What are shallow water blackouts?

A shallow water blackout is a loss of consciousness or ‘fainting’ underwater, caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain while breath-holding. Despite its name, such a blackout can occur at any depth, although most cases do happen in water shallower than 30 feet (9 m).

How do they occur?

Your body registers both the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide (CO₂) in your blood. When the CO₂ in your blood reaches a certain level, you reach what is called the ‘breakpoint.’ At the breakpoint, breath-hold divers surface and take a breath. If you reach the breakpoint while still underwater, you experience an uncontrollable urge to breathe, causing you to inhale water.

Hyperventilating before doing breath-hold diving decreases the amount of CO₂ in the blood, meaning that while under pressure, a free diver may still have enough oxygen to sustain normal brain function without needing to breathe, due to lower levels of CO₂. By the time CO₂ levels reach the breaking point and the diver ascends, the drop in ambient pressure can lead to a decreased partial pressure of oxygen. The result is that the brain does not receive enough oxygen and the diver can black out.

Who is at most risk?

Generally speaking, anyone who participates in breath-hold diving or swimming is at risk. Free-divers, snorkelers, competitive swimmers and spear fishermen are more at risk of experiencing shallow water blackouts due to long breath-holding times and potential underwater exertion. While shallow water blackouts can happen to anyone, younger, more competitive men are also at higher risk.

How can you prevent them?

• The first and most important factor is education. The cause of death for many shallow water blackout victims is drowning. This means that there’s not enough awareness about the condition. Even competitive swimmers who have participated in the sport for decades are often unaware of the potential for blackouts, although they do know that hyperventilation and extended breath-holding can be dangerous.
• Avoid hyperventilation and exercise before or during breath-hold diving to help prevent shallow water blackouts.
• Don’t overweight yourself while breath-hold diving. Attempt neutral buoyancy at a depth of 15 feet (4.5 m).
• Ensure that your weight belt is quick-release and treat it — and any other equipment — as disposable. Let it go if you have to.
• Always train and dive with a buddy who is aware of shallow water blackouts, their signs, and how to treat them.
• Use a 2:1 recovery time with depths less than 60 feet (18 m) and 3:1 time with depth more than 60 feet or longer than 90 seconds. For example, if you dive to 60 feet or less, recover at the surface for two minutes after a 1-minute breath-hold dive.

Anyone involved in water sports faces the risk of shallow water blackouts. They are largely indiscriminate of age, gender and even fitness levels. The most important way to prevent one is through education, followed by avoiding hyperventilation and long or repetitive breath-hold dives.

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Ocean Ramsey

Ocean Ramsey was born and raised in Hawaii and started surfing and diving as a child. From a young age she had a passion for the ocean, her namesake. Her passion soon turned into conservation projects meant to help sharks. Ramsey studied marine biology, behavioral sciences and animal behavior, while also becoming a scuba-diving and freediving professional early on.

She founded Water Inspired, a conservation organization dedicated to raising awareness about sharks and changing the public’s general perception about these apex predators. Projects include initiatives to end shark culling and shark finning.

Ramsey is also the co-owner of One Ocean Diving in Hawaii, a company that organizes snorkel trips with the sharks around Hawaii, focusing on conservation and research. The trips feature educational, guided, cage-free encounters with large shark species such tiger sharks, Galapagos sharks, hammerheads, sandbar sharks, silky sharks, whale sharks, and more.

The company also supports One Ocean Conservation, which organizes local beach and reef clean-ups.

Finally, she recently partnered with Xcel wetsuits to create a full range of designs for men and women. All proceeds go to conservation organizations.

Check out Ramsey’s TED talk on sharks here.

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Freediving is much more than holding your breath, and its proponents claim that — much like a meditation — freediving can bring a calmness and serenity to your underwater experience. But who is freediving for? What’s involved in the introductory training? And how long does it take?

Who is freediving for?

Freediving is an exhilarating activity that everyone, regardless of age, may enjoy. All it requires is reasonable fitness, the correct equipment and the appropriate training. The introductory SSI Basic Freediving course is for participants of 10 years old and up. The equivalent PADI Basic Freediver course is for participants of 12 years old and up.

Isn’t freediving just snorkeling?

