Freediving / Apnea
The Sport of Breath-Hold Diving. All aspects of my journey into freediving including static apnea, dynamic apnea, constant ballast, training techniques, equipment and competition. Also includes a short freediving video. What does it feel like to be a freediver and breath holding underwater? Information about heart rate and holding breath.
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| Calvin swimming back up after reaching 100ft deep for the 1st time. |
Read my freediving blog, including
my experience at the latest Western Regional Competition.
Other Sections:
I just recently discovered the amazing world of freediving. Freediving is the sport of breath-hold diving. Having spent many years SCUBA diving and performing many other water-sports, I have always had an affinity for the water. Snorkeling was always very enjoyable, but my ability to stay down with the sealife was limited. Unlike SCUBA diving, freediving allows one an experience unencumbered by equipment, noise and bubbles. It is a very rewarding experience.
In February of 2004, I started a 12-week training program with Performance Freediving (run by Kirk Krack). It has completely opened up a new world to me. Now, after having completed most of the training, I am doing my ocean dives, and I can finally appreciate how effective this course has been. Prior to this year, I had probably never swum below 20ft while holding my breath. I would have never thought that I could ever swim down over 100ft on a single breath of air. With adequate training, it is within reach and can be done safely.
An important part of the training is in invoking the mammalian dive reflex, one that every human inherited from their evolutionary ancestors. This reflex allows one to significantly lower their heart rate (bradycardia), shift their blood flow to the core (blood shunt) and even reduce lung compression effects at great depths (thoracic filling). In addition, the training emphasizes significant physical, physiological and psychological tolerance as well as physical conditioning.
While recreational freediving is very exciting, it can also be a dangerous sport if one does not have proper training. The Performance Freediving course made safety a huge consideration, and I could never imagine doing it without this background. And, of course, never freedive alone!
Living in Canada, I have had the fortunate opportunity to train with numerous accomplished freedive women and men.
Current personal bests:
(progress only shown to 02/05)
CALVIN |
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| Activity | Personal Record | Date |
| Static Apnea (Dry) Breath-hold on land. |
6 minutes 01 seconds | 04/13/2004 |
| Static Apnea (Wet) Breath-hold in water. |
5 minutes 16 seconds |
05/07/2004 |
| Dynamic Apnea with Fins Horizontal underwater distance in one breath. |
374 ft / 114 m DQ 336 ft / 102 m |
02/26/2005 02/15/2005 |
| Dynamic Apnea without Fins Horizontal underwater distance in one breath without fins. |
200 ft / 61 m | 02/27/2005 |
| Constant Ballast Swimming down to a maximum depth and back in one breath. |
136 ft / 41.5 m (depth) | 04/24/2004 |
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SHARON |
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| Activity | Personal Record | Date |
| Static Apnea (Wet) | 4 minutes 33 seconds | 04/29/2004 |
Photos:
See my Freediving Photo Album! (includes pictures from the Western Regional Competition)
World Record Ranking
The current world rankings for breath hold (static), depth (constant) and distance (dynamic) for 2004.
The current world records for freediving.
What does it feel like to hold your breath / static apnea?
The following describes the type of sensations I'll get during a five and a half minute competition breath-hold / static apnea. Please note that this is in a competition or training environment and is not something I would do regularly for fun. As described below, the feelings can be quite unpleasant at times, but during competitions one must endure some degree of discomfort to approach one's safe physiological limit. The following is done in water under absolutely strict supervision by a number of trained safety spotters.
DISCLAIMER: Do not attempt breath-holds in water unless you are thoroughly trained in all of the safety issues and have a safety diver with you. A number of divers have died because of a lack of adequate training and safety support. Never ever dive without a trained buddy.
- One Minute - Very relaxed, not even really aware of holding my breath. Eyes closed to avoid thinking about being under water. Laying face-down, flat on the water, arms and legs dangling relaxed.
- Two Minutes - Occasional thoughts come to mind of the fact that I'm holding my breath, but these are easy to put aside for now. I start consciously trying to steer my mind away from these thoughts by running through the events of a previous day.
