Engaged in the French Cup, Sétois Marc Tartenson learned to know himself through the practice of freediving

The Sétois is aiming for a place in the French team. N.H.

The Hérault freediver, French champion in 2018, was in Montpellier this weekend for the French freediving cup, the first competition of the season and for him, for more than a year year. He tells what brought him to this discipline and his newfound objectives. 

The night was short for the young dad, Marc Tartenson, but waking up, Sunday morning, was also all smiles after a first great day of competition.
The Sétois, licensed at the Apneeau club, is the last Hérault resident to have been French champion in dynamic monofin (236m) in 2018. After a year of break, he returns with desire and ambitions. "I’restarted training barely two months ago; It’s the start of the season, first competition as a calibration to see how I should train. There, I'm very good, I can continue like this until June (laughs).

We must brush our limits without exceeding them

The freediver has indeed signed a 3rd and 4th place in dynamics, in the rhythm to reach the minimums which would allow him to go to the French championship and to the French team. "It’s a very high goal but I’ would love to go back", with a view of the world championships. In single-fin dynamics, this involves swimming 260m, 240m with twin fins, 175m without fins. And time minimums for sprint events.
He discovered apnea eight years ago to understand his fear of water. "I did a lot of surfing, kiting and every time I fell or found myself alone on a spot, I had this little music from Jaws. I wanted to understand why and wanted to reassure myself by putting on a mask to go see what was under the water.
He falls "in love" with the underwater environment, with silence, "with this aquatic world where we cut short with the world we know!"
By being around the depths, he learns to breathe, in Apneeau, and develops a taste for competition. To come close to its limits. "We never try to surpass them otherwise, it’s syncopation and that’s not the goal! What we are looking for is well-being, to also confront our fears. Stopping breathing is not trivial. Since I have apnea, I know who I am. I do meditation, yoga, running, weight training, which I had never done before! to perform, to be good at what I do Yoga for flexibility, meditation for the mind, visualization… It’s very complete. Apnea provides good management of the ego and its capabilities, analyzes Marc Tartenson. If you are in the ego, you go to the box. If you learn to know yourself, to surpass yourself while respecting your limits, you will have great performances, great outings.