The first Master Trim competition, organised by DAN Europe and funded by Green Bubbles, took place at the Y-40 The Deep Joy, the deepest pool in the world. And the first thing that comes into mind is: who won?
Well, Sasha Karnilovic amazed everyone not only with her friendliness and smile, but also with her amazing skills underwater. But together with Sasha, every single participant was a winner. Why? The most obvious answer would be, because of their pursuit of a sustainable way of scuba diving. One that puts safety, awareness, and the environment first. By practicing with dedication their buoyancy skills and trim, scuba divers commit towards sustainability, towards a better way of scuba diving, which can make the diving experience also more fun! Master Trim was a demonstration of this.
Starting on Saturday 19 November and ending the next morning, this year’s Master Trim competition did not just keep participants and organisers occupied and satisfied. What made this event the more interesting, was the impact it had on those divers (and non-divers!) visiting Y-40, who could not help to stop and watch the “beauty of trim”, sometimes in the dance of glowing nightlights, banners and T-shirts that the divers were wearing in the dark. The tunnel in the pool made it possible for outsiders to stand and stare, admiring the concentration of the contestants during the dives, while also letting the bubbles in the water soothe their spirits. Divers who were actually in the water during the competition would be so curious that they would take videos and photos of the contestants.
Out of the water, while logging their profiles onto the computers, you would have expected worried and serious faces, a mixture of disappointment and gratification, amongst the contestants. Instead, all that could be seen and heard was smiles and laughs, the contestants cheering each other on. “Come on man, your profile is near perfect!”, Sasha tells one of the buddies in her group.
So what can we bring home from Master Trim 2016? Well, one thing is sure and that is, people are already talking of Master Trim 2017. The success of this year was the confirmation that all those efforts put into preparation and organisation were absolutely worth it. Second, an event such as this can have a huge impact, especially visual (buoyancy control and trim speak for themselves!), on scuba divers. It can trigger thinking, the desire to do things better underwater, not simply for the sake of it, but for the sake of making a scuba diver’s life easier, safer, more mindful of the surroundings, and more fun too. Last, Master Trim was another one of those events gathering scuba divers and allowing exchanges, networking, bonding, and friendship. Which is what the scuba diving community needs in order to be in tune and constantly updated on relevant matters.
The Master Trim competition would have not been what it was, without the dedication of some great people. These include all the responsible DAN Europe staff, photographer Fulvio Finazzi, all the contestants, the sponsors, and Y-40 The Deep Joy, with their friendly staff.
And now….let the obsession for trim begin!!!!
(post by Serena Lucrezi)