No. Snorkeling is to freediving what a try-dive is to an experienced scuba diver — a simple way to get a taste of the sport. Freedivers learn to use breathing exercises to extend the amount of time they can safely hold their breath (apnea). This, in conjunction with different techniques, increases the time they can stay safely beneath the surface. Students learn to focus on their mental preparation, breathing, discipline and control. And, being bubble and noise-free, budding freedivers learn to interact with the aquatic world quietly for as long as their breath permits.

What equipment do I need to go freediving?

In order to begin freediving, you need only three basic pieces of equipment — a mask, fins and snorkel. You may also need an exposure suit and weight system depending on the environment. Many introductory courses supply the required equipment for the duration of the training. Often in freediving, experienced freedivers will use extended, long-bladed fins and low-volume masks, which are visibly different from standard scuba equipment.

The lack of cumbersome scuba equipment is one of the biggest advantages of being a freediver. In addition, being silent underwater means that you can move among sensitive aquatic life without disturbing it, often allowing you to get close without scaring it away. If a technical diver is an elephant, a recreational diver is a horse, and a freediver is a gazelle.

What’s involved in the training?

Like introductory scuba courses, introductory freediving courses are generally split into three distinct sections — knowledge development, confined water/pool training and open-water dives.

The knowledge development section of the training focuses on the body’s physiology and how, with training, you can harness your natural instincts and reflexes to optimize your time underwater. As with all mammals, the human body has the urge to breathe, known as the ‘Mammalian Dive Reflex,’ which you can train to the benefit of freediving. To become an accomplished freediver, you’ll also need a solid foundation in the relationship between depth, pressure and volume and — importantly — how it affects your body and its air spaces. You’ll learn the theory behind equalization techniques, such as the Valsalva and Frenzel maneuvers. Using these properly will help you descend to depth speedily and comfortably. You’ll also learn how to correctly weight yourself when appropriate.

During your confined water/pool sessions, you’ll begin to put some theory into practice under supervision. You’ll learn to relax and focus on your breathing while honing your breathing technique and controlling your urge to breathe. This allows students to practice first with motionless breath-holding in water (static apnea), before moving on to breath-hold with movement (dynamic apnea) A freediver’s tasks don’t end as they hit the surface. Students will also learn the correct technique for ‘recovery breathing’ since, following the dive, your body’s oxygen and CO₂ levels will be abnormal.

Finally, having honed your techniques, you’ll make open-water dives to verify all the knowledge and skills you’ve accumulated toward your qualification.

How deep will I go? How long does it take?

Initially, you’ll practice on land, then at the water’s surface. Finally, you’ll increase your depth beneath the surface within safe parameters.

Standards and qualifying performance requirements vary from agency to agency. For example, the PADI Basic Freediver course states goals as a 90-second static apnea (motionless) and 82-foot (25 m) direct apnea (moving horizontally) without open-water requirements. The PADI Freediver course’s goal is a 33-foot (10 m) constant-weight freedive.

The SSI Basic Freediver course includes one open-water dive with the goal of a freedive to a maximum depth of 16 feet (5 m). Students focus on relaxation, duck diving, equalization, finning and surfacing techniques. Several dedicated freediving agencies, such as AIDA (International Association for the Development of Apnea), also specialize in freediving.

What are the course requirements?

An introductory qualification course may take two to three days. But, as with scuba courses, students can learn at a pace that suits them and the circumstances.

While you needn’t be an Olympic athlete to be a freediver, you are going to require rudimentary fitness. This means being able to comfortably swim approximately 656 feet (200 m) with no pre-existing conditions.

A similar — but not identical — medical form is also usually mandatory to confirm your health. In some parts of the globe, you’ll need a doctor’s clearance as well. However, being free from the weight of tanks, freediving is, of course, less demanding on land. The best freediving instructors can adapt their teaching methods to accommodate students who have documented physical challenges.

Much like scuba diving, freediving education is never complete. Having completed your introductory qualification, a whole world of freediving awaits, with levels from basic to master freediver and beyond.

Not better or worse than scuba, just different, freediving offers a silent window into a fascinating world. It challenges participants both mentally and physically. If you’d like to become a freediver, contact your local dive center to find out more.

