Each May, Roatan’s West Bay Beach hosts an international freediving competition, bringing together the world’s most competitive for the Caribbean Cup. In this the fourth annual event, several days of competition resulted in new records, ecstatic competitors, and overall yet another outstanding freediving competition in Roatan.
Freediving has quickly become a popular sport around the world, and Roatan’s annual Caribbean Cup freediving competition has attracted the most elite competitors from countless countries to compete in these pristine conditions. The water off West Bay Beach boasts extensive visibility and calm conditions – ideal for comfortable freediving.
Competitors at the Caribbean Cup enter into any of three freediving disciplines: Free Immersion (FIM), Constant Weight With Fins (CWT), and Constant Weight Without Fins (CNF). Over the course of six days, competitors reach incredible depths, striving for personal records, national records, and more.
This year’s competition saw multiple records broken with enthusiasm, as evidenced in the incredible photos taken throughout the competition. Take a look at the Caribbean Cup Facebook page to see for yourself.
In 2016, the men’s competition saw the legendary William Trubridge (New Zealand) come out on top once again, with a cumulative 291 points. Following closely behind were Kurt Chambers (USA) and Sebastian Lira (Chile).
The women’s competition was incredibly close, with Ashley Chapman (USA) and Sofia Gomez Uribe (Colombia) tying for first place with combined totals of 231 points each. Tomoka Fukuda (Japan) grabbed third place with a total 225 points.
A week of competition in Roatan culminates in quite the celebration on West Bay Beach. If you weren’t in Roatan during the Caribbean Cup this year, be sure to plan your 2017 vacation to coincide with the annual event. You won’t want to miss the incredible energy and fun that comes with such an intriguing international event!
Plan your vacation to Roatan by checking out hotels and vacation rental options, plus take a look at all the fun water activities you can do around the Caribbean Cup Freediving competition. We hope you’ll come join us next year!
Take a look at the Roatan Travel Network highlighting the Caribbean Cup.
