The final of the competition DAN MasterTrim 2016, the first international buoyancy control competition in scuba diving, was held at the end of 2016 in the impressive setting of the world’s deepest diving pool, Y-40 The Deep Joy. And it was Alexandra Karnilovich, nicknamed ‘underwater bat’ by her colleagues and ‘Sasha’ by her friends, a young and talented Russian-born diving instructor, who won it.
The divers (85 in total in the competition) performed two dives: one during the day and another at night. They followed a very precise dive profile developed by DAN specialists, which enabled them to measure their underwater buoyancy skills. The data was recorded by two dive computers, one personal and the other provided by the DAN Research department. At the end of the two sessions, the dive profiles were analyzed to determine the final score.
Sasha ranked first thanks to a performance that came close to perfection. Two Italian diving instructors, Daniele Vasselli and Stefano Paludetto, finished second and third respectively.
» According to a survey we recently conducted among divers, buoyancy control is often a concern and represents a key skill for many instructors « , said Professor Salih Murat Egi, an expert in biomedical engineering, a researcher at DAN Europe and the designer of the competition. » Maintaining a stable horizontal position can reduce fatigue and air consumption, while also allowing for easier learning of new techniques and even protecting the environment « , indicated Massimo Pieri, regional research director for Europe at DAN Europe. » DAN’s mission is to promote diving safety, and the MasterTrim competition is part of DAN’s mission. That’s why we wanted to raise awareness among all divers about the benefits of good buoyancy. »
Morgane CONSTANTIN