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We recently caught up with Harry Chamas, holder of the British national freediving records for variable weight and no-limits freedving. Here’s what he has to say about freediving and how it shaped his outlook on life.

What motivated you to pursue the British national records?

Records have never been a source of motivation for me. I enjoy developing my skills and going deeper because it fascinates me. Freediving is so new that there is no set way to get better like there is in most traditional sports. For me to progress, I have to experiment and develop skills over a long period. This pioneer aspect of the sport suits me very well.

Over the years I built my skills to the point that I knew I could gain these national records, and I was working in the perfect place to set them, alongside the world-record holder in one of the disciplines. It’s nice to know that I’m the best in my country at something, but in the end, I don’t attach any meaning to it. I don’t see these records as my pinnacle — I’m just getting started.

What is the difference in freediving styles?

There are five different styles of ocean freediving. Constant weight means swimming down and up with fins or a monofin. Constant weight-no fins freediving means swimming down and up using a modified breast stroke. Free immersion means pulling down and up on a rope; variable weight means being pulled down by a weighted sled and swimming back up; and no-limits means being pulled down on a weighted sled and pulled up by a lift bag and compressed air. I hold the records in the last two disciplines.

How did you get into freediving?

I left England to begin traveling in 2009 and took a mask with me. When I went snorkeling for the first time in Thailand and began to dive down. I remember being so curious about what was down there — it was irresistible.  Slowly it became a passion and I took some training in Dahab, Egypt where I learned about the sport of freediving. It has been a big part of my life ever since.

What did your training schedule look like for the event?

During the build-up to my attempts I was working as a freediving coach. This meant the only chance I had to train was early in the morning. But, due to the intensity of my workload, I couldn’t do this very often or I would become burned out. So, I did most of my training out of the water, using visualization and other mental training techniques to prepare my mind and accept the idea of going so deep without actually doing it. This advanced form of training is only possible after years of building up an understanding of your mind and body.

What’s next?

Coaching has always been a passion, so I plan on continuing to develop as a coach in Dahab, Egypt. I will continue to train and progress in my diving, but I am wary of attaching too much meaning to my depths. I’ve seen that the bigger deal you make about a depth, the harder it will become. So, not setting goals is a conscious decision to simply explore my capabilities.

How has freediving affected your life?

Freediving has been the inspiration to explore deeper into my mind and body. It is the reason I eat healthily, meditate, stretch, and hit the gym. Freediving requires an awareness and honesty with yourself that separates it from any other sport that I have ever participated in. It has allowed me to explore myself, meet wonderful people and make a living from my passion in amazing places around the world.

Tell me about the freediving subculture.

There is a whole group of people who have given up their “normal” lives and made freediving their life. This is such a beautiful decision because it comes from pure passion — there is no money in freediving, no sponsors, no government help, even for top-level guys.

The sport is so new that we are all pioneers, exploring new concepts, sharing ideas and experiences and growing together. There is no way to free dive without people that you trust to support you. Each time you dive, you entrust your safety and life into the hands of your buddy, which builds bonds and lifelong friendships.

Dahab, Egypt is the largest and oldest freediving community in the world. This is where I have decided to settle, in the stronghold of freediving, surrounded by my passion and the freediving bums that share that passion.

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While there are somewhat clear definitions, there’s also considerable overlap, so some might disagree with these definitions. They are slightly too simplistic by design to help newbies tell the different sports apart. And ultimately, opinions will differ. With that disclaimer, let’s give it a go: what’s the difference between scuba diving, snorkeling, skin diving and freediving?

Scuba Diving

This one is the easiest to define. Scuba is the abbreviation for “Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus,” which is an old term for the combination of a scuba tank and regulator. So, if you’re wearing a tank on your back and breathing through a mouthpiece connected to that tank, you’re scuba diving. You’ll wear a mask to help you see, fins to help with propulsion and a BCD to control buouancy. You’ll also usually wear some sort of exposure protection, such as a rash-guard in the tropics, a wetsuit in temperate climes, or a drysuit in cold water. Boots are often part of this exposure protection, and if so, your fins will have heel straps or bungees. Scuba diving involves specialized training and certification.

