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 :).

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...

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.