Freediving to make big splash at DEMA

The United States Apnea Association, USAA (booth 3700), Canadian Association of Freediving and Apnea, CAFA (booth 3704), Performance Freediving International, PFI (booth 3702), and Deeperblue.net (booth 3706) are pleased to announce extensive plans for the upcoming Diving Equipment and Marketing Association (DEMA) Show.

This is the first year that freediving will be represented in an organized way at the show. Many events are planned to enable all attendees to learn more about freediving and build awareness of how to service this growing user group in the industry. The following events are scheduled.

Wednesday, October 5th, 11-12pm, Panel Discussion: The Future of Freediving, sponsored by USAA, CAFA and Rick Lesser and Assoc., Room S203. Panelists: Grant Graves, Kirk Krack, Martin Stepanek, Tom Lightfoot, Terry Maas and Stephan Whelan. Tec Clark will moderate the panel.

Mr. Graves is the president of the USAA. Mr. Krack is the founder of PFI and coach/trainer of multiple world record freedivers. Mr. Stepanek is a world champion freediver and holder of multiple current world records in freediving. Mr. Lightfoot is the president of CAFA. Mr. Maas is a world spearfishing champion and well-known author on freediving. Mr. Whelan is the founder and publisher of Deeperblue.net. Mr. Clark is a USAA Board Member and long time dive industry veteran.

Thursday, October 6th, 11-12pm, Thanks, But No Tanks: Increasing Profits Through Freediving, sponsored by USAA, Room S203

This discussion is designed to help all industry professionals learn more about servicing this growing segment of the dive industry. Lessons from freediving that can aid in scuba training will also be addressed.

Friday, October 7th, 11-12pm, Freediving Safety Seminar, sponsored by PFI, Room S203
This discussion will address the safety issues associated with freediving. All industry professionals will enjoy learning about how they can easily support freedivers and freediving activities.

Friday, October 7th, 6-8pm, Social and silent auction, sponsored by Deeperblue.net, Dr. Ralph Potkin, PFI, CAFA and USAA, Las Vegas Hilton Room.

The social will close the show and allow all ocean enthusiasts to share stories and a drink after a long week. 50% of the proceeds of the silent auction will benefit the Lance Armstrong Foundation Peleton Project and 50% will benefit competitive freediving in North America.

World Record Freediver Martin Stepanek will be demonstrating static breath holds in the DEMA pool each day. World Famous Freediving Trainer Kirk Krack will join him to explain the events and conduct introductions.

• Tuesday, October 4th – Static demonstration at 2:00 – 2:30pm
• Wednesday, October 5th – Static demonstration at 2:00 – 2:30pm, followed by introductions to freediving for attendees from 2:30 – 3:30pm
• Thursday, October 6th – Static demonstration at 2:00 – 2:30pm, followed by introductions to freediving for attendees from 2:30 – 3:30pm
• Friday, October 7th – Static demonstration at 2:00 – 2:30pm, followed by introductions to freediving for attendees from 2:30 – 3:30pm

All industry professionals are encouraged to join in, learn more about freediving, and cheer on Martin as he holds his breath for over seven minutes.

Come by and visit the freediving “pavilion” at booths 3700, 3702, 3704 & 3706. Complete schedule of events will be available at the booth. Daily prizes awarded.

Donations for the silent auction and sponsorships are still being actively sought.

For more information about USAA please visit the website. www.usfreediving.org

For more information about CAFA please visit the website. www.freedivecanada.com

For more information about PFI please visit the website. www.performancefreediving.com

For more information about Deeperblue visit the website. www.deeperblue.net

The USAA is a non-profit association founded on a democratic representation of freediving within the United States and internationally. CAFA is a non-profit association founded on a democratic representation of freediving within Canada and internationally. PFI is an international freediving training organization dedicated to educating the public in the safe enjoyment of recreational and competitive freediving. Deeperblue.net is the primary web resource for news and information related to freediving.

The DEMA Show is the annual trade only event for the dive industry in the United States. For more information about the DEMA Show visit the website. www.demashow.com.

Contact Information:

Grant W. Graves, President
United States Apnea Association, USAA

3642 Seahorn Dr.
Malibu, CA 90265
Email: makog@aol.com
Phone: 310-560-6104

[ TOP ]