Bill Graham's Home Page
NEWS!!! On October 22nd, 2004 Bill Graham shattered his own U.S. Record for static apnea at 7 minutes and 21 seconds! Here are pictures of his first record breaking feat. At the same event he also set the US Men's Free Immersion record at 50m and the US Men's Senior (over 50) Constant Ballast record at 48 meters. According to some spectators, this last one apeared to be a "walk in the park", limited by the conditions of the field rather than the abilities of the athlete! We're all waiting to see an official record that more closely matches his personal best, which has been rumored to approach (or even exceed) his age.
In the words of his wife of 43 years, Sandi, "Not too shabby for an old man, eh?" His sister's quote on the occasion:"I'm not sure whether your Dad is in his 4th or 5th childhood. People ask me where he gets it from and I tell them he comes by it legitimately - not many people I know have a mother who jumped out of an airplane at 75." View a picture of Bill and his diving buddy Annabel who broke the Women's World Record for static apnea the same day. Read the front page newspaper story on this event
My wife and I moved to Kona in '94 when United Air Lines opened a pilot domicile in Honolulu. Our 'little grass shack' is up at 1200 feet, halfway between the harbor and the airport.
My freediving started in '48, at the piers in the east end of Toronto. We speared fish, explored some smaller lakes and I became good at breath holding. In our teen years, we built re-breathers and open circuit gear while reading the books of Cousteau and Haas but, at age thirty, I moved to S. Calif and free dove the islands about once a week for twenty years. Filling the freezer was the excuse, love of the ocean was the reason. This one was good for a few meals.
I weighed in the new state record swordfish on June 13, 1999. The fish met its match while I was aboard the IHU NUI with Capt. McGrew Rice. Using a Fin Nor reel and 130-lb test line, the 365.5-lb beast was landed after it took a bait presented on the 1,000-fathom line outside of Kona, Hawai'i.
I'm not in the water all the time. I still find time to put some miles on my bicycle. Visit a memory from the past.