- Two Minutes Thirty Seconds - An internal pressure in my body starts to well up, and I know that I will be getting contractions soon. My body tenses a bit as I try to delay the onset of diaphragmatic contractions. Ignore the sensation of wanting to swallow as I usually feel some saliva in my mouth, as otherwise I end up swallowing air into my stomach, which obviously doesn't help oxygen exchange.
- Three Minutes - The internal pressure sensation reaches a level where it feels as though I am spending too much energy trying to delay the contractions. So I give in, allowing the contractions of the diaphragm to start. The discomfort of knowing that the contractions are about to start is similar to the feeling of knowing that you're going to be sick. The first contraction in my diaphragm causes my body to involuntarily spasm, as the body attempts to start its own respiration. The contractions are about once every ten seconds at first. A small wave of relief washes over me as I allow the first contraction to occur. I am very careful not to think about the time now, because otherwise I will end up comparing when my contractions started this time to when they usually start. There is nothing more demotivating than knowing that they started early this time. I have to consciously relax my body, especially my head and neck. Heart rate has begun to slow down.
- Three Minutes Thirty Seconds - The start of the hardest phase for me. This is where negative thoughts will continuously push into my mind. Bad thoughts flood in: "I don't think I can do it today", "today is the day when I'm going to give up early", "why am I doing this?" or "the contractions came on early this time". The physical sensations are intensely unpleasant, and it is hard to push on knowing that you can simply bring your head up to bail out. The body sensations are extremely strong, and at times it feels as though I must be drowning. Knowing that I'll spend the next two minutes in this state can be tough -- some people start their contractions much later and only need to endure a minute of contractions. For me, I usually end up with nearly three minutes of contractions. I continuously try to fill my mind with thoughts of the days past activities, constantly focusing on details. I don't want the negative thoughts to take over.
- Four Minutes Thirty Seconds - The turning point. By now, once I've gotten the signal that I've made it to around four and a half minutes, I start to feel happier. I know that I'm on my way to making five minutes, and the end is in sight. The contractions are every couple seconds and I am just starting to get used them. Occasional negative thoughts come in, but the feeling of knowing that five minutes is near is usually enough to put them out. Heart rate is dropping to less than 50 beats per minute (BPM). Need to open my eyes now, to make sure I'm aware of what's going on and can watch for signs that I am closer to my limit.
- Five Minutes - Beginning to get euphoric. I've made it -- its downhill from here. The contractions occur rapidly (about every second), and they are smaller. Negative thoughts are completely gone. I can hear my pulse clearly in my head and other sounds become muffled or distant. Eyes wide open, trying to stay alert. Hands on the deck, getting ready to come up.
- Five Minutes Thirty Seconds- Point of no return. Time begins to fly. It seems as though the callouts for the time are coming fast. I am no longer having any difficulty holding my breath. I watch for the signs that I'm nearing my limit: sounds become muffled, the beginnings of tunnel-vision and a feeling of it being easy. The hypoxic euphoria has a hold on me now and I must come up, otherwise it's easy to convince myself that I can go on further because I'm feeling good. Bringing my feet underneath me, I gradually turn my body upright and lift my head out. Six big recovery breaths, an OK signal and a smile for the judges.
Doesn't holding your breath kill brain cells?
Under construction Why this is a myth and why your brain is not without oxygen.
I participated in a study by researcher Dr. Andrew Blaber which attempted to examine the effects of breath-holds on the brain, amongst other things. An ultrasound measurement was performed on my head to evaluate the changes in blood stroke volume throughout the breath-hold. In addition to the cerebral blood flow measurement, various other readings were taken, including arterial oxygen saturation levels as well as pulse rate, blood pressure and end-tidal carbon-dioxide concentration.
One of the effects that he was interested in seeing was how the quantity of oxygen to the brain changed over time. Because of the body's mammalian responses, the blood flow through the body is diverted and concentrated in the core regions at the expense of the peripheral limbs. This, combined with a reduction in oxygen consumption, actually allows oxygen delivery to the brain to be maintained through the entire breath hold. At the end of my 5:43 breath-hold in the lab, oxygen saturation was still at healthy levels, showing that at no point in time was the brain "starved" for oxygen.
