The Aida Board met via Skype call on 14 November 2015.

Kimmo started the meeting on a somber note to convey our deep sadness for the people of France and Lebanon who recently suffered attacks by terrorists. We expressly wish to send our thoughts to Aida France and all of our members who were affected by this tragedy.

Kimmo then presented an offer from a unique communications tool called Amazers. One of Aida’s main goals is to improve our communications, which have been less than effective in recent months. We have experienced significant issues with Yahoo groups and we also need to find a way to bypass social media blocks present in some countries. Mario Zuzic and Kimmo will be investigating the options that we have to establish a reliable and all-inclusive means of communication.

Antero was unable to attend the meeting due to work, but he sent in the latest version of the rules updates to be reviewed. The new rules should be ready for the Assembly to review in January 2016. Most items were simple clarifications or corrections but there will be a few new rules to be considered.

Kimmo reported that the Education officer, Jean-Pol François and Oli Christen sent out a statement in regards to the Aida policy and the new Padi freedive education program. Aida instructors who desire to teach both programs should contact Jean-Pol if they have any questions regarding this policy.

Kimmo and Carla stated that it is important for Aida to participate in dive-related conferences and conventions worldwide. Antero will be attending the EUF (European Underwater Federation) meeting and Aida will have a presence at Salon Plongée in France, Das Boot in Germany, and the Hong Kong Dive show. Carla gave a brief report on DEMA USA which she attended with William Trubridge, to represent Aida and freediving.

Carla was able to meet with DAN executives and discuss instructor liability and competitor health insurance. She also talked to potential sponsors and contacts who might be able to promote Aida freediving. Jean-Pol reported that the new slides for the education materials are ready and we look forward to the official launch of our new program. He also recommended that Ian Donald of the UK be promoted to IT. Ian is one of the most active instructors and the Board voted to approve his promotion. In addition, Jean-Pol will be instructing a judge course at the Pan Pacs in Australia. It was noted that the course could not be calendared due to the significant problems we are experiencing with the Aida website. IT security specialist, Jakob Galbavy, is feverishly working to resolve the problems and secure our systems.

The Board reviewed and voted to approve the proposal for the Team World Championships 2016 presented by Stavros Kastrinakis and Freedive Club Greece. The proposal will now go to the Assembly via a vote to approve. Mario Zuzic, assistant sport officer, will be the main point of contact for both the world championships in 2016.

Ute reported that the results of the doping test for Nanja van de Broek were negative and the new variable weight record is now official. She also said that the doping test results from Cyprus have not yet been received but the invoice was recently paid. Ute gave a brief summary of the competition in La Paz and said that it had organizational and logistical challenges. The Board agreed that new organizers need support and advice in order to produce a safe and high-quality competition.

Vedran lost his connection during the call, as he was working in a difficult location, but Kimmo said that he had ordered a report from the accounting firm and the finances were satisfactory. Vedran will produce a 2016 budget and 2016 plan ASAP and it will be presented to the Assembly for review and approval . The Board concurred with Petar Bojovic that the following judges should be promoted from E to D level: Stephan Adolfsson, Julien Alias, Adriana Bantu, Anne-Louise Fortin,Daniel Frolec, Monika Hopf, Kyoko Inaba, Peter Johnsen,Wayne Judge, Marinos Kartapanis, Francois Leduc,Nora Lestari, Suzanne Lim, Anders Lundberg, Nils Manne, Danny Martherus, Martin Mühlbauer, Aya Mizumura,Oriol Navarro, Kathryn Nevatt, Ben Noble, Hussein Odiba, Marc Oesterle, Kosuke Okamoto, Timo Pontinen, Shaun Pope,Stefan Randig, Ferran Sayeras Riera, Sergio Soria, Kaj Toivola, Sigmund Uray, Judith Van de Griendt, Catherine Wilson, Clemens Zauner. Congratulations to all and we hope to see you judging at a competition soon! The Board discussed the upcoming Board elections and noted that the vote for offices for the 2016-2018 term including: president, technical officer, and education officer along with vice-president (2016 only) will be sent to the Assembly shortly. There are two candidates who wish to run in each office. The Board would like to remind all Aida competition organizers that we have an excellent Go-Pro underwater housings available for a discounted purchase price of only € 150. Please contact Carla if you would like one of these custom-made housings for the bottom camera. If you have any questions or concerns please contact any Board member.