User:Pepe Salcedo/sandbox

Freediver Pepe Salcedo

(Born June 3, 1986),Pepe is one of Mexico's strongest professional freedivers, he is also an Instructor, Underwater Photographer, Oceanologist, and an important dealer of diving and freediving gear in Mexico. Early Years

Pepe grew up in the city of eternal spring Cuernavaca and he always enjoyed spending time in the water, he would sleep over at the family's weekend house next to his 9 cousins, 6 aunts and uncles together with his grandparents, mom(Marisol), his dad(Jose) and his little brother(Daniel) or Dany as everyone called him, who is 2 years 9 months younger. He would spend such a long time in the pool, that very often if he had behaved properly, he was allowed to have the main meal of the day on the poolside, while everyone else sat at the huge table on the adjacent yard.

College Career

Among other options he was considering, Pepe choose to study Oceanology at the Autonomous University the State of Baja California in the city of Ensenada. Mostly influenced by his Uncle's childhood best friend Pepe Zertuche, who is a very important academic in biological oceanography with special interest in macroalgae aquaculture.

Work/Traveling Pause

After he with his bachelor in oceanography, Pepe travelled to Cozumel Island in the caribbean, spent there a couple of months enjoying some savings he had and meeting new people. Afterwards, he moved to Bahia de Los Angeles, in the Sea of Cortes, where he spent his time studying whale sharks next to CONANP for 6 months and spearfishing his meals everyday. He also did plenty of clam freediving.

Professional Career

Early Freediving years (2008–2012)

Pepe has been freediving since little but it was't until college in Baja California where he started spearfishing. When he graduated, he spent some time traveling and eventually worked studying whale sharks in the Sea of Cortes in 2012.

Professional Freediving Years (2013–today)

Since he became a Freediving Instructor for Scuba Schools International(SSI) in 2014, Pepe has represented Mexico in several  International Association for the Development of ApneaInternational (AIDA) competitions, the first one he ever attended was the second edition of the Caribbean Cup in 2014 which takes place in the Caribbean Island of Roatan, in Honduras, back then he had a personal best(PB) in Constant Weight(CWT) using bi-fins of 58 meters of depth. One year later he came back to Roatan adding 4 meters to this personal best on the 2015 edition. It was right after he came back to Mexico from this competition that he signed a one year sponsorship contract with Grupo Marti, through their prestigious gym brand, Sport City. Very closely related to Adidas.

It wasn't until july of 2015 that he moved to Playa del Carmen in the Mexican Caribbean, that he saw a real freediving lifestyle to be posible for him. A few months later in the first edition of the Big Blue Competition in La Paz, Mexico in 2015 that he increased his CWT with bi-fins personal best to 67 meters. and it was all regular training from then on. This state of Mexico is famous for it's thousands of Cenote formations where freedivers enjoy crystal clear water and confortable temperatures to practice the sport.

As of february 2016, Pepe signed a one year sponsoring contract with Cressi, an Italian brand with a full line of freediving and spearfishing gear. This is where he started training on a monofin and even when he was always a patient athlete, he saw his numbers increasing monthly. Especially after he met Danelly Guzman on her visit to the Mayan Riviera, who he has dated ever since. With Danelly ,who is also a gifted freediver, always encouraging him, Pepe made it to 83 meters in CWT with a monofin at the forth edition of the Caribbean Cup in 2016, and he also accomplished his very first AIDA mexican National Record(NR) on the discipline of Constant Weight Without Fins(CNF) to a depth of 62 meters. This is the toughest of the depth freediving disciplines, since the diver has to descend and ascend not assisted in any way. Pepe also did a clean 81 meter dive on Free Immersion(FIM), which is the most relaxed of the depth disciplines and consists of pulling on the rope downwards and upwards wearing constant weight. He left with a fifth place on the male overall and a fifth place also on the CNF.

After his sponsorship contract with Cressi expired beginning of 2017, he signed with Unomas.mx, a fast growing online store centered on selling scuba diving, freediving and spearfishing gear in Mexico. With the 2017 edition of the AIDA Freediving World Championship sharing the fifth edition of the Caribbean Cup Freediving Competition in Roatan. Pepe also found a sponsorship by TheGym, in Playa del Carmen.