US Freediving Athletes 2015

Freediving tests an athlete’s ability to perform underwater – swimming as deep as humanly possible in the ocean with and without fins.  Athletes will dive over 200′ and withstand up to eight atmospheres of pressure on their bodies at depth!  

We need you to share the dream: Each year we have the top competitive freedivers in the United States represent the US at various competitions around the globe. Occasionally, qualified athletes cannot attend competitions because of financial limitations. USFA, a non-profit,  does not have the means to subsidize freedivers in their quest to represent the USA on the world stage of freediving. Potential competitors rely on the generous support of family, friends and most of all sponsors.

How the competition works – Each country sends its top 6 athletes, 3 men and 3 women.  One men’s team one women’s team.  Points are gained by each competitor in each of 3 disciplines, Constant Weight, Constant Weight No-Fins and Free Immersion.  In constant weight the athlete attempts to dive as deep as possible on a single breath, swimming down and swimming back up with fins and without dropping any weight.  Points are given for each meter of depth.  The same goes for without fins except now the athlete is challenged even more without the assistance of fins.  Free Immersion requires the athlete to descend and ascend by pulling on the line.  All points for each discipline are added together to give an individual score.  The person with the most points gets the gold.

US Freedivers currently competing at the World Championships in Cyprus:

• Kerry Hollowell:

I am a native of North Carolina and was drawn to freediving after taking a PFI class with Evolve Freediving in Wilmington, NC. I quickly entered to competitive world and was the 2014 US team captain for the US at the Team world championships in Sardinia Italy. I can dive to 70 M and hold my breath over 5:38 minutes.
I am also an emergency Medicine doctor , BLS and ACLS instructor as well as involved with AIDA in medical assessment and recommendations of injured athletes and I am helping to develop safety protocols for the sport as well as train safeties in medical resuscitation of an injured diver. I have been an instructor with PFI since 2012.

Current Depth Stats:

CWT 70m

FIM 63m

To contact or for PayPal contributions use hollowell.kerry@gmail.com

• Mandy Sumner:

I am an Apnea International Freediving Instructor, soon to be AIDA instructor, AIDA international Judge and Organizer of Freedive Paradise 2015. I will continue to organize freediving events here in Hawaii now that I have my own platform 🙂 The next comp will be Pacific Cup Freediving Competition 2016 🙂 Already working on it!

My goal is to be diving at 70-75m CWT in the next month and be around 60-63 CNF. I have been concentrating on no fins for the past few months since Roatan when I have not been busy planning my comp. I have also been doing some pool training getting ready for Pan Pacs in Nov. I will also be attending Big Blue in La Paz in Oct and excited to dive with mantas and whale sharks!

Current Depth Stats:

 CWT 63m

CNF 55m

FIM 55m

To contact or for PayPal contributions use swimuh@hotmail.com

Kerry and Mandy represented the US at the Team World Championships in Sardinia last year and plan to continue competing for the US at several upcoming depth and pool competitions around the globe. If you would like to support their efforts, please use the above links to sponsor individual athletes or Team@usfreediving.org at Paypal to support any US Freediving Team Member.

If you have questions about our Team USA members or Competitive Freediving in General, please contact us at team@usfreediving.com.

Thank You!