SCUBATLON
| File:Scubatlon race.png Two divers on scubatlon competition | |
| First played | Moscow, 2004 |
|---|---|
| Characteristics | |
| Type | Aquatic |
| Equipment | scuba diving equipment |
| Venue | Swimming pool, Open water |
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SCUBATLON is an underwater sport where scuba divers compete in buoyancy mastery. The name comes from the acronym SCUBA (Self-contained breathing apparatus) and varied ancient Greek ἆθλος (competition). Competitors must overcome the underwater obstacle course with minimum penalty points[1]. The bedrock idea of the competition is a demonstration of underwater diving skills for diving in the natural environment to preserve the underwater world and its inhabitants.
History
Historically, the scubatlon was a side project of Coral Reef Center, educational and scientific reef conservation environmentalism. It was a training for scuba divers volunteers, who were supposed to be involved in the reef rebuilding program.
The first competition took place in 2004, in Moscow, Russia. In 2005 the SCUBATLON Association was established to develop the rules and regulations of the competition. The Founder and President of the association SCUBATLON is Andrey Alexandrov. To draw attention to the project a luminous course was created in 2010. In 2014, the first open water competitions were held in Kemer, Turkey. Since 2015, the SCUBATLON Open Cup has been held.
Competitions
The competition is held in a swimming pool or open water, where an obstacle course of varying complexity is installed. The recommended depths are 2.5 m (8 ft) and deeper for pools and 4 m (13 ft) for open water. Any certificated diver of the generally accepted systems (PADI, CMAS, SSI and etc.) may participate in the competition. Any scuba diving equipment configuration (BCD, wing, side mount, rebreather) is allowed. As far as the skills of the diver's behavior underwater are mastered in conditions close to natural, a full set of equipment is desirable, including a knife, line cutter(s), torches(s), etc. Usually, two obstacle courses are installed side by side with two contestants and two judges underwater and the chief referee with two assistants take a position on the poolside. A video is recorded for objective control.
SCUBATLON Open Cup
The main competitions are conducted through several stages. At each stage, participants earn points[2][3] for passing the track. Finalists should pass at least five stages. If a participant competed in more stages he or she can choose the best results of the stages. According to the results, the winners of first, second and third place are determined[4]
Types of obstacles
There are five obstacles on the course. An obstacle consists of a single ring or two rings. Standard obstacles:
- Low ring (Fig. 1);
- High ring (Fig. 2);
- Shaft (Fig. 3);
- Vertical Eight (Fig. 4).
- Horizontal Eight (Fig. 5).
Mistakes
The historical origin of scubatlon dictates the system of 'punishments' and penalty points:
- Touching the bottom by a body or gear
- Uncontrollable change of depth
- Touching an obstacle
- Swimming with the use of hands
- Exceeding the procedural time
- Grabbing an obstacle
- Destroying the obstacle
Refereeing
A certified diver of Divemaster or Instructor level is allowed to attend the SCUBATLON Referee Course free of charge.
Membership and Sponsors
Since 2019 the Scubatlon Association is a member of WSDS (World Diving Safety Standards).
The competitions are supported by Aqualung and Tusa companies.
Notes and Sources
External links
- http://scubatlon.com/en/
- https://xray-mag.com/content/scubatlon-environmental-protection-sport
- http://tetis.ru/diving/diving_art/misc/430/
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