Watersports blog

The Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM), the global policymaker on water sports, has laid out its plans for the near future. UIM President Raffaele Chiulli revealed these developments after the conclusion of the SportAccord International Convention in Dubai.

Part of the future projects includes youth development, alternate fuel and energy and proper marketing strategy. The officials also stated that it will enforce stricter anti-doping policies. Chiulli said that this ensures the longevity of the sport.

The Italian official said that the recognition they got from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was a signal that they can continue developing water sports.

Chiulli secured an agreement with World Professional Powerboat Association (WPPA), a Dubai-based organization, to create the Offshore Professional Committee (OPC) for the development of the X-Cat and Class One World Powerboat Championships.

Water sports have been taken into consideration for inclusion in the Olympic Games. The decision will be made by 2013 in Buenos Aires.

So get your swimwear out and lets get practicing for the Olympic games

Three-time diving world champion Alexandre Despatie of Quebec added another accolade in his long list of achievements after winning the three-meter springboard gold medal at the Canada Cup FINA Grand Prix diving competition held last Sunday.

Despatie earned 9 and 9.5 scores in the final round to secure the top spot among fierce competitors. Shixin Li of China settled for silver after getting 8s and 8.5s in his score. Despite the 3.9 degree of difficulty, the Chinese sensation failed to interpret the dive to earn lower scores. Australia’s Scott Robertson settled for third.

In a statement, the Canadian diver said that his last dive basically sealed the victory. He said that he always wants to make a strong impressive in the last dive because anything can happen in the standings especially if the scores are close.

Despatie also won another gold last weekend on the three-meter synchronized diving event.

The authorities in Queensland said that they are still conducting the investigation over the fatal jet ski accident that happened on Moreton Bay on Saturday. Two men were involved in the incident, the one died on the spot while the other one is still under intensive care at the Royal Brisbane Hospital.

The victims have been identified as 26-year old Keith Whalley, who died after the jet ski collided with a fishing boat. His passenger, 22-year old Scott Stretton suffered severe head, pelvic and chest injuries and is still under medication.

The fishermen rescued the victims but were unable to resuscitate Whalley.
The authorities believe that the jet ski riders were drinking and did not use the lights.

They are currently interviewing the victims’ friends to determine if there’s excessive alcohol consumption involved prior to the accident.

The Shermalot Ski Team tries once more to convince the officials that their waterskiing activities at Lake Arrowhead dam in Rome, Wisconsin are not causing damages in a bid to stay on to the area. Losing the appeal would mean finding a new place for their summer shows.

Previously, the Adams County Committee has decided that the team should move out based on the findings stemming from last year’s incident. The authorities asked the team to present evidence that they are not eroding the dam.

On Monday, the members presented a 21-page long report to the committee to show that they are not harming the natural resources.

Rome resident and ski team member Anne Wenzlaff said that summer shows are preferred near the dam because it is safe and has good visibility for boat drivers. With no neighbors nearby, the team is not compromising the safety of anyone.

The committee will announce its decision this week.

A scuba diving enthusiast has filed a $4 million lawsuit against operator Ocean Adventures Dive and Sun Diver Charters for allegedly leaving him at sea by the charter boat crew assigned to him six years ago. This development was heard during a trial conducted in Los Angeles Superior court this week.

According to the attorney of Daniel Carlock, his client was left at sea during a scuba diving expedition and he thought he won’t be able to make it back to shore.

Atty Scott Koepke said that Carlock thought he was going to die. When rescued, Carlock then filed the suit in court, stressing negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress as his main allegations.

Defense attorneys stated that the 51-year old scuba diving enthusiast did not follow the rules for safe diving.

According to the defense team, Carlock did not tell them who his diving buddy was and did not surface from the agreed location.

The highly anticipated Water Sports game for Nintendo Wii is now available for purchase. This was revealed by software developer Avanquest this week. Gamers can now use their Wii Balance Boards as they take on the challenge in wake boarding, kite surfing, water craft racing and windsurfing in great locations such as Australia, South Africa and California at the comfort of their living rooms.

Gamers can steer using the board and perform great tricks using the Wii remote. The adjustable difficulty settings make the transition easier for beginners and pros. The Wii Balance Board, as stated by the developers, is not a prerequisite because users can still play the Water Sports game without the board.

A multiplayer mode is set up for users who want more action and challenge. The boarder must concentrate in order to excel in the game and the high scores can definitely boost up the confidence.

The game can be bought in gaming retail stores.

More than eighty people have been forced to evacuate the Hereford Leisure Pool after a fire alarm triggered off after smoke was seen billowing outside the building.

Women and men wearing swimwear had to endure the cold winter weather outside as they waited for instructions by the authorities who immediately responded to the alarm that sounded off around 7 am on Tuesday.

A spokesman for the West Midlands Ambulance Service said that there was no fire but the smoke that was seen outside the building caused the alarm to go off without warning. He was quick to point out that the patrons were immediately advised to evacuate the area as a safety measure. Blankets were immediately provided in order for the patrons to cover their swimwear and protect themselves from the cold weather.

They are currently investigating the cause of the smoke.

The Central American country of Belize is a diverse society, with people speaking different kinds of languages. The great thing about this country is the numerous tourist destinations that can be visited, not to mention the adventure packages that can be availed off.

Unknown to many, Belize is a top snorkeling destination. Enthusiasts of this sport go to this country to experience the adrenaline rush of snorkeling. One of the top service providers is Seaduced By Belize.

Part of the tour provided by the company is the access to Hol Chan Marine Reserve where tourists can see a wide array of eels, sting rays, sea turtles and even barracudas. To check out the sharks, there’s Shark Ray Alley where adventure-seekers can swim with the nurse sharks. These smaller sharks are of little harm to the people because they usually stay at the bottom and mostly sleep, but just in case ladies don’t forget to wear your sports swimwear if you are in need of a swift escape.

It seemed like the audience inadvertently took part in the surfing competition – literally.

Spectators of a surfing competition at Half Moon Bay, California, located in the southern part of San Francisco were swept off their feet by waves over six feet high. The waves reportedly pushed some spectators off the sea wall.

The police and firefighters, who immediately responded to the incident, moved the spectators back by a hundred yards. Earlier in the day, the public was already informed of strong and high waves but some couldn’t resist taking a closer look of participants showing their surfing skills in the contest.

Fortunately, no lives were lost in the incident. However, there were about 13 people who suffered broken legs and hands. Some have minor bruises and were treated at the beach.

The contest, called Mavericks Surf Contest has a cash prize of $150,000 which makes it one of the sought after surfing competitions among surfers.

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo recently signed a new law that grants the Philippine Coast Guard additional powers in terms of law enforcement. One of the significant powers given is the Coast Guard’s prerogative to detain and stop substandard passenger and cargo vessels from sailing within the country’s waters.

The law is known as Republic Act 9993 or the “Philippine Coast Guard Act of 2009.” The new law aims to prevent sea tragedies especially since there is a growing incidence of such in the country for the past few years.

Some of the world’s worst maritime disasters occur in the Philippines. With this in mind, there’s a significant need to come up with a law that pinpoints clearer responsibility and accountability.

The law has been under legislative review for more than eight years and the signing definitely brings a breeze of fresh air to the commuters who constantly board shipping vessels in their daily operations.