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Shenna McNally, Canada's deepest woman in CWTB, just got herself two new records. Freediving to -87m with her trusty V330 fins during the mini-competition in Roatan, she managed to bag a national as well as a continental one, setting the bar high for anyone who wishes to challenge her. Even though she has managed way deeper dives during training, she opted for "shallower, fun dives", getting ready for this year's Vertical Blue.
"I just finished my first competition in almost two years, and it wasn't a straightforward journey! Days after I arrived in Honduras, the Caribbean Cup was canceled due to the pandemic. Thankfully, the folks at Roatan Freediving School & Training Center decided to host a small-scale mini-comp instead and will move the Cup to later this year.
My training started off very well, but I lost time to a head cold and some inclement weather. The conditions in Roatan can be variable—most often, it's beautiful, blue, 40m visibility, and calm. Sometimes there is a strong current, and this time around, there were uncharacteristically strong winds! I often found myself seasick and shivering; it was quite the adjustment after being completely spoiled in Dominica's calm bay. Thankfully, the winds died down for the final training day and I ended with a smooth dive in calm waters.
The four-day comp format is (in my mind) a good chance to focus on one thing, and I chose bi-fins (CWTB) — a discipline that I only recently started training seriously, but that I am extremely comfortable in. Chalk it up to being an instructor and ex-safety diver...whatever it is, I’m much more relaxed with two fins than one big one"!
"I get crazy nerves before the first day of a comp, and it being the first comp day in a long time, I announced a bit low for Day 1: 84m CWTB. Okay, so it's not super low, as my old NR for Canada was 78m and the Continental Record was 81m, but it was something I figured I could do on even the worst of days. Turns out, it was not the worst of days: the wind calmed down, there was zero current, 40m vis, and lots of good vibes. Despite a terrible sleep the night before, the dive was easy and smooth, with only a few small mistakes: I was slow on the ascent, as I was telling myself, “Don’t sprint!” and I was a bit too focused on keeping a visibly open hand on the line at the end, for the judges’ sake. Going forward, I decided to forget about the hand as I know that I train properly, and to pick up the pace a little for the next dive, on the ascent.
There were a few other big CWTB dives on Day 1, as well: Florian Burghardt did 74m for Switzerland, Natalie Rudman of South Africa did a National/Continental Record to 63m, and Jung A Kim of Korea did a National Record to 78m. The ladies are using the same Alchemy fins as I am"!
"I announced 87m CWT with my monofin. I wanted to have a stress-free dive that wouldn't tax me too much, but also provide a chance to dive the depth that I wanted to do in bi-fins after the day off. Kind of like a mental rehearsal! This was a perfect choice; once again conditions were good (only light surface current and some wind), and the dive was strong and easy, with good EQ".
"We had a break/rest day, and I rested hard after some bad sleep the previous two nights. I announced 87m CWTB. Although I have been training deeper CWTB dives, this is still a big dive for me — one that requires proper care and attention. After a huge 10-hour sleep the night of the rest day, I was confident that it would be no problem.
The wind picked up and the surface was bumpy, but underneath, the conditions were perfect, with beautiful vis and zero current. I took my seasickness tablet to deal with the surface conditions and got to the platform early to relax and prepare. The diver before me had some unexpected trouble, but I reminded myself that everything going on around me is just noise and doesn't affect me. Then, the dive...well, I executed it almost perfectly! I was a bit slower than normal on the descent (I was erring on the side of being relaxed), but other than that, everything was sound: good EQ, nice freefall, good turn, strong ascent, and feeling happy and not yet tired when I heard the safety at 30m. I was super clean and solid at the surface. Boom!
Again, there were some strong CWTB dives on Day 3, following my dive: Jung A Kim of Korea did a huge, happy 80m NR, and Florian Burghardt did 76m for Switzerland"!
"For the final day, having achieved my goal, I decided to announce the same dive as my roommate and training buddy, Vivien Richard: 75m CWT (him with monofin, me with bi-fins). This is his first competition, and he's slaying it! This way, we could enjoy the morning together; I could have a fun, easy dive, and be right there to coach him for his dive. Perfect! However, mother nature had other plans, and an unexpected squall with huge waves forced a cancellation after the first two dives, in order to ensure everyone's safety. I'm happy to say that everybody got back to the beach safe and sound, and enjoyed the rest of the day together"!
"Congratulations to all the athletes for their amazing, strong performances and good vibes in and out of the water! I love coming to Roatan because there is always such a good atmosphere amongst the competitors and staff. Huge thanks to the folks at Roatan Freediving School and Training Center for organizing and the smooth logistics, to Freedive Utila for the safety & support, to my family, and to my sponsors/supporters: Alchemy, Blue Element, Elios Sub, Freedive Utila, Octopus & Soufriere Guesthouse.
For me, this competition is good training and practice in the lead-up to my next competition, in July: Vertical Blue! It will be my first competition in the Bahamas, so I’ll head over there in June to get used to the darkness of Dean’s Blue Hole and start my next round of training. After Vertical Blue, I hope to come back to Roatan for the Caribbean Cup later this year, but in these pandemic times, things are constantly changing. At least it’s still beautiful and safe underwater, yeah"?