Snorkeling

Snorkeling is the most popular option on our list, and the one that you can enjoy with the least amount of experience. In snorkeling, you stay on the surface, looking down through a mask and breathing through a snorkel. You don’t have to lift your head to breathe. You may wear exposure protection, usually a rash-guard or wetsuit, but in some places you may even need a drysuit. Snorkeling fins are softer than scuba fins and, rather than using a heel strap, they’ll slip over your full foot without a boot. Some snorkelers also wear floatation vests, especially if they’re not particularly strong swimmers.

Freediving

Freediving is not a new sport per se, but it has seen a dramatic spike in popularity. Unlike the others on this list, freediving is largely a competitive sport. It consists of various disciplines, all centered around the same principle: staying underwater for as long as possible on a single breath. Disciplines range from static apnea, where you lie stationary, face-down in a pool, holding your breath for as long as you can to ones where you have to cover as much distance horizontally or vertically as you can.

Freedivers wear masks that are often a blend between a dive mask and swim goggles, but do not use snorkels. You also wear exposure protection, usually wetsuits. You’ll rarely (if ever) see a freediver in a drysuit. Freedivers sometimes wear fins, although some disciplines don’t use them. They’re usually either very long, full-foot fins, or a monofin — a single, broad-bladed fin that you wear on both feet. This creates a profile similar to a fish tail. Freedivers focus on the diving, spending little time at the surface apart from surface intervals and recuperation time.

Skin diving

A somewhat antiquated term, skin diving refers to a mix of snorkeling and freediving. A skin diver spends time at the surface, looking down on the landscape below while breathing through a snorkel, and does breath-hold dives, swimming down to observe interesting objects or marine life. Many advanced snorkelers practice skin diving, as well as freedivers just diving for fun rather than competition or training. Skin divers wear masks, snorkels and sometimes wetsuits, depending on water temperature. Drysuits are not appropriate. Fins can be either snorkeling or freediving fins.

Again, the lines between each discipline — except scuba diving — can get blurry. Not everyone will necessarily agree with our distinctions but, at the very least, they might help a novice get an idea of what to expect.

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Top Snorkel Tips

Most all freedivers, scuba divers and even scuba instructors set their snorkel up the same way. In scuba, the regulator is on the right, so you place the snorkel on the left, likely attached very close to the left side of the mask. The snorkel-keeper or attachment point is likely near the middle of the snorkel. Photo number 1 shows this typical set up. Setting it up this way causes the snorkel to be barely an inch above the water line when looking straight down in the water. Check out photo number 2.

The best snorkel keepers out there are the cheap, clear-rubber figure-8 ones, better than any of the fancy ones sold with most snorkels. Here’s what to do: Attach the snorkel keeper to the snorkel, but instead of attaching it in the middle of the snorkel, attach it much higher than you usually do, about to 1.5 to 2 inches from the top. Now attach the snorkel keeper in the back or center of the mask strap as opposed to the side of the mask strap. (See photo number 3). Using this method, the snorkel will be sitting on top of your head when you are face down. This lifts the snorkel an inch or two higher out of the water than the traditional method. See photo number 4.

This slight change in setup will absolutely reduce the amount of water you get in your snorkel, which will benefit any diver, regardless of experience. This setup also keeps the snorkel more streamlined when you’re not using it underwater. When scuba divers and freedivers have the snorkel set incorrectly, as in photo number 1, it twists back and forth when you’re underwater because it’s attached to the mask in the middle of the snorkel. If configured like the one in photo number 3, the snorkel will sit straight up and down when you’re not using it. Although it may not sound groundbreaking, if you dive with a snorkel, we promise: this will change your life.

We’ve also got an important piece of safety advice regarding the snorkel. Most freedivers go underwater with their snorkel in their mouth. When you do this, the water doesn’t rush into your mouth because your tongue is actively blocking the hole in the snorkel. If you were to black out underwater, your tongue would no longer actively block this hole — it would go limp like everything else. So water would rush into your mouth and possibly into your lungs. Diving underwater with the snorkel in your mouth violates the No. 1 rule of freediving safety — to always protect the airway.

