APEKS backing WRDMalta for 2013 events!

Going back as far as I can remember to the early days of my diving career, I recall that I have personally always used APEKS regulators when diving. From time to time however, working at different dive centres, I have tried and used several different brands of regulators. Nonetheless, I have always found myself to be much more comfortable and confident using APEKS regulators hands down and I am certain that the WRDMalta dive team would highly agree with me on this. For this reason, I am more than ecstatic to announce that APEKS will be supporting us during all of our 2013 events and we at World Record Diving Malta are thrilled about this!

APEKS began manufacturing 39 years ago with one goal - to make the best diving equipment in the world. Through constant innovation and development, Apeks has grown into a major player in the diving industry, making more regulators for UK divers than any other manufacturer and exporting more than 85% of equipment around the globe.  The company's design, development, manufacturing and production processes use the latest technology and state of the art equipment.

APEKS regulators have been tested by the world's leading authorities on regulator performance and consistently come at the top in independent performance tests throughout the world. For example, Bjarte Vestol has taken the TX100 to the limits of diver endurance in cold waters and John Bennett will forever hold the record as the first ever diver to dive deeper than 300 metres or 1,000 feet. APEKS were the only regulators both men would trust for their dives down to such incredible depths and they had previously tested most regulators on the market. They used over 25 APEKS regulators, every single one of which worked perfectly- giving gas when breathing heavily, being well protected against freezing, and extremely reliable and tough! Bjarte Vestol and John Bennett put their trust in APEKS TX100 for their record breaking deep diving adventures and we at World Record Diving Malta plan on doing the same!

APEKS will be supplying World Record Diving Malta with the following equipment for use during 2013:

-       WTX Series System - APEKS have now introduced the WTX Series; a selection of harnesses, buoyancy cells and accessories that will certainly appeal to today’s technical divers. These fine products offer unparalleled versatility through their modularity. The components can be assembled into a highly technical rig for those trained to push the limits or scaled down to make a travel friendly rig that any diver would want to use.

 

-       APEKS TEK3 Regulators - designed for use with twin cylinder configuration. The system benefits from streamlined hoses with little chance of accidental snagging and also improved ease of access to cylinder valves. Each 1st stage has 3 medium pressure ports and one high pressure port. They are balanced, cold water compatible and extremely robust.

 

-       APEKS XTX50 Regulators (Sidemount Configuration) – With side-mounting of tanks seemingly the new trend, Apeks has now produced a set of regulators bound to become the favourite for side-mount divers. This consists of two XTX50 DIN regulators with five medium-pressure ports on swivel turrets. One regulator has a 210cm hose, while the other 60cm long. There are two short mp inflation hoses, one intended for the diver’s drysuit and the other for BC inflation. There are two pressure gauges on 15cm hoses, one elbow fitting for a second stage hose, together with a stainless-steel piston-clip and bungee necklace for the other as well as two exchange compact exhaust ports.

 

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- OTS / APEKS Guardian FFS Full Face Mask - developed for sports and technical diving, this will be used during our record attempt for the majority of the time spent underwater. The advantages of a full face mask over conventional regulators include - protection in ectreme environments; reduction in jaw fatigue on longer dives; more comfort in extremely cold environments and underwater communication - all extremely importants considerations when attempting a cold water duration dive.

  

We are all extremely excited to get into the water and start using all the new equipment being sent over to us from APEKSwhom we are honoured to have supporting us at World Record Diving Malta. With less than a month to go now, intense training will soon begin, so follow this spot for constant updates on what’s going on as we build up to the day of the event!!

WHITES Drysuits supporting WRDMalta for 2013

World Record Diving Malta is ecstatic to announce that Whites Drysuits- Canada will be supporting our team for all of 2013 by supplying us with Whites Fusion Bullet Drysuit, along with the Whites Fusion under garment to be used during our record attempts, training, competition events as well as any other dive occasions. Below is just some information on Whites Drysuits and the products that they will be supplying us with.

 

Frank White Senior founded Whites in 1956. It was the first wetsuit manufacturing company in Canada, and first drysuit manufacturing company in North America. Over half a century later the company still continues to set the standard for professional Drysuits. Whites now manufactures and designs Drysuits for Military, Public Safety, Commercial, and Recreational markets around the world. Whites joined the Aqua Lung family of companies in 2010.

Fusion FIT is the first Fusion to use a skin specifically designed to fit women properly. Anatomically correct panels constructed out of super stretch neoprene ensure maximum streamlining and mobility. Gator tech armour on the knees and reinforced seams ensure maximum durability originally designed for the Special Forces, the Fusion Bullet is engineered for the harshest diving environments. Super stretch neoprene allows ultimate flexibility and streamlining while strategically placed Gator Tech armour and reinforced seams ensure maximum durability.

 

FEATURES   Bullet seams are mauser taped and 6 thread sewn for maximum stretch and durability. Includes 2 Twin-Zip expandable pockets,  Rugged Gator Tech neoprene on the knees, elbows, shoulders and buttocks extends the life of the skin for use in the most extreme dive conditions. Removable 2mm neoprene inserts at the elbows and knees provide cushioning.  Super stretch neoprene provides extreme stretch for maximum flexibility.

