On August 15th, the freediving worldโs competition season continues with the opening ceremony of the 2026 CMAS World Championship Freediving Depth. The organizers are the experienced ๐ฅ๐ผ๐ฎ๐รก๐ป ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐น & ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ managed by Esteban Darhanpe, who is hosting the CMAS World Championship for the third time. Previously, the CMAS World Championships took place at this location in 2019 and 2023.
๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฑ๐๐น๐ฒ
Roatรกn is the largest of the Bay Islands, located in the Caribbean Sea approximately 65km (40 miles) off the northern coast of mainland Honduras. The island stretches about 59km (37 miles) from east to west and reaches a maximum width of 8 km (5 miles), covering an area of approximately 83kmยฒ (32 sq mi).
Roatรกn sits atop the Mesoamerican Barrier Reefโthe second-largest coral reef system in the world. The island\\\'s population is approximately 110,000, with Coxen Hole serving as the capital and largest settlement.
West Bay is the beach where the event takes place. The diving platform is located 0.70 miles (5 minutes by boat) from the shore. Diving conditions there are favorable for athletes and relatively stable (for the open water):
ยฐ Air temperature: 25โ30ยฐC (77โ86 ยฐF)
ยฐ Water temperature: 27โ29ยฐC (80โ84 ยฐF)
ยฐ Thermocline (water temperature decrease): about 2ยฐC at 100m (328ft)
ยฐ Currents: null to moderate
ยฐ Visibility: 24โ40m (80โ120ft)
The World Championship follows CMAS regulations. Spanning eight competition days, athletes will showcase their skills in four different depth disciplines of competitive freediving: Constant Weight (CWT), Constant Weight with Bifins (CWT-BF), Free Immersion (FIM), and Constant Weight with No Fins (CNF).
Each athlete will have a single attempt to perform in each discipline. It is crucial for athletes to be mindful of their limits because, under CMAS rules, blacking out during a dive results in disqualification for at least 1 day (and, in more severe cases, from the rest of the competition).
To account for unpredictable weather conditions, the World Championship organizers have designated two reserve days. Additionally, there is a rest day in-between (which is particularly important for athletes competing in all four disciplines).