Free Diving Highlighted At Surf Expo!

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Surf Expo starts today in Orlando, FL and free diving is featured at this trade show for the first time. Martin Stepanek with FII will be doing breathhold demos in the pool along with others.

This is what they have to say about it:

"A Deep Dive On Freediving



Freediving and its related products take center stage in Surf Expo's newest category: Dive. So what is this sport all about and what does it mean for your store?
By Sean O'Brien

Look deep enough into any endeavor and hierarchy appears. Novices learn the ropes and either stall out, drop out, or advance toward true mastery. It's just the way of the world.

It's no different with surfing. The far right side of the bell curve takes years―a lifetime even―to achieve. Yeah, it's partially the realm of the inverted rodeo air and the ten-second Mentawai barrel, but the true masters also include those who have learned the facets of the ocean and are equally at home with all of them.

Gerry Lopez is right: the term "waterman" is an overused crutch used by surf industry marketing types. But there is a group deserving of the title who have captured the imagination of surfers of all types. At Surf Summit this year, Mark Healey held the normally boisterous surf industry nabobs in hushed respect―in no small part because of his exploits in the ancient but increasingly popular sport of freediving.

After photos of Healey surfaced taking a ride on the dorsal fin of a Great White Shark, he became this season's "it guy" for reasons that go far beyond his skill catching waves. Hot on his heels came the tale of Brandon Wahlers being dragged for three miles after spearfishing a 358 pound tuna―a perfect 21st century redux of Hemingway's fish tale. Suddenly, it seems, freediving is everywhere and its popularity has become more inclusive than those epics suggest."
Continued at: http://bit.ly/okz2IK

NOTE: general admission isn't available to this trade show. You need to be in the business or know someone who is who will secure tickets for you.

You can see images from past Surf Expos at:
http://fksa.org/forumdisplay.php?f=63

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