Free Diving: Duo dive deep for high honours

Tania Rounthwaite, left, and Kathryn Nevatt with their certificates from the Ocean Hunter championships. Photo/Supplied

Best friend freedivers Tania Rounthwaite of Wanganui and her Manawatu training partner Kathryn Nevatt took out the top two overall places at the Ocean Hunter Freediving Championships in Manurewa over the weekend.

Rounthwaite, 40, was second to Nevatt, 34, in the women's competition, having swum 134m in the pool on one breath in dynamic wearing a monofin, which is a fin resembling a mermaid's tail, then remaining under the surface for 4m 4s in static (holding breath), before doing another 91m in dynamic without fins.

The pool events are slightly different than the deep dive events held over the summer in Lake Taupo.

"My results at this competition weren't great, partly due to a shoulder injury. My aim now is to have this fixed before nationals later this year," said Rounthwaite.

Palmerston North-based architect Kathryn Nevatt won the women's division, also ahead of all the men's results, while setting a new New Zealand record in dynamic without fins, having travelled 165m underwater using breaststroke technique underwater.

Nevatt stayed underwater for 3m 14s, making her the best in the world for results this year and third for all results in the governing body Aida's rankings.

It eclipsed her 112m effort at the Wellington Winter Championships in June, where Rounthwaite was also second.

Nevatt also reached 168m in the dynamic with fins and held for breath of 6m 19s in the static.

The women train at Breathtakers Freediving Club, which has an open evening on September 2 at Lido Aquatic Centre, Palmerston North.

"Most beginners surprise themselves and can hold their breath between about two and four minutes in their first session," said Nevatt.

"We build them up slowly and the time just disappears, so they're always surprised when we tell them how long they've been under."

For more information call 027 284 0053 or email BreathtakersFC@gmail.com.