Here are three simple suggestions to increase your safety while freediving:

1. Dive one-up one-down; be close enough to grab your buddy when he or she surfaces.
2.  Watch your buddy for no less than 30 seconds every time he or she surfaces.
3.  Don’t free dive over-weighted. At the surface do a relaxed exhalation, like a sigh.
   If you sink, you’re wearing too much weight. Keep taking off weight one pound at a time until you can pass this test.

Ted Harty teaches two or three PFI freediving classes every month in Fort Lauderdale, Florida via his company Immersion Freediving. You can see his course schedule at
immersionfreediving.com

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Contrary to popular belief we are not mentally deficient, nor are we gluttons for punishment (ok, maybe a little). For the most part, we just share a strong passion for freediving.

Having grown up in Washington State, I’ve always played in the waters of Puget Sound and surrounding lakes; it wasn’t until recently that I traveled to enjoy clear, tropical or semi-tropical waters. While those waters are certainly beautiful, there is also something to be said for diving in the life-rich, colder northern waters. It’s always exciting to drop down, not quite knowing what you’ll see on the bottom. Whether it’s thousands of Dungeness crab moving out of your way, a big lingcod, sea lions, or a giant pacific octopus, you just won’t know until you are up close and personal. No freedive is the same as the one before.

With all that said, diving here does have some down sides. The water can be quite cold, with surface temperatures ranging from 32F to 70F. It’s nothing that a good wetsuit, gloves and socks can’t fix, but with a 7mm wetsuit you do have more work breathing. The colder temperatures can also make equalization more difficult, from the cold water to the thicker hood. Thicker suits also mean thicker gloves — or cold hands. This, in turn, means less dexterity. You’ll also experience more suit compression when you dive with a thicker suit, which will lead to a larger variation in buoyancy throughout your dive.

It can also be psychologically demanding not being able to see where you’re going.  One hundred to 132 feet (30 to 40 meters) is generally considered a fairly deep freedive here, whereas in clear, warm waters I remember looking down at the plate and thinking “no way is that 40 meters; it’s so close!”  It’s a real confidence booster to be able to see where you’re going, but if you get comfortable descending where you can’t see, those dives in clear water will be that much easier.

With limited visibility, proper safety can at times be an issue as well.  Knowing your buddy and good communication is key. Each diver should also have their own float line, whether they are spearfishing or not. This way you’ll always know where your buddy is.

Despite these challenges, when I get someone in the waters around here for the first time, they usually say something like “I had no idea there was that much life around here,” and there’s a lot of truth to that statement. The biomass here rivals anywhere on Earth. Surfacing from a dive on a clear day, especially in winter, can’t be beat. Floating in the water, looking out over the snowcapped Olympic or Cascade Mountains is an experience any diver would appreciate. What some people see as cold, dark water, I view as an opportunity to see something that most people won’t ever see with their own eyes. With each experience different than one before, I can only wonder what I’ll see or feel next.

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People frequently ask me why I freedive when I can scuba dive and stay down longer. My interest in freediving started with a need to challenge myself physically and mentally.  When I went freediving for the first time, I felt like I wasn’t burdened with extra gear; I could move and play in the water like I wanted to. Fast and agile like the animals around me, I felt more in touch with the environment — I could actually hear the fish and invertebrates.

First and foremost, the best part of freediving is getting even more in touch with the world below the surface. Kirk Krack, founder of Performance Freediving International (PFI), has said, “Scuba is like getting in the RV and driving over the pass, while freediving is putting on a backpack and hiking up the mountain.” And he’s right; when you have all this gear strapped to you, you may see the environment, but you don’t experience it as intimately. Wildlife is much more suspicious of you when you’re blowing bubbles, so animals tends to keep a cautious distance.

I also freedive because while scuba tends to be a leisure activity, freediving requires significant physical fitness. The number of calories you burn while you’re moving anaerobically far surpasses that which you burn when exercising aerobically. That being said, you’re meant to stay as relaxed as possible while freediving.

Also, I like a personal challenge. No matter how good you get at freediving, you can always go after that additional few feet of depth, or five more seconds on your breath-hold. It’s not about a fight between you and the sea — the sea will end up winning that one — but it can be about challenging yourself and your comfort levels. You can push your abilities a little further every year.

