Saltfree At Last!

What a weekend!

I left work on Friday with a spring in my step (and a massive rucksack on my back), ignoring the dirty looks of all the disgruntled commuters I managed to whack in the face with my fins. The reason for my excitement? After months of anticipation, I was on my way to the National Diving and Activity Centre for my AIDA** course with Saltfree! Sam Kirby, who runs the club, has been incredibly supportive of the challenge from its inception and pledged to provide me with some excellent instuction. She certainly delivered on her promise - Hannah, our course instuctor, was amazing!


Hannah picked me up from the train station in Lydney and within minutes we were talking animatedly about freediving. Hannah's partner Jason listened patiently; he does pretty much every sport except freediving! We arrived at Hannah's beautiful cottage and, having been introduced to Jonah the cat, I decided to get an early night with a book from Hannah's extensive freediving library.

I awoke at 7am in my comfy bed with an unnatural amount of energy! After getting to know each other over a delicious breakfast Hannah and I drove down to the National Diving and Activity Centre (NDAC) to meet the other students. NDAC is a flooded quarry, descibed accurately by Saltfree as "deep, green and unashamedly beautiful". Sheer grey cliffs plunge into sparkling emerald waters.






After setting up the classroom in a convenient port-a-cabin, we waited for the other students to arrive. Harry (an open water swimmer) arrived first, shortly followed by Tom (a climber). For the first time I felt a twinge of apprehension...tall and athletic, with not a centimetre of body fat between them, I felt completely out of place. I thought I might as well have turned up to an IronMan triathlon in a pink sequinned bikini, snacking on a donut. However, it quickly became clear that although both Harry and Tom were naturals at freediving, they were both really kind, friendly guys, with none of the ego that often accompanies such ability.

We headed to the classroom and Hannah outlined the plan for the day, before going through the knowledge reviews we'd completed at home. She gave clear and comprehensive explanations of the things we'd misunderstood, and encouraged us to ask as many questions as we liked. Andy, who won the award for "hard-as-nails" turned up halfway through our classrrom session having completed a long night shift and with only 4 hours sleep! He'd already completed the theory part of the course so was content to sit back and take forty winks as we finished up.


The less said about the process of getting into a freediving wetsuit, the better, I think, apart from the fact that collapsing with the giggles makes it a lot harder than normal.

I should, however, mention that the NDAC makes diving really easy. With warm changing rooms, hot showers, somewhere to buy food, a bus to take you down to the water, and a boat to ferry you across to the platform, you really couldn't ask for anything more. Saltfree's platform, lovingly tended by Sam, is perfectly set up for freediving.


After a comprehensive safety briefing from Hannah, we got started with some breathing exercises. Hannah had us all lie on the platform, and explained how to breathe slowly using the diaphragm, with emphasis on the outward breath. She asked us to tense and release each part of our body, focusing on relaxing every muscle. We then did some short breath-holds, followed by recovery breathing. By the time we finished, my limbs felt like they were filled with lead, while my mind felt clear but empty of consious thought. I simply heard the lapping of the water against the platform, felt the wind on my face and listened to the birds calling overhead. Bringing us back to the present moment, Hannah then showed us specific stretches for the muscles used during freediving and we practiced them together in the watery early morning sunshine.

"Are we ready to get in?!" asked Hannah...

Weightbelts adjusted, fins pulled on, we all piled into the water. It was cold, certainly, but the 5mm wetsuits meant that the shock was momentary. The line was down at 12m and we could see it clearly.

Agile as an otter, Hannah slipped under the water and down to the plate, turned gracefully, and with a few flicks of her fins surfaced with a huge smile.

