An Introduction to Freediving (and Rock and Roll)

1040 page views - I'm really curious to know who's reading! Family? Friends? Freedivers? Please do introduce yourself in the comments box and let me know what you think of the blog. If you're a freediver, your observations and advice will be extremely gratefully received :).



On Thursday, I attended the first of two introductory pool sessions run by Mark Harris at London Freedivers, who I'd met before and really liked. I learnt a lot about freediving. I also learnt that I am the first person Mark and his wife Laura have met who does not know who Keith Richards is. Yes, really. It looks like I need a musical as well as a freediving education! Coincidentally, Laura wrote a paper on HBOT for Multiple Sclerosis, so I'm going to ask her to let me read it before my visit to the London Diving Chamber next week.


I was joined by another beginner, Marcin, for the course. Marcin is a keen snorkeller who would like to lengthen the time he is able to explore the underwater world. My aim is quite different, but Mark explained how the content of the course was relevant to us both. We started off with an overview of the different disciplines and the equipment required. The pool course is limited to the static and dynamic disciplines, which were discussed in greater detail. Mark then demonstrated the correct way in which to "breathe-up" for apnea. I was pleased to see that I was breathing correctly, from the diaphragm through slightly pursed lips, to increase the pressure differential and encourage gas exchange in the lungs.

However, I also discovered that I had almost certainly been overbreathing when practicing dry statics. I had suspected that this might be the case, since my contractions (spasms of the diaphragm triggered by high levels of carbon dioxide) did not start until 2'50. I'd been advised by an experienced freediver I'd contacted online that this was too late for a beginner and that I must be overbreathing without being aware of it. He was right.

I had imagined that overbreathing or hyperventilation meant very quick, shallow, forced breaths. I felt that I'd been careful to take deep, slow breaths, even if I did notice myself speeding up slightly before the "final" breath. However, Mark advised a ratio of 6-7 breaths per minute to avoid hyperventilation; this was noticeably slower than how I had been practicing.

Hyperventilation is a bit of a dirty word amongst freedivers, and for good reason. Once an accpeted technique of extending breath holds, it is now considered to be a dangerous method of purging carbon dioxide from the system to the extent that the body's triggers for blackout are delayed. Rather than trying to purge as much carbon dioxide from the body as possible, freedivers now train to withstand higher levels of carbon dioxide and lower levels of oxygen.

Mark then explained the two main emergency situations that may occur during pool training (and indeed any other kind of freediving), Loss of Motor Control (LMC) and Blackout (BO). Without being alarmist, Mark explained to us the causes, signs and symptoms of a LMC and BO, and the emergency procedures used to address both situations. We were also instructed in how to avoid LMC and BO, as far as possible. The cardinal rule of freediving was hammered home (in a good way) - never freedive alone.

We then headed to the pool to put the theory into practice! Slightly intimidated by the lithe bodies stretching and doing complicated breathing excercises near the edge of the pool, I scampered over to Mark. Amazed that I had managed to get my old wetsuit on, I realised as soon as I hit the water that I definitely needed it - it was freezing! After a short discussion about safety tapping (where you're periodically tapped on the hand and respond by lifting a finger to confirm you're OK) it was time for my first "wet" static.

Using Mark's 6 breaths per minute ratio I spent two minutes in preparation. Then I slowly lowered myself into the water, floating with arms and legs relaxed. I'd aimed for what I thought was a fairly conservative 2'30 but came up at 2 minutes. Honestly, I was disappointed. I was cold, so my muscles were tense, and my mind was alert; I got nowhere near the "sleepy" trance-like state I can sometimes find doing dry statics in my bed. Noticing I wasn't particularly pleased, Mark gave me some kind words of encouragement and explained that several factors probably contributed to the dip in performance: the underlying stress of an instruction situation, the cold and it being my first "wet" static. He also explained that static times tend to get better after two or three repetitions and asked us to try three breath-holds with short intervals at home.

Marcin then started his first static. I concentrated on tapping at the correct intervals, and using light touches to adjust his position in the water when he started to drift toward the wall of the pool. Careful to make sure he returned my OK signal once he came up, I completely forgot to stop my stopwatch! Mark valiantly tried to suppress a good-natured chuckle and gave us both some pointers for improvement. It's important that I'm able to buddy properly since I'll be training with London Freediving for the next six months at least and I'm keen not to piss anyone off!

On my second try, with a 1 minute breathe-up I got to 2'42. Using the correct breathing ratio in preparation, I started to experience contractions at about 2'20. I'd not really experienced them before so I observed about 5, trying to relax after each one. Lastly, we practiced several rescue techniques for LMC and BO, which we'll build upon next week in deeper water.

As I left the pool I noticed a girl gliding effortlessly underwater, with fluid, undulating movements. I was mesmerised. She and I were like different species. At once, I felt a stab of fear as I realised for the first time how far I have to go.