When you train to freedive, you learn about what’s going on physiologically inside you.  You learn to control your breathing and heart rate. It’s an amazing feeling when you’re at depth and you feel your body make the necessary adaptations to facilitate diving, and your desire to breathe lessens. Knowing how to breath efficiently and how to lower your heart rate, coupled with the physical fitness side of the sport, will help reduce your air consumption when you do throw a tank on your back, and you will be able to stay underwater a little longer.

Another beauty of freediving is that you can do it into your later years. Without having to lug around tanks, regulators, BCDs and additional lead, it’s easier on your body as you age. Not to mention your metabolic rate will slow down as you get older and demand less O₂. I frequently see the “old duffers” holding their breath much longer than the young guys in class.

Camaraderie! Most people practice the buddy system when scuba diving, but it’s an absolute must for freediving. I can’t stress this enough. With pony bottles and redundant gear you can get out of mishaps in scuba, but without your buddy in freediving, a mishap often ends tragically. The deep trust you develop with your buddy tends to develop into deep friendship. If you decide to enter into competitive freediving, you’ll see bonds develop very quickly as well. At Deja Blue (a PFI competition), people often refer to all the divers as a tribe. It’s an accurate description — different families (groups) come together to pursue their common interest in freediving. It’s amazing to watch current and former world and national record holders cheer as if a new world record just occurred for someone who just hit his personal best of 20 feet. We all realize that triumph is triumph, and your personal best is a world record for you and worthy of every cheer you get.

A a hot-button topic for some people is spearfishing and collecting.  For it or against it, it’s true that holding your breath while going after prey does level the playing field a bit. Some areas will only allow you to spear while freediving.

These are just some of the reasons why I choose to freedive; there are just as many reasons to freedive as there are freedivers. It is a uniquely personal experience that is also shared with the other freedivers around you. If you choose to freedive, your experience will be as individual as you are.

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The Fastest Growing Sport

Well, type in “Trubridge Arch” or “Trubridge 101” on YouTube and find some of the greatest demonstrations of human potential ever captured on video: This athlete goes to a depth of 101m without even using fins, or the same way he dives through the famous Arch in Dahab, almost 60m down, then 30m across, before paddling the long way back to the surface – just to celebrate this out-of-this-world performance with a big smile. Impressive, right?

Well, even more impressive I find the fact that this is something we all can do! We can all surprise ourselves with what we are actually capable off while holding our breath in water. Little known is the fact that the human body is actually built to dive on breath-hold! Remember, we all spent already nine months submerged in water. Going back to this state has a very much soothing effect both on our mind and our body. Not to breathe for a while is a privilege, and by repetition, this “while” just gets longer and longer.

The job of a freedive instructor like I am is to help people to re-discover this aquatic part of our nature. Diving peacefully down to a reef, on one breath, dwell there for a while and enjoy a few moments of being part of the stunning underwater nature – that’s what freediving is all about. It can be learned by everybody, as it is not depending on physical performance in the first place, but much rather on letting go and allow our bodies to do the miracle for us. Holding our breath in water is like a meditation with direct feedback – as long as we allow the mind to be quiet, not-breathing it is pure bliss. But as soon as we try to regain control over things that shouldn’t be controlled, start to worry about things that we don’t need to worry about, the mind goes wild, the meditation ends and we surface to breathe.

In our busy times, more and more people welcome a break from the hustle and bustle of land-bound life. So they give freediving a go. And many stick with it. I think that is the real reason why freediving is growing so quickly. It’s a need of our time. If you want to give it a go, please be in touch with us. We host freedive courses all around Bali/Indonesia. For beginners it takes only one day for a first go, and three days for a full course that makes you a safe freediver and a reliable buddy.

Apart from the curious peace-seekers, there is another large group of first-timers: Surfers! Most professional surfers train their breath-hold capability in one way or the other. But surprising to us freedivers, only few of these pro-surfers use a systematic approach to train that vital part of modern surfing. This is where freediving comes into the game: Freediving has a history of 20+ years of developing training and education systems, and this knowledge is keenly welcomed in the surfing community. AIDA, the worldwide agency for freediving is now in its 22nd year and during this time, a heap of knowledge how to train for a better breath-hold has been piled up. The best part of it all: The basics can be learned in a one-day workshop! But, dear surfers don’t get over-exited yet! Such a workshop doesn’t do anything for you but teaching you how-to-train. And as in all training, only those who set their own road map, walk it and stick to the plan will see results. But the results show rather quickly: Within only a few weeks you can transform the “urge to breath” from your worst enemy into your best friend. In other words, there is no magic breathing-technique, no Houdini-trick to escape that double hold-down. There’s just you and your willingness to go the extra mile. But hey, that’s exactly what flat-spells of days without waves are there for: Make the best out of it and train!