Han explained and demonstrated free immersion, and gave us some tips to make equalisation easier. I was first, and pulled slowly down the line, stopping to equalise and to marvel at the colour of the water. There was silence, just my heart beating in my chest. As soon as I noticed it, my heartbeat sped up and, turning on the rope, I made the classic newbie mistake of looking for the surface. I'm glad I did, because I saw the shafts of sunlight refracted by the water, which looked like crystals on the roof of a giant green cave. Hannah was right there with me and I couldn't help smiling at her all the way up to the surface. As she returned my smile, I felt we were both thinking the same thing - we're home. Once on the surface, she monitored my revovery breathing; big inhales, passive exhales, until I told her I was OK. She said that I looked more than OK - I looked ecstatic! Harry and Tom went down in turn and came up with the same huge smiles! Andy experienced equalisation problems which unfortunately persisted despite Hannah's helpful suggestions. However, since most of what we were learning was technique, we could all work on this, regardless of depth.


As well as providing general instruction on the correct technique for free immersion and constant weight, Hannah was able instantly to spot where each of us needed to make adjustments. She was even able to demonstrate what we were doing wrong, so that we could see for ourselves the mistakes we were making, and the effect they were having on our streamlining. For example, I needed to "tie an imaginary rubber band around my legs" during free immersion, but make stronger, more powerful kicks during constant weight. Although the boys already had very good streamlining, and were very comfortable in the water, each of us made big improvements in the short time we had during the morning.

Daz, the cheeky and charismatic boat "captain" teased us about the size of our food bag, but we were really glad of it by the time we got to lunch, which we ate together at the picnic tables ovelooking the quarry. We got to know each other a bit better and found out how the path of each of our lives had brought us to freediving. Group cameraderie firmly established with a shared weakness for cream cheese bagels and dirty jokes, Hannah said out loud what I had been thinking; "you meet the best people freediving"!

The afternoon session took us to Lydney swimming pool for static and dynamic. Hannah made sure we were all able to perform rescues for LMC and blackout. In the process of improving our rescue techniqe we discovered that Tom had a hidden talent for acting; his ability to accurately reproduce the effects of a samba was really unnerving! Thanks to my Introduction to Freediving course with London Freediving, I was lucky to already be familiar with much of what was covered in the pool sessions but it was great to be able to practice my rescues.

Tom was my buddy for static. He asked me lots of questions about how I like to do my statics and had a really calm presence. I felt completely comfortable with him buddying me and pushed close to my PB.

Tom was watching attentively as soon as I came up and put a reassuring arm around me, encouraging me to do my recovery breathing. Everyone did a successful dynamic, and we gave a cheer because we'd all passed the course requirements for the pool session.


After a hard day in the water, and having been frustrated by the early closure of the local climbing centre, we decided that it was time for a bit of relaxation. Hannah and I decided that what we really needed was spaghetti bolognese and a hot bath. Tom and Harry decided that what they really needed was spaghetti bolognese and Jessica Alba in a bikini. So we cooked together and talked about freediving, life, the universe, and everything. Hannah's spaghetti bolognese was the best I've ever tasted (the secret ingredients are chorizo, marmite and olives). Then we opened a bottle of wine and ate sprawled on cushions while watching a cheesy freediving movie. It was the perfect end to the day!


Returning to NDAC on day two I noticed that were were subject to some amused glances by some of the SCUBA divers, who were busy hauling around complex technical rigs. Harry, who sometimes works at NDAC was teased good-naturedly by someone he knew: "Like it do ya? Next thing you'll only be eating organic vegetables and doing yoga! Ha!". It seems that us freedivers might have a leetle bit of an image problem ;). It was time for the AIDA** exam in the morning. Exams (even little ones) make me pretty nervous but Hannah's teaching meant that everyone passed with flying colours.


After some different stretching and breathing exercises, it was time to start duck-diving. Hannah laughed as she said that this was usually really funny for the instructors!

