AIDA Spotlight - Meet Catherine Crossland: AIDA Technical Officer, Instructor, Judge, Organizer and Commentator
Featured in this edition of the AIDA Spotlight is Catherine Crossland, a multifaceted figure in the freediving world who wears many hats - literally and figuratively! Originally from Britain and now based in the freediving mecca of Dahab, Egypt, Catherine is a force to be reckoned with at Blue Ocean Freedivers.
With over 50 competitions under her belt as an AIDA judge, and having organized 16 events to date, Catherine`s passion for freediving goes far beyond the surface. Her recent appointment as AIDA Technical Officer in January 2024 highlights her continuous contributions to the growth and safety of the sport.
In addition to her technical expertise, Catherine has made waves as a commentator at some of the most prestigious freediving events. From her work at the 2023 AIDA Pool World Championship in Jeju to her in-depth coverage at both the 2023 and 2024 AIDA Depth World Championships, Catherine brings insight and energy to every role she takes on.
How long have you been freediving?
Since 2013, and as you will see from the next question it changed my life 360
How did you discover freediving and why do you freedive?
I came to Dahab on a sabbatical to do my scuba DMT, and met a guy who on our 2nd date gave me an introduction to freediving. I became hooked on both freediving and him. Gave up my UK life and moved to Dahab permanently.
How does freediving help you in developing yourself in other areas of your life?
It opened me up to doing things in life that I don`t think I would have considered previously. It made me slow down generally in life and become a more relaxed person.
At what point did you decide to start teaching and what led you to this decision?
When I moved to Dahab I initially taught scuba, and freediving was a fun hobby. But the more I started to assist on freediving courses it made sense for me to teach freediving, it connected more to me. It helped that my commute to work was shorter, as the pool is in my garden (joking! But people who know me know I`m not a morning person).
What is your best tip for someone who is just starting freediving?
Don`t set goals, learn to enjoy being in the water and have fun and be playful . Everything else will follow.
What is your favourite discipline and why?
CNF, because I think it`s so linked to my past sport of swimming and and I like the purity of it.
Which discipline do you find the most challenging and why?
STA, it nearly derailed my instructor qualification. I just don`t like to sit still and not think.
Any freediving goals do you hope to achieve this year?
AIDA Technical Officer goals are to review the rules and to also create an organiser rule system.
Personal goals is to maybe get some time to train for myself, it`s an annual challenge.
At what point did you decide to become an AIDA judge and what led you to this decision?
Actually it was suggested to me, as at the time everyone wanted to compete and we didn`t have judges for competitions. This was in 2014. Once I did a few competitions ( I`ll admit to being scared at 1st about making sure everything went right) that I realised I enjoyed it. And then I just haven`t stopped.
You`ve been AIDA Technical Officer since January 2024. Why did you apply for it and what is this role about?
I really enjoy judging, understood the rules and thought that this was an area that I could contribute to. Also I think you have to be a little mad to volunteer for these roles as well, so maybe there`s that.
Why do you love being part of AIDA?
I think AIDA is the spirit of the sport. Everyone is committed to making it the best freediving organisation in the world from the educational aspect through to the competitive side. I like the ambition of AIDA to make the sport safe and professional. People might at times get frustrated with AIDA, but I think we get it right more times than not and we are always working to improve.
Do you do any other sports (to compliment freediving, out of pure interest, other reasons)
I obviously still enjoy scuba diving, but life is busy with freediving teaching, AIDA board work and judging.
Any fun/interesting things we should know about you?
Most people who freedive and have been to Dahab know my 2 dogs more than me, Dexter and Deepest, as they guard the pool that people come and train in.
I`m terrible with social media and prefer to be the person behind the scenes, but somehow AIDA keeps making me do things in front of the camera.
Also, I`m known to have a terrible memory, our wedding date was chosen as the 22nd because I would remember that as it`s my birthday, still can`t remember my telephone number but I discovered I have a skill for remembering facts and stories about freediving athletes when I started to commentate at World Championships.
How can people reach you?