Background Information:

Freedive Flow, established in 2011 in Bali/Indonesia runs freedive courses from beginner to pro level and regularly hosts workshops for surfers at Bali’s world famous surf spots.

Oli Christen, AIDA Freedive Instructor and founder of Freedive Flow, Sanur
http://www.balifreedive.com
info@balifreedive.com

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What is freediving?

Basically, freediving is breath holding. Type the term into Google and you receive a relatively broad spectrum of searches and free-diving associations from around the world, most of which discuss the technicalities of the sport, and how to try it for yourself.

They key to freediving is a word in the name itself: free. True champions of the discipline and lovers of the sport all claim the same — when you are beneath the sea with nothing but the suit on your back and the simple anatomic reactions enacted by the act of ignoring your breath, the encompassing ease and resulting relaxation is akin to a meditative state, and one of the most marvelous feelings in the world.

Even if extended breath-holding isn’t for you, it’s still a skill one can practice and improve. But due to the intricacies of individual physiology, it may not be the optimal sport for your system, so please take care should you want to try freediving for yourself.

Some important rules:

1. Do not begin freediving by yourself. Take a buddy into the pool or shallow spot in the ocean and do not leave eachother alone during your practice sessions. Some of the worlds best freedivers have succumbed to fatal accidents in no more than 10 feet of water because no one was watching out for them. Anyway, it’s more fun if you have support.
2. You are not a fish. Nor will you suddenly be a fantastic freediver after your first attempt at a prolonged period beneath the surface. Altering your body’s natural impulses to breathe takes practice, and improves with time and training.
3. Don’t freedive drunk, hung over or on any illicit drugs. Your body will react differently after use of these chemical alterations and it is possible that your natural limits will change without your awareness.
4. Enjoy it. Freediving is about being free, not about being the big man (or woman) in the ocean. Relax and enjoy the sport — the only person you have to compete with, and indeed the only one you can control, is you.

How is it possible?

Enter the mammalian diving reflex. We’re animals right? Despite the fact we’ve deluded ourselves into thinking our species is super-evolved, we still operate on basic instincts, one of which is called the “mammalian diving reflex.” This reaction occurs the moment our faces are placed in tepid water: the heart rate slows down (also known as bradycardia) and blood vessels constrict in less essential parts of the body in order to reroute its energy to the vital organs, namely the brain and the heart. We actually weren’t aware that humans were capable of the MDR until trials in the 1950s, although scientists began to understand and document it in animals in the early 1900s.

Apnea also allows us to hold our breath for an extended period of time. It’s defined as the temporary cessation or absence of breathing. When you hold your breath AND stick your head into the water, the MDR kicks into overdrive; when you remove your face from the water and breath again, the reflex stops.

Freediving uses both the mammalian diving reflex and apnea, as well as special finning techniques, unique weighting and mental discipline to achieve ever-increasing depth without utilizing breathing equipment.

History of Freediving

Freediving has been around for a very long time; early civilizations would surely have held their breath to fish for supper or explore the underwater world as much as possible. Long thought to be mere legend, the first known free-diver was Chatzistathis, a 35-year-old Greek sailor who managed to retrieve an anchor from a sunken ship at 289 feet (88 m) below sea level with only the air in his lungs. The dive is said to have lasted three minutes and occurred in 1913.

After WWII, the sub-surface sport gained popularity throughout the world. Enzio Maiorca blasted past 164 feet (50 m) in 1962 to the amazement of scientists who were convinced the pressure exerted by that much water would collapse the human lungs. Jacques Mayol took the sport in a new direction, using yoga techniques and meditation to calm his body rather than the previously practiced hyperventilation, and plunged to 328 feet (100 m).