It's not called a challenge for nothing!

Thanks to Mark, in less than two hours I learnt a huge amount. I was allowed to ask as many questions as I liked (there were a lot!) and was given detailed, precise answers. Despite his considerable experience, there was no judgment of the questions we asked and I didn't feel apprehensive about showing my lack of knowledge. The balance between theory and practice was just right. The atmosphere was informal, but we were certainly picked up on our mistakes and shown how to improve. There was no pressure to perform, but we were encouraged to explore and discuss the sensations of breath-holding. I'd advise anyone who is interested in freediving to take the course; it's reassuring to know that you're being introduced to the sport by an expert, and it's a really fun, positive start to your training :).

Looking forward to dynamic next week...

Any Questions for Dr. Diving?

It turns out that I need a freediving medical before I start my AIDA** with Saltfree in Chepstow in May. The problem? Panic attacks. Probably not what you want to experience 100ft underwater with no readily available supply of air.

Strangely, it didn't really cross my mind that previously having experienced panic attacks (for around 2 years) would be a problem for freediving! In fact, the panic attacks were related to exactly the kind of "life" stress that many people use freediving to escape from. I'd only just stop short of prescribing freediving as a treatment for these kind of panic attacks ;). Being in the water is where I feel elated, free and peaceful, not panicked! I was snorkeling with my Dad on family holidays to Greece pretty much as soon as I could swim; my sister and I would have to be coaxed out of the sea at the end of the day. I started SCUBA diving when I was 14. I've never had even the hint of a panic attack underwater, despite having experienced some disorienting and stressful situations.

However, the necessity of a freediving medical means that I now have an invite to a place I've long wanted to visit...the London Diving Chamber.

The London Diving Chamber is a hyperbaric medical facility located within the Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth in North London. It provides expert treatment of Decompression Illness (DCI) and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapies (HBOT). DCI is a general term that can be broken down into the two broad categories of Decompression Sickness (DCS, colloquially known as "the bends") and Lung Overexpansion Injuries.

Although it is reportedly possible to suffer DCS after freediving, it requires either very many freedives in a short period of time, or freediving to great depth, as in no-limits. Studies carried out on pearl divers in Polynesia, who were diving to depths of 30m+ forty to fifty times a day with short surface intervals, concluded that some suffered from symptoms of DCS. In relation to no-limits, you'll notice that in the video I posted of Herbert Nitsch's freedive to 214m, he makes a 1 minute decompression stop at 10m on ascent to avoid DCS. Generally speaking, recreational freedivers do not experience DCS.

Certainly, the vast majority of those presenting at the London Diving Chamber with DCS are SCUBA divers. As SCUBA diving becomes more and more popular, free hyperbaric treatment and medical advice such as that provided by LDC becomes increasingly important. Even when patients do not qualify for free NHS treatment, LDC will never turn away a diver in need - that's incredible. Click here to support their work. For more information about DCS, take a look at the information pages on LDC's website.


Dr Firth at the London Diving Chamber has been kind enough to waive the fee for my freediving medical in support of the 100ft Freedive Challenge! I'm really looking forward to meeting him and to learning more about LDC's work. If you have a burning question about freediving that you'd like to put to Dr Firth, put it in the comments box below. I'll try and ask him a few questions and will post the answers here on the blog :).

I'm going to be asking Dr. Firth about the effectiveness of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis. Although the MS Society and MS Trust both state that clinical trials have failed to find any evidence that HBOT is effective, I know that there have been a number of reports that it can help treat some of the symptoms of MS.


I'm also going to be asking what physiological changes, if any, I can expect during my transformation into a mermaid ;), and whether there is any way for me to measure them and share with the group! TMI?

I start my Introduction to Freediving course with Mark Harris on Thursday, so watch out for a post about this later in the week...

Why I now like the gym, static training tables and Herbert Nitsch on no-limits

Those of you who know me well will be surprised to learn that I'm now a regular at the gym!

I'm trying to improve my aerobic fitness and increase my stamina. The instructor was a little shocked when I explained the reason for my new-found motivation! Nevertheless, he's provided me with a useful programme of interval training using the running and cycling machines, and the cross-trainer. I've also been swimming lanes in the 50m pool. I love to swim but I'm sure my technique must be pretty clumsy. Fortunately, there was a private lesson going on in the lane next to me this morning, so I managed to pick up a few sneaky tips! Since I don't have a buddy to keep an eye on me I couldn't do any apnea but it was great to be back in the water again, I've really missed it.

If I'm honest, my only motivation for exercise since I gave up gymnastics at the age of 16 has been to lose weight. I never really stuck at it. Freediving has already helped me to appreciate what my body can do. It's also made me realise that a lot of my physical limits are self-imposed. Right now I feel like I'm collaborating with my body to achieve my challenge, rather than using exercise to punish it for not looking like Jessica Alba. This is much more fun!