Sure enough, our first few attempts involved an inordinate amount of splashing and fins waving about in the air but with Hannah's pointers, we rapidly improved. After 15 minutes, Hannah was describing some of the duck-dives going on as "beautiful". As a swimmer, I reckon Harry had the edge - he seemed not to create even a ripple! We made some LMC rescues at the surface and then rescues from 5-10m in which we brought the "unconscious" diver to the surface, protecting their airways, removing their mask, and following the mantra of "Blow, Tap, Talk". Hannah regaled us with the tale of the instructor who got so fed up of his students forgetting to "Blow, Tap, Talk", he had T-shirts printed with the slogan! Once again, Tom's acting abilities came into their own...


The focus for the afternoon was constant weight and the line was dropped to the course depth requirement of 16m. We continued to work on our duck dives, our orientation to the line, finning technique and added in the challenge of an efficient turn on the line. Tom and Harry made a really comfortable dives to 16m but I kept on turning before the plate. I knew my static time was more than enough to get me to the plate and back but I found it really hard to get into a relaxed mind-frame, even with a long breathe-up. I wasn't experiencing any urge to breathe but my mind just shouted: "TURN!". Hannah explained to me that since we were diving to 12m over and over, it's possible I had subconsciously created a "glass floor" at that depth. She reminded me of what I'd said the night before: "we've got our whole lives to freedive, we don't need to race to depth in the first two days!". She suggested I try free immersion instead of constant weight, which I like because it's slower and helps me to relax. But I still couldn't make it. I was frustrated and upset, which made me doubt my ability, which meant that it became even harder. I was aware of all of this and took time out on the platform to warm up and do breathing exercises and some of the positive visualisations I do for static.

The plate was dropped to 20m so that Harry and Tom could try out a bit more depth, and perhaps experience the "glide phase". Both were down at 20m on their first attempt. They made it look so easy! "It's so quiet down there", Tom told me. "It's a really intense, deep green, and it's colder too". "Come on, Grace", said Hannah, who could see the longing in my eyes, "Harry's going to buddy you for your big dive". There was no pressure, from Hannah or the other divers; I wanted to try again because somewhere inside me I knew I could do it.

Last deep, sweet, breath, duckdive fluidly into the green. Look at the line...remember to make strong, wide fin strokes...start to feel a rhythm...finally feel the mind quiet and relax, and time slow. Feel an almost imperceptible pull deeper. It's only the start of negative buoyancy but it feels like straining to hear someone you love calling your name. Sudden stab of fear...last few determined kicks for the plate. Turn. Mind focussed now, kick steadily. Eyes on the line. Don't look up. Phew, there's Harry! Feel positive buoyancy kicking in again, it's easy now. Stop kicking and fly toward the surface. Smile so much that water starts creeping into your mask...forget the need to breathe entirely. Break the surface, hear "breathe, Grace, breathe, breathe, breathe". Complete surface protocol and "Whoooooooooooooooooo! I did it!". Hug everyone.


I thought the weekend couldn't possibly get any better but once we'd finished the course, there were some time left to playing on the "attractions" sunk at the end of the quarry; containers, tubes, and even a armoured people carrier! As we were freediving through the container a group of SCUBA divers turned to watch us, wide-eyed! Hannah and I both had "Bond-girl" moments ascending through the tubes. We even got to see the enormous trout that hang around the pontoon, since Daz was kind enough to feed them so that they would come up close, flashing silver as they darted toward the surface.

As you can probably tell, I had the most incredible weekend with Saltfree! As well as being a lovely person, Hannah was an outstanding instructor. Her energy and enthusiasm created a wonderfully positive atmosphere within which to learn. She spent time with each of us individually, addressing our particular difficulties, so that we were able to make great progress. I know that she'll be there for me as my freediving journey progresses, and I'm really grateful to have her as my guide.

I'll give the final word to my buddies! We've already arranged to meet up again. for more freediving :D


Harry: "Had an amazing weekend with Saltfree - can't believe we dove to 20m, Hannah was a brilliant teacher and an excellent host (must steal that spag bol recipe from her). Has got to be the best underwater course I've ever done, the two weeks until we all get back in the water again seems way too long."


