Pool Training and the Haenyeo

There's been loads going on over the past couple of weeks pool training-wise; I've tried to provide a short update here. I've also been working on a freediving escapade to South Korea to visit the Hanyeo...more details toward the end of the post...

I'm really enjoying static and recently made a personal best of 4 minutes! I've been observing the sensations that occur during statics, which seem to be quite individual to each person. Mark, for example, doesn't get contractions. He says that it's not necessarily an advantage but I'm still really envious! This is how it feels for me at the moment although there are obviously variations depending on how hard I've been training, how tired I am, whether I've had a crap day at work etc...

• During the breathe-up: At the start of the breathe-up I often feel nervous. I try and let go of any expectations about the times I "should" be making. Initially I try to simply observe what my breath is doing naturally, before gradually deepening the breath and extending the exhales, keeping a relaxed rate of about 6 breaths per minute. It's much easier to relax with my eyes closed and I can hear my heartbeat slowing down during the extended exhalations. During the last breath I feel my heartrate pick up. On a good day I'll feel as though I'm just about to fall asleep...
• 0' -1'50 Usually relaxed and happy. Sometimes singing to myself. Sometimes imagining that I'm floating in a warm ocean at night, far from land, underneath a bright canopy of stars and a full moon creating what looks like a slick of quicksilver on the waves . I duckdive and find myself in the middle of a pod of whales, all calling to each other. I felt a bit embarassed about this until I started asking other freedivers what they thought about during static. There have been some interesting answers, which have convinced me that I'm well within the realms of "normal"!
• 1'50-2'10 Really could do without this part. Tightness in the throat and chest, and horrible feeling of suffocation. I know the contractions are coming and tense up anticipating them.
• 2'10 Contractions start. They're almost a relief after the feeling of suffocation. How they feel is really variable. Sometimes they start like a flutter in the diaphragm and build in strength and frequency. If I've been particularly tense waiting for them to start the first one can feel like a kick in the chest. Scan my body from head to toe, identifying areas of tension and trying to release them, which can help to reduce intensity and frequency of contractions. I'm not comfortable, but on a good day I can "accept" the contractions and they pass through me like waves.
• 2'50 Contractions have increased in intensity and frequency and I start to count them. I count down from 100 but have got nowhere near 0. Counting down rather than up helps psychologically.
• 3'30 Open my eyes, watch the light playing on the tiles at the bottom of the pool. Stretch out my whole body a couple of times. Put my hands out to the side of the pool and grip it hard. Put my feet down. Listen to the encouraging words of my buddy for motivation.
• 4' Breathe!

I'd like to find a way to become more comfortable during the early stages of the contractions - if you have any suggestions, let me know! During my second static session I had some strange feelings toward the end of my last breath-hold. I felt euphoric and a bit shaky and wasn't as focussed as I usually am during the last 30 seconds so I came up early. I'm hoping it was just because I'd been a bit slack doing my CO2 tables that week since I was bedridden and vomiting for two days!

I found this video really interesting. I expected that people who had really long static times would start their contractions later but it turns out that his contractions start only slightly after mine do!




I'm making some progress with dynamic too. The distance has increased a little bit in each of the three dynamic sessions I've done and I'm starting to get used to my monofin. I've been marveling at the beautiful dynamic of Elizabeth Kristoffersen, she's so elegant and effortless. I still don't have any real idea of what constitutes the correct monofin technique, but I no longer feel "off-balance" and I can find a rhythym. Mark G kindly buddied me during my first dynamic session and gave me some tips, and Gary and Tim helped me to sort out my weighting and encouraged me to play around with speed!

I thought that the best way to get an idea of what I was doing wrong was to take a short video. Here it is - don't laugh! Constructive criticism appreciated.




In other news, I've been getting excited about a Royal Geographical Society grant called 'Journey of a Lifetime'. It provides £4000 funding to allow you to travel anywhere in the world and create a radio programme about your journey. When I first posted this blog, a friend working in South Korea told me about the "Haenyeo" or "Jamnyeo" of Jeju island and since then I've been fascinated by them.

The Haenyeo are 'sea women' or 'diving women'; spirited female freedivers who have a long history on the volcanic island. They freedive for octopus, sea-urchins, seaweed and shellfish, making many dives each day and spending minutes at depths up to 20m. Once shunned for their dangerous and difficult work, the Haenyeo have been romanticised by the tourist industry and named "the mermaids of Jeju island".

However, their numbers are rapidly declining; from as many as 30,000 in 1950 to only 5,650 in 2003, of which 85% were over 50 years old. The young women of the island want the urban lifestyle of their peers in Seoul rather than the tough physical challenges of the life of a Haenyeo. The rapidly expanding manufacturing and tourist industry poses challenges for protection of Jeju's unique underwater environment. It is likely that the Haenyeo will soon disappear. Who thinks that I should look into applying for the grant to visit the Haenyeo?

Thank you to Amamarf and Leonard Symeonides for your donations - I don't have your email addresses but I wanted to show my appreciation - hopefully you'll read this post!