What is Competition Apnea?

Team Canada at the AIDA World Cup 2000 in Nice, France

Competition freediving or apnea competitions are a competitive form of freediving that take into account an individual or a team. Freediving competitions involve competitions against time, depth or distance. Competitions are held over a number of days and may have a number of athletes competing in one or several different freediving styles or disciplines. All regional and national competitions in Canada have athletes competing in static apnea, dynamic apnea and constant ballast.

Competitions are the backbone of CAFA and apnea. They provide a safe, fun and fair environment where freedivers are offered the chance to compete against others and challenge their personal limits. The competitions are as follows: Interclub Competition, Regional Competition, National Competition, and International Competition. Regional and national competitions are used for ranking and allow all current CAFA competitors the same access to the same number of competitions within a competition year. For more information on competitions, becoming a member of Team Canada, rakings, and rules please check out the Rules and Judging page.

Safety of the athletes, support and judging staff are of primary concern during competitions. During warm-up and performances, athletes have a number of safety divers or supervisors to insure their safety. Freediving or breath-holding diving is sport and recreation that may involve inherent risks. These risks can be minimized by following proper safety procedures and using common sense. Your best safety is to receive proper instruction and always follow the buddy system while freediving.