The streamlining outer layer of the Fusion works in conjunction with the inner drycore to create a unique hydrodynamic effect by reducing frictional drag and turbulence. This creation of laminar flow over your body results in a faster more agile diving suit requiring less energy. The Fusion two layer system offers mobility never before achieved in a wetsuit or traditional drysuit. The high stretch outer skin contours fits the loose fitting inner dry core to the curves of your body allowing unrestricted movement. The DryCORE Technology provides a dry barrier against the elements. Match your thermal undergarment to the conditions just like traditional dry suits, layering up or down. The Fusion has you covered from ice diving to the tropics!

Thermal Fusion, a high performance diving undergarment, maximizes warmth, and provides unrivalled flexibility and fit. Designed by divers, the Thermal Fusion was rigorously tested by professionals to ensure the highest level of comfort and warmth. Proven by science, independent laboratory tests by the Sport Innovation Center (SPIN) validate the superior insulation value of the Thermal Fusion. Cold water immersion and controlled cold weather environmental tests determined effectiveness in protecting skin and core temperatures. Comparative testing against our competitor’s top rated undergarment confirms superiority. The science proves that the Thermal Fusion performed best overall in preventing heat loss in extreme environments.

 

 

We at World Record Diving Malta are honoured to have Whites Drysuits supporting us this year and cannot wait to jump in the water and start training with the new suits!!

New Year, New Goals!

Here we go again!! After putting our heads together and brainstorming on new goals and challenges for the dive team to tackle in 2013 it’s time to get the ball rolling. Baring in mind that one of our organization’s main values is ‘innovation’ that is; striving to develop new activities while continuously improving our procedures, together we have come up with numerous ideas both for recreational diving as well as for competition diving events to be held in 2013. This year we are facing our events with a BIGGER and BETTER approach as well as a ‘Can Do’ attitude and wow have we got plenty in store for you!

 

We have come a long way but we are always striving for more. On the 4^th of March 2012, the World Record Diving team set the Guinness World Record for the Longest Cold Open Water Scuba Dive of 12 hours and 34 minutes. We are immensely satisfied with the result of this attempt however we believe that ‘you are only as good as your last game’ and that the principle is competing against yourself - it's about self-improvement, about being better than you were the day before. Thus, it is our goal this year to push forward, improve our abilities and raise the benchmark further for our competitors. 

 

And so, World Record Diving Malta is proud to announce that we are setting out to break our own record for the Longest Cold Open Water Scuba Dive, aiming at a 15 hour duration dive which will take place on Saturday the 9^th of March 2013 at Starfish Diving School, Marina Hotel- Corinthia Beach Resort in St.George’s Bay, Malta.

Preparations are already well underway and the team is immensely excited to unveil who our key sponsors for 2013 will be!!! Stay tuned to find out more …

Here's what we've been up to!

It has been a busy couple of weeks over the Christmas period for everyone at World Record Diving Malta. Nonetheless, this has not stopped our divers from finding the time to get wet and be creative in the water. Members from our team have taken part in various Santa dives and also joined divers from other clubs to help decorate an underwater Christmas tree in aid of the national charity L-Istrina.

 

 

World Record Diving Malta started the New Year by hosting a formal ceremony in order to present certificates and medals to our team as well as to sponsoring companies for their support shown during last year's record achievement for the Longest Cold Open Water Sea Dive of 12 hours and 34 minutes held on the 4th of March 2012 at Starfish Diving School, Marina Hotel- Corinthia Beach Resort, Malta.
 

 

The team has also been busy putting pen to paper and coming up with new thrilling ideas for 2013 - keep an eye open on our blog to hear about our upcoming Treasure Island events as well as for our new World Record attempts in the not so distanct future...  2013 is definately going to be an exciting year for all at World Record Diving Malta!! 

 

 

Happy Holidays !

We would like to wish a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everybody on behalf of all the team at World Record Diving Malta!

 

Wishing you a fantastic dive year & looking forward to all the events we've

 got coming your way in 2013!! - Stay tuned :)

Who are we?

World Record Diving Malta is an organization hosting a series of recreational as well as competition diving events on the Maltese Islands. The main scope behind the organization is to showcase the sport of diving in Malta whilst also promoting the Maltese Islands as an ideal destination for divers. Therefore, we endeavor to organize many innovative events and aim to bring the diving community together as often as possible for pleasure diving as well as team building. 

 World Record Diving Malta, commonly known as WRDMalta, was founded in late 2011.  After attempting a number of record dives both for cold water as well as for warm water, the team involved had evolved into a strong, dedicated team of motivated individuals working hard together towards a shared goal whilst proving excellent communication skills and effort between one another. The team started to become well known for their positive team player attitude and received much recognition for their record diving events. Therefore it was agreed that the team should take the next step forward and that is how World Record Diving Malta was born.