I now have a new dry Static Personal Best (PB) of 3 mins, which I did with one "warm up" breath hold beforehand. However, having said that, the "dive" itself was not good. I felt short of breath almost immediately I began to hold, and was unable to relax. I listened to my heartbeat speed up in the first few seconds and couldn't slow it down. None of the techniques I've previously used helped to stop my mind racing. I took a breath when I began to feel contractions of my diapraghm and was really surprised to see that I'd made 3 minutes, since the whole experience had felt quite stressful.

I don't really see any value in increasing my static times if my technique is wrong.

With a little help from a friend and the Manual of Freediving, I've found a way to train for dry statics that is helping me to focus on technique rather than time: training tables. There are several types of static training tables, which acclimatise the body either to higher levels of carbon dioxide or lower levels of oxygen. When used over a period of time, training using these tables should therefore result in longer static breath-holds. Table A, which is the one recommended for beginners, involves 8 breath-holds of around 50% of your PB with decreasing rest periods in between.

I found this brilliant online version of the table, which allows you to customise it according to your ability. It has a "voice" option, which indicates the start of your rest periods and counts down to your breath-holds. This means you can complete the entire table without having to fiddle around with a stopwatch or keep track of time.

Doing Table A for the first time was brilliant! I was able to relax during the rest periods because I knew I would hear 15, 10 and 5 second prompts before the next breath-hold. My breathing was deep but not forced in any way. Since the breath holds were only 50% of my PB, I knew they were achievable and was able to sink into an almost sleepy state; not thinking about anything, simply hearing the sounds of children in the street, feeling a breeze coming through the window... I settled into the rhythm of breathing and breath-holding. As the rest periods decreased, the breath holds didn't seem much more difficult but I noticed toward the end that the fingers of one of my hands were slightly tingly, a sign of CO2 build-up. Once the table ended I felt relaxed, happy and slightly drowsy; like waking up from a good nap!

For those of you that were intrigued by the "No Limits" discipline described in my previous post, here's a blow-by-blow account of a no limits dive to 214m by Herbert Nitsch - it's absolutely fascinating:


Herbert Nitsch on his way down to 214m.

Fantastic News!

As an English literature graduate, my response when faced with a problem is invariably to think that the solution must be in a book somewhere, if only I can find it.

I realise that this is a little bit silly when applied to freediving. However, true to form, I have scoured the internet for the authoritative texts on freediving and have found disappointingly few. If you have any suggestions, please do post them in the comments box below :).

I eventually ordered the Manual of Freediving, by Umberto Pelizzari and Stefano Tovaglieri and then spent two days in child-like over-excitement waiting for it to drop onto the doormat!

Since it has arrived I have found it difficult to concentrate on anything else. It's amazingly comprehensive, encompassing the history of freediving, detailed explanations of physiology, instructions for breathing and relaxation techniques, equipment function, dealing with an emergency, training suggestions for each discipline...

I've also been spending some time hanging out on the forums at Deeper Blue, an online community of divers of every kind: freedivers, SCUBA Divers, spearos. Seriously, if you think I'm crazy, imagine freediving with a speargun and chasing after fish! Once again, I've been given a really friendly welcome by the freedivers! I've also received some excellent advice from Dutch national-record-holder (and newbie guardian angel) Kars van Kouwen, which emphasises relaxation and enjoyment but will also result in material improvements to my performance.

Both the Manual of Freediving and what I've read on the Deeper Blue forums emphasise the need for good instruction, which brings me to some fantastic news...

Mark Harris, who holds the UK records for Free Immersion and Variable Weight, and is a brilliant instructor, has kindly invited me to join his Freediving Introductory Course! Completing this course will provide the perfect foundation for my ongoing training with London Freediving. I also hope that getting comfortable with static and dynamic now will allow me to maximise the benefits of my AIDA** course with SaltFree in Chepstow in May. Needless to say, I'm extremely excited and very much looking forward to both courses!

The enthusiasm and generosity of the freediving community as a whole has blown me away. Moreover, the willingness of top-level freedivers in the UK and elsewhere to encourage and mentor a newbie like myself is nothing short of inspiring. Just imagine being a gymnast and having Beth Tweddle offer to coach you. Or being a cyclist and having Victoria Pendleton reply by email to your most basic questions. I'm getting the feeling that what makes freediving special is not just the sport itself, but the people involved in it.

In which I connect singing and freediving, and dream of whales

The blog has had 262 page views since I set it up yesterday! It's incredible to have so many people interested in the challenge :). I'd love to hear what you think about it, so comments in the box below please!

I sent Sam the link to the blog last night and she said it was "fab". I think she might have been more worried than she let on about my lack of general fitness, but she managed to keep the rising panic out of her voice as we agreed that it might be a good idea to work on my aerobic capacity and flexibility before my AIDA** course in May.

