - bronze medals at the Danish
Championship of under water rugby with my new club Aqua-Quick.
2002
May 25th. Equaled the World Record of Herbert Nitsch in
Dymanic without fins at the AFK Championships - an official
AIDA competition (134 meters - dive time 2´14 minuttes). I am
hereby ranked as number one on AIDA´s official World Ranking
List for the year of 2002.
2002
May - for the second time I pass my exam from DFF -
AIDA Denmark and am still a national AIDA judge.
2002
June 18th - 23rd - Oslo Freediving Clinic. An
“Advanced” course organized by Canadian Kirk Krack from
Performance Freediving.
2002
July 20th - 27th - freediving in
Spain.
2002
August 8th. ECG (Electro Cardio Graphy) and ultrasound
measurements of my heart during a “dry” static/breathhold (7
minuttes 3 sec.) by Doctor Anders Kirstein at the Department
of Heart Medicine at the Hospital of Skejby,
Denmark.
2002
August 17th. - 18th. Danish Champion of
freediving.
2002
September 1st. Enrolled in the Ph.D.-programme at the
Stereological Research Center - Faculty of Health Sciences
- University of
Aarhus, Denmark.
2002
October 12th - Sperm Whale Acoustics Symposium
- University of Aarhus, Denmark.
2002
December 27th.
Randers X-mas Cup. Overall winner. 7´15 static,
150 dynamic with fins, 100 m dynamic without fins.
2003
April 12th – 23rd – Training in Venezuela with
Team Venezuela. Giving courses in Underwater Rugby and
in Underwater Hockey.
2003
May 3rd – 4th. Bronze medals at the Danish Championship
of Underwater Rrugby with my club Aqua-Quick.
2003
June 22nd. Aarhus Freediving Club Championships.
- 150 meters in Dynamic without fins.
2003 Official
World Record Attempts. - July 18th. WORLD RECORD
(150 meters Dymanic without fins) -July
19th. WORLD RECORD (166 meters
Dymanic without fins)
Personale
profile:
As a person I am happy
(usually!), outgoing, talkative and easy going
;0)
I have a ”light” and positive
mind and a strong sence of justice.
Having a Swedish mother I
speak this language fluently as well as English and Spanish.
Catalan, German and Norwegian I speak quite (understandably!!)
well.
My life has always centered
around nature, sports, family and friend and I am convinced it
will continue this way.
Travelling,
sport/competitions, hunting, fishing and the sea is “my”
world.
