Masimo Safety Team

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  Steve has returned to Vertical Blue as Chief of Safety having worked at the competition in 2014 as platform coordinator. He also previously worked as a safety diver in Kalamata at the world Depth Championships in 2013. Steve has been active in freediving since 2009 when he discovered the sport in Dahab, where he still lives, and now runs a freedive school, Dahabfreedivers. Stephen is an AIDA Master instructor and has taught and coached hundreds of divers both in Dahab and the Philippines. He is also a competitive diver and the holder of all his national depth records. He is from Dublin and returns every summer to watch his beloved Dubs compete in, his other passion, the All-Ireland GAA Championships.

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  Tom is a Registered Nurse and Paramedic from Washington State. He has worked in a Level I Trauma Center and as a flight nurse transporting critical trauma and medical patients via helicopter air ambulance. He also works as a paramedic in the San Juan Islands. As an EMT Instructor for Remote Medical International Tom has trained military personnel, government agents and body guards in emergency medical response. Toms love for the water world brought him to be a NAUI Scuba Instructor and freediver. In 2010 he attended the Vertical Blue Master Class. This will be Toms third season having been the medic on the platform for events at Vertical Blue in 2011 and 2012. Tom Ardavany is a Registered Nurse and Paramedic from Washington.

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  Thomas Bouchard has been a Dive Master since over 10 years, has worked and dived in various places around the globe from the Caribbean to the Arctic. He discovered freediving in Dahab 2012, proving to be a natural. Within a year he had a static of 8 minutes, an 85 meter free immersion and a 70 meter constant no-fin. Only year later Thomas represented his country, France, and competed in the World Depth Championship’s in Kalamata. He has been trained in first aid both above and below the water since 2004 and has worked previously as a safety diver in Dahab, a place he likes to hang out, both above and below the water.

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  Why is this guy not competing?? To put it simply Stig is one of the world’s best current all-round apneists and we’re very grateful to have him on our side of the fence this time. This Great Dane only started freediving in 2013 and rose through the ranks with astonishing results, finishing second in last year’s overall ranking. He also represented his country at the World Team Championship’s in Sardinia where he just missed out on a medal. His achievements are all the more remarkable as only a few years before Stig had to overcome an autoimmune disease, psoriases of the joints, which he did by simply regulating his diet. From this experience he has applied his dietary knowledge to developing food programs specific for freediving. He has been an AIDA Instructor since 2014 and when not freediving Stig likes to be in Copenhagen with his two daughters.

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  No safety team is complete without good medical back-up and this year we are very happy to welcome Nik onto the team to assist Tom Ardavaney on the platform and our safeties in the water. Nik comes with all the credentials, in the water he is a qualified PADI Divemaster and has been freediving for 5 years. Out of the water he is an intensive care registered nurse, is qualified in advanced life support and is currently completing a degree in Paramedicine. Nik discovered freediving after spear fishing, and scuba interests, led him to it and has never looked back, spending time training in Indonesia and Dahab. He has come as a safety diver but with his experience diving and working with Tom he plans to further his knowledge in the medical and physiological side of freediving, a new and forever growing branch of science.

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  No stranger to the Caribbean, Edgardo has been freediving for many years. He discovered freediving with none other than William Trubridge and is the current holder of Honduras’ national records in both constant weight and free immersion. He can only be described as passionate about the ocean and has been involved in many different environmental projects around the world. When out of the water Edgardo lives in his native Honduras and works in real estate. Edgardo is an experienced safety diver who has learned from the best. An easy going guy who’s always keen and willing to learn more about the sport Edgardo is well up for the job of Vertical Blue Safety Diver.

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  Rob is a passionate waterman from the tropics of Australia. He uses the Great Barrier Reef not only as his workplace, but also his training ground where he continues on his personal advances in freediving. During his relatively short freediving career he has completed dives in free immersion to 71 meters, and constant weight to 62 meters. From the days of Scuba instructing on the reef he has been involved in many different facets of the marine industry from skippering vessels, to commercial diving and guiding spearfishing adventures. This will be Rob’s first appearance as a safety team member at Vertical Blue and we’re very happy to have him.

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  Gianfranco is a Sicilian freediver, originally from the westward island of Marettimo. Gianfranco, or Jimmy, is an Apnea Academy Instructor, swimming and water polo instructor and one of the Mediterranean’s most renowned spear fishermen. He is a vastly experienced safety diver and was involved in William Trubridge’s and Carlos Coste’s Red Sea World Record attempts in 2007. With all this experience and personal bests of 75m Constant weight, 42m Constant no-fin and 61m Free Immersion Jimmy is a very welcome member on the Vertical Blue safety team.

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