Organizing a Competition

For competition announcements to be recognized by USA Freediving, the following information must be submitted to the USAF Board, at least 1 month before the competition is to be publically announced.

1. Name of Competition

2. Names of Organizers and Contact Information

3. Location of Competition

4. Dates of Competition

5. Depth Limitations and/or Pool Limitations

6. Names of the Judges

7. Names and Credentials of Medical Personnel

8. Competition Category (Invitational, Open, etc…)

9. Where to get Competition Information (i.e. – website)

Any competition requires the participation of at least two current AIDA judges, who must also be active members of AIDA.

• At least two safety divers must be in the water with the athletes during their performances.
• At least one videographer must be recording all performances such that the judges can reference the video for resolving disputes.
• You will need a timekeeper to keep track of the schedule and to announce the divers’ information and countdowns.
• You will need an emergency response person qualified for ACLS (Advanced Cardio Life Support). They must have oxygen available for administering as they see fit during the competition for emergencies. For pool competitions, you will need dedicated pool lanes that are no less than 25 yards in length. Most pools will require you to carry event insurance. Check with the pool to find out their requirements.
• For depth competitions you will need to have a line-diving rig equipped with a counter-ballast system for deep water rescue and diver recovery. The bottom plate must be equipped with a camera to record the diver’s performances at the deepest part of their dive. All athletes must use a safety lanyard that passes the Judge’s inspections. The competition organizers must collect and store medical authorization forms and AIDA waivers from all attending athletes. The forms must be stored for no less than 2 years. We recommend 7 years if there is an incident.
• The competition organizers must collect and pay per-athlete fees for AIDA international (12 Euros/athlete) and for US Freediving ($10/athlete).
• The competition organizers must report the announced performances and the competition results to US Freediving and AIDA International.
• The competition organizers must collect performance announcements from the athletes and produce an event schedule for use my the athletes, safety divers and timekeeper.

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