UFC

Unassisted Freedive Competition - noseclip only
Blue Hole Dahab 24th, 26th, 28th april 2009
Prize: all competitors in a draw for a Mares Nemo Apneist depth meter
F-biz & Desert Divers event (by the organizers of Nordic Deep)

Freediving in its purest form - skin diving as deep as you can. No fins - only breaststroke. No mask - only noseclip. No suit - only swimmingtrunks. The ancient discipline reborn. Since this discipline and its rules are unique it will be seen as a new category and world and national records will be awarded*.
 

	UFC - 3 basic rules - athletes version - judges version here	The rules have been developed in discussions with Sebastien Murat, Will Trubridge, William Winram and Herbert Nitsch. Any questions not solved by the 3 rules can be solved by common sense - the "ambitions" of this discipline are quite clear.
1	Propulsion by arms and legs only - no equipment. No mask or goggles - only noseclip. No swim suits, wet suits or caps of any kind. Only swimtrunks/bikini. Weights are allowed. You will have to wear a 1.3 meter lanyard.
2	A) You decide the depth in advance but get no penalties for turning early.  No tags has to be delivered. B) When starting/surfacing you are free to grab and hold above water level, even when your airways break the surface. C) During the dive the rope may be touched with open hand, but not held. No pull upwards is allowed at the turn. A penalty of 5 meters will be given for every rope pull or grab under water.
3	A) No surface protocol has to be delivered - only hold on to the rope and breath for 30 seconds. B) After surfacing you will be disqualified if  your mouth goes under again for more than two seconds, or, if your mouth goes under a second time. You are basicaly allowed one short dip as a benefit of doubt. Apparent LMC´s in the neck resulting in more than one dip will be DQ. Waves in your face will not be counted. C) Feel free to bring a coach but you will be disqualified if you are helped physicly by anyone. The coach may not dive down.
	Details: - You have to be older than 18 years old. - A medical certificate that says "fit for diving" must be presented (no older than 2 years old). - All depths decided by two calibrated Suunto D3´s (against a measured line) placed on the athletes two arms (sea level, salt water calibrated). - A safety lanyard of maximum 1.3 meters attached to ankle, wrist or at a (non elastic) belt at your waist. In addition a wrist band that must have a big ring suitable for attachement of "hook" (airfilled balloon).

Most of these rules are invented to make it more of a challenge than the normal freediving disciplines, aswell as making it  interesting to watch. We want to see: skin, muscles moving, hair flowing, faces and expressions. Basicly the only way to get a red card is to blackout or drop airways because of heavy LMC in the neck/head. These are also so called survival rules. The rules are the property of F.BIZ and the people that developed them.

*A new discipline
Since this is far from the regulations of the FREE, CMAS and AIDA e t c - the "noseclip only comp" will be seen as a new discipline and world and national records will be awarded if they are substansial enough: Reched depths must be 66% of current Aida CNF records and contain no ropeviolations.World records would be 55/36 men/women.

The Rules and records for the "Nose clip only freedive comp" will in the future be governed by a committe.
In the future this committe will be chosen by a vote from all people holding a national record in this discipline.
Records can be done only in open, public and announced competitions of at least three serious athletes.
We might also work on the concept - giving you many dives, and having the best side by side simultaneously in a final on two deep ropes, whoever turns first loses.

Local conditions
This discipline might be most suited for waters of at least 25 degrees celcius. In Dahab in april we will have 21 - that is chilly. We suggest you warm up in a suit - or- sit in the sun and three minutes before your top you will be swimmed/pulled out to the comp zone. Alternatively just remove your suit at the last warm-up line.

Danger
For anyone with experience of advanced freediving and competition it is obvious that these rules poses some new risks in the fact that the rope can be put to any depth and the athletes turn when they want. The athletes sight is reduced due to no mask and this diminishes the athletes control. The fact that no surface protocol has to be delivered gives the athletes an opportunity to venture closer to LMC. The organization is aware of this and will take precautions to guarantee the athletes safety.

Special concerns/suggestions regarding UFC comps:
1) No fins swimming uses more oxygen, the stress of having no mask and the turn without pull will make you use more oxygen. Do not compare UFC to CNF – different disciplines.
2) Unless experienced in no-fins-swimming and no mask and noseclip equalization: we suggest you do not announce anything more than recent PB in this discipline (not PB in CNF).
3) Equalizing with noseclip is usually hard for beginners – be ready to abort dive if failing to equalize. Broken eardrum and vertigo is more serious without a mask and with impaired sight.
4) Do not overweight yourselves, you must be able to turn without a pull.
5) If not specialized in breast stroking, the movement and tension it creates makes you more prone to squeeze.

 UFC is a new discipline, start all over again!

UFC expanded safety ambitions:
- Doctor and oxygen e t c
- Anti ballast.
- Comp held at restricted depth (bottom below plate).
- Experienced scuba diver (trimix)  ready for quick drop down to 50, attach and release balloon. (Safety Scuba to meet this scuba at 40 and ascending/deco together).
- Safety freediver with 40 meter pick up ability, met at 20 by other safety freediver. Third one ready to act as safety for the safety freedivers, meeting at 20 meters.
- Start pulling line and bottom weight after 60% of expected dive time.
- Thorough hard "pullcheck" on every lanyard 3 minutes before start, ready to replace with new.
- Depth sounder/fish finder surveillance.