The Skandalopetra Freediving Games

What is the Skandalopetra dive.

Until the decade of 1960, a lot of sponge divers were using this ancient Skandalopetra diving method.
The skin diver was diving from a boat keeping the stone with his two hands and the small rope tied to his shackle bone.
During descending he used the Skandalopetra as weights for quick descending, as a steering wheel to change direction and as a brake to slow down or accelerate his diving beat.
Upon reaching the sea bed he would liberate his hands to collect the sponges and when he was done he would use the long rope to give the appropriate sign to his partner on the boat. Then his partner would rope him to the sea surface while he was standing on the Skandalopetra or just hung up on the line.

From this small description it is obvious that the Skandalopetra was a tool with many uses. It was the equivalent of the weights we use today and at the same time it was a steering wheel, a brake and a standing base. While the rope it was  tied on, was used as a reference line and for communication with the boat.  

But freediving for sponges was a very hard job and as soon as new and more comfortable diving gear was available, the Skandalopetra diving method was totally abandoned. 

The relation between the Skandalopetra dive and the modern Free Diving.

The Skandalopetra dive never became a freediving style and is not included in the programs of organizations and associations that handle the athletic Freediving. 
Some reasons for this would be:

1. Freediving as an athletic activity is rather new and actually started when the Skandalopetra diving method was already abandoned.
2. The Skandalopetra dive has always been a commercial dive and has never been used for sport or recreation.
3. Most free divers do not even know the existence of this method which is a diving heritage of the sponge divers of the Aegean sea.

The efforts done until now for the promotion of the Skandalopetra dive.

• Umberto Pelizzari - Karpathos island Greece - September 12 1998
  Umberto Pelizzari, the Italian top freediver, on September 12 1998 on Karpathos island Greece, dived with a Skandalpetra to the depth of -100 meters to honor Stathi Haggi, a sponge diver from Simi island Greece.
  Stathi Haggi in 1913 dived to the depth of - 48 fathom (about 82,5 - 87,5 meters), to liberate the anchor of the Italian warship Regina Margerita.
  http://www.tanea.gr/print_article.php?e=A&f=16239&m=N24&aa=1
  http://lutecium.fr/www.jp-petit.com/dangers/apnee.htm http://www.loseskakeados.com/submarinismo.htm
  http://www.aida-hungary.hu/level3.php?pg_id=4&ma_id=9&pr_id=13
   
• Yasemin Dalkilic - Bodrum Turkey - September 29 2002
   Yasemin Dalkilic, the Turkish freediving legend,  dived with a Skandalopetra to a depth of -50 meters in Bodrum Turkey on September 29 2002, to pay tribute to the Turkish sponge divers. http://www.yasemindalkilic.com/eng/projects/index.asp?id=6
  
  
   

• Volos city Greece - August 2004
  Chronis Chlitsios a  Greek freediver dives with a Skandalopetra to - 80 meters, to honor the sponge divers of Trikeri village.
  
   
• Kalymnos island Greece - 1^st Diving Festival - September 2004  
  A sponge diver demonstrates the Skandalopetra dive.
  
  First effort for organizing The Skandalopetra Freediving Games under the supervision and responsibility of the Kalymnian doctor Nikolas Trikilis.  
  Greek and foreign freedivers tried the Skandalopetra dive while a dive to - 55 meters was recorded by Thomas Thomaidis.
  Suunto publication
  
  

• Kalymnos island Greece - 2^nd Diving Festival - August 2005
  Presentation and demonstration of the Skandalopetra dive by sponge divers.
  Trial dives by Greek and foreign freedivers to a limited depth of - 35 meters.
  

• Pallini Chalkidiki Greece - Diving Festival - September 2005
  Skandalopetra games under the supervision and responsibility of the Kalymnian doctor Nikolas Trikilis. An 8 kg Skandalopetra from Kalymnos island Greece was used. Some well known Greek freedivers participated.
  
  Maximum depth recorded - 64 meters by Thomas Thomaidis.

The Skandalopetra Freediving Games

The 1^st Skandalopetra Freediving Games will be held on Kalymnos island Greece from August 21 to August 27 2006 and it will be dedicated to the Kalymnian doctor Skevos Zervos, professor of Medicine to the Medicine University of Athens Greece, who diagnosed  «The sickness of naked sponge divers» also known as «The sickness of Skevos Zervos».

The Skandalopetra Freediving Games will include:

• The instructional - educational part during which the history of the Skandalopetra dive will be presented along with the proposed technique of the athletic Skandalopetra dive.
• The training part for the familiarization of freedivers willing to participate to the games.
• The actual games in which only trained freedivers who agree with the games regulation  will be allowed to participate.

The Skandalopetra Freediving Games will be filled with Conferences and Cultural shows of diving interest.

The games rules, participation terms and conditions, and the full program of the Skandalopetra Freediving Games will be published on the website of Kalymnos Hoteliers Association www.kalymnos-hotels.com, on the websites of hotel members of the Association and on anyone's website willing to support this effort.

For the better organization, promotion and success of the Skandalopetra Freediving Games we will need advise, sponge divers, photos, videos, safety divers (both freedivers and scuba divers), boats, journalists, publications on newspapers - magazines - forums, assistants, judges, sponsors etc.

If you wish to participate and support this effort as a group, club or individual, you are more than welcomed !