Diving. Together with lots of other things, it fascinated me ever since my childhood. But, in contrast to the many other things, everyone can dive, even a little boy. You don't need anything. So it was that days in swimming baths have always been higlights - but not for the swimming...
After some years of school sports, underwater rugby and life saving I learnt to dive with SCUBA gear. For that was the "real" diving, I thought. But after all these years spent freediving, moving nimble and agile, I couldn't find so much joy in drifting along with the clumsy gear anymore. I stayed with the right: Freediving.
Some time arround the year 2000 I got infected with monofins. I used to dive regularly in the lake Zürisee for pleasure when a colleague brought a monofin along. Not only the appearance but also the new feeling was wonderfull. I had to have such a thing! When I finally wanted more, deeper, further, longer, I realized, that I can't do this alone on my own any longer. I started searching for other "fools", which long for the same - and they exist...
During winter 2008/09 I started training with the team. Right a the beginning I made myself clear that I don't want to do competitions, just train, go further, longer and deeper. Well, it came out the other way. After a few weeks, when I had beaten all my colleagues, the voices calling for a competition became more determined, until I resigned and let myself persuade for the Coupe des Dauphins in january 2009. There I found out that the competitions are fair, the athletes are kind and there is no sign of distrust or arrogance. Freediver are open and companionable folks. I was infected.
The most important thing, however, remains the pleasure for diving. It woud be impossible for me to achieve good performances if not still the joy and fascination for the human beeing in the water was driving me: Escape into the third dimension, to conquer oneself and ones element and for a momment beeing part of a world to which we naturaly have not acces to.
Name: | Michael Naef |
Born: | 1978 |
Location: | Rapperswil-Jona at the lake Zürisee, Switzerland |
Hobbies: | Freediving, flying, freeclimbing and lots more |