One of the most interesting aspects of freediving is that it seems to chose its players, rather than the other way around. Some people are born with the ability, and freediving makes no distinction or segregation by age, gender, or nationality. In fact, Italian Angela Bandini astounded the aquatic community by being the first person (not just woman) to reach 351 feet (107 m) in 1989.

The 1980s and 90s saw the growth and development of an international freediving community and November 2, 1992 the Association Internationale pour le Développement de l’Apnée (or AIDA) was born.

Since the creation of AIDA and the explosion of easy, long-distance communication, there has been a tight, talented global network of freedivers, including those interested in competition, instruction and scientific exploration.

Types of competitive free-diving (as defined by AIDA)

Constant Weight Without Fins (CNF)

The diver follows an anchored rope, aiming to achieve the greatest depth possible and return to the surface with no propulsion equipment and without touching the rope.

Constant Weight (CWT)

The diver follows an anchored rope, aiming to achieve the greatest depth possible and return with the use of fins or a mono-fin. The diver may hold onto the rope once to stop descending and turn around.

Dynamic Without Fins (DNF)

The diver aims to achieve the longest horizontal distance possible without the use of fins or other propulsion equipment.

Dynamic With FIns (DYN)

The diver aims to achieve the longest horizontal distance possible with the use of fins or a mono-fin.

Static Apnea (STA)

The diver attempts to hold their breath for the longest possible time, either on or beneath the surface of the water, with both their mouth and nose submerged at a minimum.

Free Immersion (FIM)

The diver follows an anchored rope aiming to achieve the greatest depth possible and return to the surface with no propulsion equipment. The diver may use the rope to assist their descent and ascent.

VARIABLE WEIGHT (VWT)

The diver follows an anchored rope, using a weight or sled device to descend the greatest depth possible, and ascends using only their own strength either by swimming or by pulling themselves up with the rope.

No Limit (NLT)

The diver descends using weights to the greatest depth possible and ascends using whatever method they choose including balloons, inflatable vests and the like.

Freediving Gear

So what do you need to give it a try?

Mask Visit your local dive shop to find a mask that fits you properly. Without stretching the strap around your head, place the mask on your face and breathe in. If it stays in place by suction alone, you’re in good shape.

Snorkel Most masks do not come with a snorkel. Choose one that fits comfortably in your mouth without feeling the need to clench your jaw or stretch your lips.

Wetsuit Depending on your location, you may need a neoprene wetsuit (for colder water) or a full-body rash guard (for warmer water). If you live in the tropics, you can probably get away with Speedos and a lack of body hair, but what you are trying to achieve is the path of least resistance in the water so you can move quickly and efficiently through the sea. Although you may not be submerged for an extended amount of time like scuba divers, you do not want to get cold as shivering makes it much more difficult to relax and control your body underwater.

Fins Free-diving fins are lightweight and long, different from scuba fins. Select a pair that comfortably fit your feet and do not slip. They should feel like part of your anatomy.

Weights Humans are naturally buoyant (most humans) so you will need weights to pull you downward or to control your rate of ascent/decent. Visit your local dive shop or sign up on a diving forum for more beginner information

Now what?

According to Fabrizio Serra, Italian free-diving instructor at www.waterinstinct.it, start training yourself to slow your breath in a safe place where you feel relaxed, such as your bed. Take long, deep breaths and then, when you feel your entire body is calm and no part of you is tense, take a breath in and hold it as you click a timer. When you feel the first need-to-breathe contraction, suppress it by splitting your focus — conjugate verbs; count backwards from 100; trace shapes on the wall with your eyes. Eventually, the need to breath will get the better of you and that’s ok. Stop the timer and give yourself a pat on the back, you’re on your way to becoming a freediver.

Once you feel ready, grab your kit and your companion and hit the pool. Train yourself to hold your breath while floating face down at the surface first, then gradually build up to doing the same while weighted at the bottom of the pool. After you’re getting good at that, try diving down in open water — again, with a buddy.

Keep it up; train your body and your mind; enjoy the experience with your buddy; and share it with free-diving devotees around the world online.

By Denéa Buckingham

Resources

AIDA International

Diving InDepth.com

Freedive.net 

Water Instinct

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