She also recommended that I might like to take up Yoga. I've only ever had one experience of Yoga, and it involved trying not to snort with laughter when I was told to imagine balls of light in each of my "chakra regions". However, one of the current female stars of freediving, Sara Campbell, was a yoga teacher before she took up freediving and she credits some of her success to the breathing techniques and focus of mind involved. Frankly, if it's good enough for her, I'm signing up sharpish.

Sam and I also talked about the various ways in which I could complete the challenge: "constant weight" and "free immersion". A quick search of AIDA's website revealed that there are eights distinct freediving disciplines:

Constant Weight Without Fins (CNF) Freediver descends and ascends without fins and without pulling on a rope - so using muscle power alone.

Constant Weight With Fins (CWT) Freediver descends and ascends using only fins/monofin and the use of her arms, without changing her ballast. Only one grab of the rope is permitted, to halt descent.

Dynamic Without Fins (DNF) Freediver attempts to cover greatest distance possible swimming in a horizontal position. Propulsion aids are not permitted.

Dynamic With Fins (DYN) Freediver attempts to cover greatest distance possible swimming in a horizontal position. Fins/monofin are permitted.

Static (STA) Freediver holds her breath for as long as possible, with respiratory tracts submerged, either in the water or at the surface.

Free Immersion (FIM) Freediver descends by pulling on the rope only. No propulsion aids are permitted. Variable Weight (VWT) Freediver descends using a ballast and ascends using his own strength, either pulling or not pulling on the rope.

No Limits (NL) Freediver descends using a weighted sled, and ascends using a helium-filled balloon or any other method of their choice. This is the one that most frequently grabs the headlines, as you can imagine!

Since pulling on a rope never featured in my mermaid fantasies, my current preference is for constant weight. However, since I haven't yet tried either, I'm keeping an open mind.

Thinking that I'd better start getting some practice in, I sat on the end of my bed late last night and held my breath...

1 minute 30 seconds later, heart pounding, I took a big gasp of air. I felt utterly humiliated. This was never going to work! I was obviously crap and should never have gotten myself into this whole challenge, let alone allowed anyone to read about it on the internet.

Then I had what I believe they call a "lightbulb moment". If what was going on in my mind was pressure, anxiety and self-sabotage, of course I was going to be rubbish! I decided to try again, and do it differently this time. I turned off the light, lay on the bed and took some deep breaths. Since I sang in a choir for 3 years, I'm happily acquainted with my diaphragm, and with diaphragmmatic breathing. I focussed on taking slow, full breaths as though I were about to launch into the opening of Handel's "Zadok the Priest" (when the choir comes in at 1:21, it's big. And loud). When it felt natural I began holding my breath. To relax and focus my mind I imagined singing "Sleep" by Eric Whitacre, one of my favourite pieces of music. The urge to breathe surfaced a couple of times but swallowing seemed to dispel it. I got to "when I surrender unto sleep" before I noticed a strong urge to breathe.

I took a breath and looked at my stopwatch. 2 minutes 42 seconds. Maybe I could do this after all! I drifted off into a peaceful sleep, and dreamt of whales...

The 100 ft Freedive Challenge Begins!

A couple of days ago the 100 ft Freedive Challenge was just one of those amazing ideas that strike after one too many glasses of wine but promptly depart your brain once the hangover has faded. Thanks mostly to Sam Kirby at SaltFree Divers, it's become official and I have a blog and fundraising page to prove it! Since the euphoric high of putting a plan into action has now worn off, I have decided to make a level-headed assessment of the challenge ahead.

Potential Obstacles include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Having spent the winter replenishing my fat stores, I am currently more "walrus" than "mermaid".


2. I only stopped smoking earlier this afternoon.


3. My Mum, whose own experience of MS is the reason I set myself this challenge, is so convinced that I will end up in a watery grave that she's forbidden me from talking to her about it. Ever.


4. I'm scared. 100ft is a long way down...

Enough of that. Now for the Motivating Factors:

1. I get to train with SaltFree, learn lots about freediving and hopefully dispel some of the myths about it, e.g. it's really really dangerous (see point 3. above).


2. Raising lots of money for the MS Society, whose work I wholeheartedly support.


3. Having something non-law related to talk/think/stress about.

If you'd like to follow my progress, this blog should keep you interested and amused in the run-up to the challenge, which will take place in October. I'll post diary entries, photographs, videos and much more!

I also hope that I can convince you to make a donation to this very worthy cause. No, not the comedy sight of me in a wetsuit - the MS Society! Please donate here: www.justgiving.com/Grace-Capel

For those of you who don't know what freediving is, here's a video that will give you some idea. Obviously it hasn't been filmed on a single dive, but the reason I like it is that it's beautiful and gives a real sense of the feeling of freedom you get.