Obino, my world-record dive in the lake

Chiara Obino dove into Lake Garda for the Italian Open Freediving Championships and returned to the surface with a world record: -92 m. A constant-weight dive (with a small 300-gram weight) and monofin also earned her the Italian title. In the men's category, Davide Carrera held the record with -103 m.

One of the deepest women

Chiara Obino, 48, is a dentist, married (her husband manages her water safety system), and the mother of two daughters. She lives in Cagliari and dives for the Riviera dei Fiori Diving Center in Bordighera. She is the third deepest woman in the world, having dived to -107 meters, always using a monofin and constant weight—the premier configuration for freediving.

Today, Sunday, July 19th, she returned to compete for the Italian championship, a championship she missed last year. The title was up for grabs on Lake Garda.

Why in the lake?

"The Federation has been choosing the lake for some time because it's less subject to the sea's variables: currents, waves, winds, anchoring. In Riva del Garda, the organization is now well-established. In fact, it was a race with 180 athletes, which is a lot for a national event. I had already been there two years ago, when I set the world record, and this year it went well too."

Diving in these waters is different than doing it in the sea, right?

"Yes, it's a completely different environment. Much less welcoming than the sea, especially for those accustomed to the latter. The lake is a challenging environment, both physically and psychologically. First of all, you're dealing with fresh water, so the buoyancy changes: in the sea with the wetsuit I was wearing today, I weighed about 1.6 kilos, here I had one that weighed 300 grams. The type of trim, the speed of descent and ascent, and the finning all change. In short, the water management is different. And then there's the cold..."

The cold?

"Yes, indeed. The water temperature on the surface is 20-21 degrees, but the lake gets cold quickly. At twenty meters, it's 15 degrees, and at thirty-five it drops to 10 degrees. I don't wear gloves, because I have to take the card that indicates the depth, nor do I wear boots, because there's no room in the monofin, so from 35 to 92 meters deep, the chill is noticeable. You have to go in with your chest relaxed to be able to compensate for the cold. It's challenging."

And from a psychological perspective?

"You have to face the darkness, which is complete after 30 meters. You descend with a small flashlight on your head to see the guide line. You have to be very focused while descending, have a perfect position, because all it takes is a two-degree turn and you can't see the line anymore, because the flashlight's range is limited. So, you have to manage the darkness: the light is only visible at the beginning and the end. For me, who loves the sea, it's still an interesting experience. Discovering a new environment after thirty years of freediving, having to adapt both physically and mentally to a different challenge, is stimulating."

What kind of dive is that of the lake if you had to define it?

"A very intimate dive. You're more focused on yourself than you are in the sea. There are no distractions and you have to keep your focus on the guide line, which you can barely see."

What kind of dive was his?

"It was a great dive, well-managed. I set it up during the two training dives, during which I fine-tuned the dive management, the finning technique, the force to apply to the fin, and how much to push during the descent and ascent. I did it; the competition dive was definitely the best of the three I tried. I'm really satisfied."

His daughter was there too…

"Yes, Cecilia turned 16 and was able to compete. It was her first race, in the junior category, and she also became Italian champion, in constant weight and double fin. We shared the medal, which was an extra thrill."

What now?

"The World Championships are in Greece in September. I'll try to refine and optimize my training and focus on depth. Hoping, between medical studies and family, I can make it. I always know it's at the last minute."