Vertical Blue 2009: THE WOMEN

Here they are: the sirens of Dean's Blue Hole for 2009. Seven of the best female freedivers currently active in the world. This year Vertical Blue will use 3 professional videographers and an editor, so every day we will be able to upload videos of these incredible girls in action.

Sara Campbell In 2007 Sara did the impossible, breaking all 3 freediving world records in 3 days in her home waters of Dahab. After taking a break in 2008 Sara is now back for her first fixture of 2009.

Kathryn McPhee 2008 was Kathryn's year, with national records in all the disciplines, and a world record in her specialty: dynamic no fins. She made her intentions clear at Vertical Blue 2008, with a no fins dive to 50m, and having passed that barrier she will now be thinking about catching up with Sara and the Russian Natalia's.

Ilaria Molinari She has been the deepest Italian girl, and is a true siren of the deep. Ilaria's first AIDA competition was the teams world champs, and at Vertical Blue she will have the opportunity to show what she is capable of individually.

Jana Strain Jana burst onto the scene in 2008, with a huge dynamic apnea to net her a Canadian and pan- American record. As an ex-ballerina, her powerful legs will now be tested for the first time in the depths of Dean's Blue Hole.

Megumi Matsumoto Megumi was one of the stars of Vertical Blue 2008, with a hat trick of Japanese national records across all the disciplines. She has her work cut out for her now, as all three have since been taken away by compatriots Kitahama and Hirai.

Tomoko Yamanouchi Tomoko built her performances in 2008, but was just a step behind the tough competition amongst the Japanese girls. With a near perfect style and a lot of patience she will only keep building, and 2009 could be her year.

Georgina Miller Stronger every year, George is a monofin specialist from England, who was part of the British team in the 2008 World Championships.

Vertical Blue 2009... coming soon!

Watch this space for news of the most high performance event in freediving...

Vertical Blue is returning in 2009 with a yearly invitational competition that will see 20 athletes from all over the globe competing to set new national and world records. Coming soon: an introduction to the athletes.