Tom: "Thanks again for an amazing weekend - it has absolutley put me on a high and it is largely due to having such an excellent instructor/hostess!"

No Tanx - but plenty of Guinness!

I love my training with London Freediving. However, since it only runs once a week, I have been looking around for another training session - training once a week just isn't enough for me right now!

Having conducted a quick internet search, I discovered that NoTanx run a session on Tuesday night at the Kensington Leisure Centre, which is just around the corner from Goldhawk Road, where I currently work.

I emailed Sam Still, who runs the Tuesday session, and he replied inviting me to attend the session and find out more about the NoTanx approach.

In the pool cafe, I was spotted by another NoTanx newbie, Boris, and we had a good chat about how we both got into freediving - he's from Croatia and got into freediving through spearfishing. The NoTanx regulars started arriving shortly after and I was struck both by the friendly welcome they gave us newbies and how well they all seemed to know each other. To my surprise and delight, I was introduced to Simos, a member of NoTanx who has given me a lot of great advice on Deeper Blue!

Sam gave us a safety briefing, a short introduction to the NoTanx approach and informed us of the structure of the club. We were also given some information about the courses offered and learned that the club had organised some incredible holidays, including to Egypt and Iceland! Sam explained that the session was split up into dry exercises, stretching, and then an hour of training in the pool. The emphasis was firmly on relaxation and having fun in the water. Sam told me that I might notice some differences from my training with London Freediving but that I should feel free ask him as many questions as I liked and reassured me that I should do whatever felt best for me.

Sam kindly expressed his support for the 100ft Freedive Challenge and, like many other people I've spoken to, told me that knows someone whose life has been affected by Multiple Sclerosis.

Having changed into my swimsuit (and feeling rather envious of the snazzy NoTanx rash vests sported by the members) I headed to the pool. Us newbies were taken through some basic stretches of the chest and shoulders, and I was deemed “very bendy”, which I can only assume is a good thing!

We all jumped into the pool and began a warm up, which consisted of underwater lengths of the pool in relay. Simos took me under his wing, making sure I understood what I had to do for each exercise and occasionally giving me hints and tips to improve my enjoyment and performance.

The hour simply flew by! Sam’s exercises were really fun and were as challenging as you wanted them to be. He provided lots of encouragement and advice to us newbies. The exercises involved plenty of interaction with your buddies; I particularly liked being towed on a rope while doing static – it was surprisingly relaxing! There was a collaborative, rather than competitive atmosphere, especially considering that there was such a wide ability range within the group. At the end we all did a length of the pool together – and I came up grinning!

To finish the session, we headed to the pub, where I was given perhaps the most memorable piece of advice of the evening… Sipping my diet coke, I looked incredulously over at Simos who was rapidly dispatching a pint of Guinness and ordering a sausage roll and chips. “Didn’t you know?”, he said, raising one eyebrow, “Guinness is excellent for freediving – and you can quote me on that”!

A Bit of DIY

Like most girls, I occasionally enjoy a bit of shopping on a Saturday afternoon.

A typical shopping list might look like this:

1 iced caramel latte
1 new book
Assorted nice-smelling things from Superdrug
1 pair of sensible shoes for work 1 pair of utterly impractical shoes for an unspecified occasion


This was my shopping list for today:

1 roll of Duct Tape
50cm nylon webbing
1 Plastic snap clip
4 cable ties
2kg lead shot
1 inner tube for a mountain bike tyre


Can you guess what it is for yet? Neither could the guy in B&Q when I read it to him (to be quite honest, he looked a bit scared).

In fact, the shopping list above contains all the components you need to make your own freediving neck weight. I explained in my last post how a neck weight helps to correct the alignment of the body in the water during dynamic apnea. The upper body is more buoyant than the lower body, especially with full lungs, so a weight around the neck creates a more horizontal profile. Since I start my training with London Freedivers this week and am starting my AIDA** with Saltfree at the weekend, I thought it best to be prepared. I'd used Mark's 2kg neck weight during my Introduction to Freediving course and it had worked well, so I decided to stick with this weight for now.

