Going world record deep
By Cliff Etzel
March 1, 2003
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Tanya Streeter |
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Editor's Note: WetDawg contributor, Cliff Eztzel, talked with free diving world record holder Tanya Streeter to find out more about this daring creature of the deep blue.
WD: What nationality are you?
American/British/Caymanian - I hold passports for all three countries.
WD: How old are you?
28 years old.
WD: Why did you become involved in freediving?
I've been in the water all my life. I guess I always dived a little deeper than the other kids when I was younger.
How often do you train?
It depends - If I am attempting a record, I train 6 days maybe more. When in off-season, not at all.
Do you have any special dietary needs or preferences that you feel helps your training?
Nothing special, although I do admit a strong weakness for the family size bag of Doritos on a daily basis! Do you have
any recommendations regarding this topic? I don't do anything out of the ordinary. I take a multivitamin, Vitamin C
and Echinacea due to the high amount of stress involved in the sport of freediving. Stress breaks
the immunity system down and if I get a cold right before the attempt, I'm screwed. But, I usually quit taking
these a week before the actual record attempt. Since I was the first diver to willingly submit to drug testing
before and after a record attempt, I am too paranoid that something like a filler in a vitamin could be on
the B list of banned substances.
Where do you mainly train - i.e. pool, open water, etc.?
This depends on what record I am training for. I do typically go to the location that the record attempt will
be made and train there for several weeks beforehand.
What is your favorite discipline in the sport of freediving?
It depends as well. If I am training for the Constant Ballast record, I have no desire to look at a sled,
and vice versa. So it really depends on where I am in my training, and for what record.
What is the most memorable dive or attempt that you have had - positive or negative?
Positive: Diving with Humpback whales while training in Guadalupe earlier this year (2001) for my record attempt.
Negative: Diving in a 7mm suit in New Zealand during the winter. The one and only time I ever blacked out was at that time.
What advice would you give to someone who might be interested in the sport of freediving?
I would recommend that they learn from a qualified freedive instructor and dive with a buddy who has enough experience to handle
the new diver, and still has the same interests for wanting to freedive as well.
What do you do outside of the sport?
I am a homebody - I love watering my lawn, which is dying here in Austin, Texas. My husband Paul says I do the "Sprinkler Dance." I
am so particular about it getting all watered that I usually end up soaked after I am finished. I also love working in my garden.
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