The Second Edition of the AIDA Bora Abyss Contest Wraps Up

Asya Kleschevnikova, Head of Sales & Customer Service
asya@molchanovs.com
molchanovs.com

Bora Bora, French Polynesia, 5 May 2024 - The second edition of the AIDA Bora Abyss Contest was a success, with competing athletes receiving only white and yellow cards.

Bora Bora Freediving & Yoga saw 8 athletes compete over two days in FIM, CWTB, and CNF. The first edition of this competition was held in May 2023, and this year’s edition featured a stunning 65m+ (213ft) visibility, with athletes and competition staff at the surface able to see athletes’ entire dives and the ocean bottom.

Competition Setup and Results

The competition setup included 2 boats anchored at the mooring and a third boat as a shuttle for athletes. The judges were Emilie Antoine and Arthur Verniau, the founders of Bora Bora Freediving & Yoga, who had also recently trained some of their former students as safety divers for the competition. While the competition itself saw a few challenges during preparation, such as finding enough volunteers available at the same time, the event itself went smoothly, with athletes from all over French Polynesia showing interest in attending.

Molchanovs outfitted safety divers in CORE Freediving Masks, CORE Freediving Snorkels, and CORE Silicone Weight Belts, while the winners received A6063x Nose Clips and the recently-released Lightweight Poncho Towels.

Overall winners

Female - Alizée Mahévas (FRA) - 69 points
Male - Julien Marcel (FRA) - 64 points

See the full list of competition results here.

About the Location

Bora Bora Yoga & Freediving began 6 years ago as the first freediving school in French Polynesia’s 118 islands. Bora Bora’s good weather is typical for the most part of the year, with water temperatures ranging from 26 - 31°C (79 - 88), 30m+ (98ft+) visibility, and plenty of sharks, manta rays, turtles, and coral for freedivers to see. The freediving school’s goals include more editions of this competition and a dream-in-progress of creating AIDA Polynesia to one day enroll Polynesian people in the World Championships.

For prospective athletes of next year’s edition of the AIDA Bora Abyss Contest, take note that the freediving school will soon set up another mooring line with no depth limits. They also offer specific coaching sessions for athletes preparing for the competition, with one of the school’s specialties being solving equalization issues.