Having ticked most things off my list, I headed to Mike's Waterfront Warehouse to find the lead shot and cable ties. Mike's is the place I used to get a lot of my SCUBA kit - I even worked there at the weekends before I went to university. As usual, the staff were friendly and helpful, providing me with exactly what I needed - at a discount! They also kindly agreed to help me raise awareness of the MS Society by featuring the challenge on their website.

Now I reckon I'm pretty handy at a bit of DIY but I somehow missed half of Mark's instructions on how to make a neck weight. Luckily, another freediver posted an idiot-proof tutorial on their blog, so I was able to use that for guidance. Here are the before and after pics:





I have to say, I'm pretty proud of myself, even if I will be fishing lead shot out of the hoover for the next couple of weeks...

Introduction to Freediving (and Rock and Roll) Part II...

You freedivers are a truly international bunch! So far the blog has had hits from the UK, USA, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Greece, Australia, NZ, Spain, France, Canada, Sweden, Mexico, Romania, South Africa, Cyprus, Russia... Don't be shy, say "hi" in the comments box! I'd love to learn about your freediving experiences and read your suggestions for training.

I waited impatiently all week for Thursday and the second part of my Introduction to Freediving course with Mark Harris at London Freediving. Needless to say, it was brilliant! The focus this week was on dynamic apnea, which is basically distance swimming underwater in a pool. I'll let the World Record holder Dave Mullins show you how it's done:





And not forgetting the awesome Brits Dave King and Liv Philip.

The first thought likely to occur to the non-freediver is: "what on earth is he wearing on his feet?". It's a monofin; usually made of fibreglass, it's extremely efficient and can be used for depth as well as pool disciplines. Since monofin technique takes a lot of practice and specific training, we concentrated on improving our bi-fin technique. Bi-fins are like a longer version of a SCUBA diving fin, with a moulded foot pocket to ensure efficient transfer of energy from the muscles to the fin. It's also possible to do dynamic without fins, using a modified underwater breaststroke (see Liv's performance).

Having dealt with the differences between the various types of dynamic apnea, we moved on to discuss correct alignment in the water. This is extremely important, since good alignment minimises drag...meaning less energy is expended and less oxygen used. Correct alignment is achieved through good technique and through the use of weights on either the neck, the hips or both. Mark explained that a weight around the neck offsets the buoyancy of the upper body caused by the full lungs and other air spaces, creating a horizontal profile in the water. As with static apnea, a proper breathe-up and the conscious relaxation of the muscles not in use is also crucial to dynamic performances.

As usual, safety was a priority and we discussed a number of possible buddying systems for dynamic apnea before heading to the pool for our first try...

The emphasis was on technique rather than performance, so we were limited to one length of the 33m pool. Mark buddied both Marcin and I so that he could assess our technique. I was really pleased when he said that mine was pretty good for a beginner! It's a mysterious thing, "aquacity". It's constantly referred to by the 'Manual of Freediving' as being important for freediving. Pardon the comparison but it strikes me that the quality of "aquacity" is rather like that of being "good in bed"; impossible to define and difficult to evaluate yourself!

To improve, Mark advised that I should ensure the amplitude of my downward fin stroke was the same as my upward fin stroke. I also needed to pull my belly button into my spine (using all the muscles that were punished in my pilates class) to make sure that my lower back didn't arch quite so much. Having got a good look at my bi-fin technique, Mark said that he thought the monofin would suit me too. I'm keen to start using one as soon as possible becuase it takes a long time to learn how to use one properly...and I only have until October! I'm planning on training using bi-fins, monofin and no fins and selecting one to concentrate on as my training progresses.

