Open AIDA Competition

Here is my first report about the first competition I competed at. The journey to Zlin, a town where the event took place, was quite smooth. After a short meeting my teammate and I decided on which discipline would each of us compete in. I would do static and my teammate – Jan Melichar – dynamic. There was a simple reason for such decision – my “catastrophic” DNF technique. Jan wasn’t in perfect health for an outdoor pool static so we both got what we wanted.


Registration, announcing performances, signing an agreement that if we drown it will be our fault only and then numbers on our hands were the next steps of our day.

We left our bags in the locker room and went to check the pool. The 25-meter indoor pool was great but it was being used by monofin swimmers. Our pool was the one outside the complex. Organizers were running around it, wearing winter jackets and they were obviously freezing. Air temperature was 13C (55F) and water temperature about the same.

First to go was static apnea competition. I agreed on my warm-up with my colleague and we both put on our wet suits. I announced 4 minutes time and 25 minutes before official top I got into water to start my warm up.

The cold was not as bad as I thought and I stopped being nervous as soon as I got first signal from my buddy. To be honest I don’t even remember what was going on around me. I was focused only on Jan’s coaching and then let him to pull into competitors’ lane.

I immersed right at the official top almost before the judge finished saying it. The first I felt was my heart beating furiously, maybe due to the cold. It was calming down, the beat was slower and slower until I stopped feeling it completely. I started saying mantra, closed my eyes and “moved” myself into a black tunnel. I felt my leg being twitched by the cold few times but it wasn’t too bad. Contractions came expectantly early, but hopefully they were mild. And then Jan gave me the first safety signal. From that time I was only waiting for another signal and another and another. When contractions kept throwing me around like toy I got my face out of water. For a few I was quite surprised and wondering who were those nice people sitting around and staring at me, but then I remembered, did my protocol and waited for result. White card, RP 5:59. My personal best, hooray. In that euphoria I even managed to register for dynamic.
The indoor pool was already free for dynamic apnea warm up so we could prepare at a warm place. Just to inform you, a new Czech national record was set in DNF – 150 meters. It’s now being held by Michal Risian. And final evaluation? Great organizing, cold, nice pools, great photos and everyone was excited.