 The foundation of our organization is based on the following five values:

1.      Safety: Role modeling safe diving procedures and striving to set a good example when doing so.

 2.      Teamwork: Encouraging teamwork, communication and collective responsibility towards the organizations’ objectives.

3.       Integrity: Showing constant drive and motivation to improve performance.

4.       Innovation: Striving to develop new activities whilst continuously improving existing procedures.

5.       Excellence: Seeking to achieve the highest level of performance in meeting our goals.
 

These values are based upon our shared belief that “ In living a life that honors your highest values, you can achieve unimagined success- rising to your true potential and experiencing fulfilling at the deepest levels” – Michael Angier.

  The team has worked hard to make World Record Diving Malta what it is today and even though the organization has named a director and assistant director, each individual contributes equally towards our success. Based on the infinite variety of skills and abilities demonstrated by our members, the team has been split into the following sectors: Safety Diver Support, Surface Support, IT Support, HR, Marketing & Media Support- all together known as WRDMalta. 

WRDMalta has organized a series of world record breaking dive events based on saturation and endurance diving and throughout the past couple of years have received record achievements and recognition both by Guinness World Records as well as by the Malta National Records Office. These accomplishments were received for the longest time endured both in cold water as well as in warm water. The team is now however looking at broadening our horizons, and with our heads put together, we have managed to come up with a number of new exciting challenges and records to attempt in the future, which will surely be followed by even more ideas and many more events. Furthermore, in order to encourage the diving community to unite, WRDMalta has also organized other events such as beach clean ups, recreational boat dives as well as a fun and innovative experience formally known as ‘Treasure Island’ – an underwater treasure hunt challenge new to the Maltese diving community. 

 

 

At World Record Diving Malta, however, we do not only base our events on physical challenges but also as charitable goals. For this reason, all of our events have been organized in aid of charity, having promoted, contributed and encouraged donations in past events both to local charities such as Dar tal-Providenza as well as to foreign research campaigns such as The British Psoriasis Foundation and Brain Cancer Research, and plan to carrying on helping those in need as much as we possibly can in the not so distant future.

Cold Water Record 2012

My name is Sean McGahern and I am a professional certified scuba diving instructor. I have been involved in a series of World Record attempts involving dives in both warm water and cold water.

The first of these dives took place in 2009 where the World Record Diving Malta team and myself broke the world record for the longest warm water open sea dive of 25 hours and 10 minutes. Subsequently, we also attempted to surpass the cold water sea record of 11 hours 46 minutes but was unlucky due to bad weather conditions that forced the team to abort the attempt 1 hour and 10 minutes short of the record. In another recent attempt to exceed the warm water record time, which had been surpassed and increased to 51 hours in late 2010, the team was faced with a number of technical issues which put the teams’ safety in jeopardy. For this reason, and baring in mind that Safety is our number one core value, the dive was cancelled 36 hours into the dive.

Having learned a lot from our previous attempts, we are now looking to set a new cold water record for open sea dive of much tougher endurance, with the help of Starfish Diving Center in St Georges Bay, Malta. In order for this record attempt to take place, a number of regulations must be taken into consideration. Some of these include; a minimum temperature of below 15°c and a minimum depth of 11 meters for 13 hours in order to beat the current record. However, our goal is not only to beat the 13 hour record but to push the benchmark  further and set a new record of 15 hours. The date for this record event has been set for the 8th of March 2013.
During the past couple of years we have built a strong, dedicated team of motivated individuals working hard together and proving excellent communication skills and team effort between one another. The team has been split into a number of sections such as:

• The IT department who:
- Deal with the continuous updates on our website www.worldrecorddivingmalta.com where one may find articles of previous records, plans for future records, blogs, photos and where you may also meet the team.
- Are responsible for dealing with e-mails, contacting sponsors & media contacts during the organization of the dive as well as throughout the entire year
- Update the blogs during the entire event informing the public of everything that is going on during the dive
• The Surface Support Team who are responsible for:
- Ensuring everything is under control during the event
- Tracking all records such as diver logs
- Making sure all divers do not exceed their dive times
- Checking all documents and forms are up to date
- Ensuring that the correct drinks & medications are brought down to Sean on time
- Collecting copies of photos/videos from all participants
• The Safety Diver Team who will be responsible for:
- Ensuring that Sean’s safety as well as their own safety is not in jeopardy, mainly by not exceeding dive times for any reason
- Supplying Sean with cylinders and retrieving expelled cylinders
- Delivering drinks, vitamins and food to Sean during the course of the dive
- Keeping an eye on temperature, heart rate and CNS levels.
- Relaying information from base camp back to land which will be recorded by the Surface Support team.
- Dry divers will only get in the water in the event of emergency.
- Divers will NOT be responsible for refilling cylinders but must return cylinders to filling station after diving. 

All of these members now make up World Record Diving Malta -a recently launched non-profit organization- bringing recreational diving and competition diving to the next level whilst promoting the sport of diving in Malta- a paradise for scuba divers.