Then it was off into the deep end of the pool to practice rescuing Mark from the bottom! The techniques for rescue in deeper water are more complex but Mark broke them down into manageable stages demonstrating on Marcin at the surface and then rescuing me from the bottom where I lay pretending to have blacked out. Mark emphasised that it is the responsibility of every freediver to make sure they're a competent buddy and recommended we regularly practice our rescue skills. Just as when I did my SCUBA Rescue Diver course, I now feel much more happy and confident knowing I can trust myself to be responsible for myself and my buddy.

With a couple of minutes left before we had to get out of the pool Marcin and I really wanted to try dynamic without fins. Mark demonstrated for us first and then after a short breathe-up Marcin and I had a go. I really like the feeling of freedom you get without fins and just enjoyed gliding, relaxing, and feeling the water rush past...before being pulled abruptly out of my reverie by almost banging my head on the end of the pool!

A fantastic end to the course, which has transformed me from an apprehensive newbie into a beginner freediver confident that I have the tools I need to train and improve. I have so much to learn, but it's great to know that I can take my questions to someone as knowledgeable and encouraging as Mark. Both Marcin and I signed up for next week's training session mere hours after finishing our course, which should tell you how much we enjoyed it! I'm looking forward to meeting some of the other freedivers at the club. :D

I'm now raring to get to Chepstow and start my AIDA** with Saltfree. Luckily I have the theory element of the course and my first training session with London Freediving to keep me occupied until next weekend!

A Quick Update and the Mystery Freediver

A quick update, since work is busy.

A hectic day at work followed by a 5K run, an hour of pilates and dry Table A...I'm exhausted. Stop sniggering all you marathon-running friends, I can hear you! Over the last week I've been doing dry Table A (CO2 with a breath-hold time of 1'55) every other day, and swimming or hitting the gym pretty much every day. However, this whole full-time work thing is really getting in the way of freediving, and blogging about freediving. It's incredible how quickly you can become addicted to this!

A mystery freediver has selected the "Pfshhhh, that's nothing, I can dive to over 85m without fins" option on my poll (see halfway down the column on the right). I'm willing to bet a plane ticket to London that it's just one of my friends messing around. This is because a quick search of Apnea.cz reveals that there are only 2 freedivers in the world who can dive to over 85m constant weight no fins: William Trubridge and William Winram. If we widen the field to include free immersion, that's still only 13 freedivers in the world achieving a depth of over 85m. If I'm wrong and an amazing freediver has somehow found their way to this site, please can they let me know and I'll consider handing over a plane ticket to London a small price to pay for a few tips ;-p.

If you're curious to find out what the current World Records are in each freediving discipline Apnea.cz is a great place to look. The database of freedives is user-friendly and easily searchable. It also includes pictures and videos of each dive if they are available. The video of William Trubridge's CNF dive to 101m is incredible to watch! I can't imagine the physical and mental effort involved in reaching 101m and then having to work hard on most of the ascent to overcome the negative buoyancy while your oxygen levels are low and your muscles are burning. Speechless.

I've done the "homework" Mark set us in Part I of my Introduction to Freediving course: to complete three successive dry static breath-holds with a couple of minutes rest in between. Here are the results:

1. 2'22
2. 3'00
3. 3'18

The results exhibit a clear trend; dry static time increases with each repetition (at least up to three repetitions). Why? Well, I'm reading around the answer to this question, which relates mostly to the body's (amazing) physiological response to apnea. I'm keen not to oversimplify it or make any errors, so I'll get back to you once I've done some thorough research and can articulate the answer clearly. Any pointers to posts/books/academic articles will be much appreciated.

London Freediving have kindly featured the challenge on their news page; you can get their take on it here. Looking forward to joining Mark Harris in the pool again on Thursday evening for Part II of the Introduction to Freediving course. This week...dynamic apnea!

I'll post about the second part of the course and about my visit to the London Diving Chamber later in the week. I'm hoping I can persuade someone to lend me an underwater camera so that we can take a short, and no doubt hilarious, video of my first attempt at dynamic :).