The current consensus seems to support the notion that brain damage only occurs in periods of about four minutes after blackout. This is the fundamental misunderstanding people have about freediving, and it explains why one will hear that you will die after being under water for four minutes. If you drowned and blacked-out in water, you may sustain brain damage within four minutes. But in a freediving context, one is fully conscious and the natural dive responses keep oxygen saturation levels high for long periods of time before any chance of blackout.
9 Minute Breath-holds without Breathe-up?
For an interesting article by Peter Scott on his interpretation of how these maximum holds may work, have a look at the lengthy thread here.
Safety support required in freediving
Under construction Various types:
- Static Apnea -
- Dynamic Apnea -
- Constant Ballast -
Body responses to freediving
- Bradycardia - Lowering of heart rate. In some trained divers, the heart rate can drop to five beats per minute on a deep dive.
- Peripheral vasoconstriction. The body shunts blood away from the periphery and redistributes the blood flow to the vital organs including the heart, lungs and brain.
- Reduction of oxygen consumption.
- Blood shift / thoracic filling . On deeper dives, the body shifts blood flow to the chest cavity between the diaphragm and the neck to avoid the collapse of the lungs under high external pressures. Eventually, blood plasma fills the lungs so that it is no longer compressible from outside pressures. Scientists originally proclaimed that a human could not survive a breath-hold dive to 50 meters as the lungs would compress to an absolute minimum volume before they would collapse under the outside pressure. The thoracic filling, along with significant trained flexibility in one's chest cavity, allows one to reach depths far in excess of what originally seemed impossible. Seals actually exhale before they start a dive, allowing these effects to be triggered much sooner.
- Facial sensors respond to cold water.
Techniques used by freedivers to enhance their ability:
- Facial immersion. Chemoreceptors in the face (near the nose) recognize cold water. Freedivers will try to immerse their faces in cold water before or during a static breath-hold.
- Negative pressure dives. Training to increase flexibility in chest cavity.
Sambas and blackouts
Laryngospasm. One of the most interesting safety mechanisms that the human body contains in the context of diving is the laryngospasm. If someone were to ever blackout under water, the detection of water entering the airways causes the larynx (vocal cords) to immediately close up, preventing water from entering the lungs (and causing a drowning). This sealing of the throat is what actually allows people to blackout underwater without suffering serious side-effects. The laryngospasm usually lasts for a period of a minute or so,
Stats:
My current training progress online at Current Training Records
The following graph shows how bradycardia (slowing of the heart rate) kicks in during a dry static breath-hold. An interesting thing to note is that after the break of apnea (at 5:30), the heart rate jumps (due to the recovery breathing), but then falls back to a rate (44 BPM) lower than during the hold. My resting rate is typically 55 BPM. Prior to the breath-hold, my heart rate was about 70, but then the 8 purging breaths brought that up into the high 70s. Note that during deep ocean dives (where the full effects of the mammalian dive response can be triggered), the heart rate slows much further than on a dry land breath-hold.
Videos:
My extreme sports video with clips of freediving
A very inspirational video of Benjamin Franz that I think shows what freediving is all about (hosted by Freediver.co.uk)
Equipment
Equipment in freediving is much less involved than in SCUBA diving, which makes for part of its appeal. However, since it is vital that one must be very aware of their body and physiology, the equipment we do carry must be carefully selected.
| Monofin:
Specialfins Freediving Monofin Carbon
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Background:
A monofin provides much more efficiency than a standard bifin. One of the main differences being the surface area and to a lesser degree not as much non-laminar (turbulent) flow past the fin. With bifins, the water that is squeezed between the pair of fins (during a scissor kick) creates significant turbulence, inducing drag. Although I didn't find that many difficulties using my plastic bifins down to 40m, I had understood from many other divers that the "lack of power" at the deep turning point was a concern with the bifins. Thus many deeper divers often migrate towards the monofin. Comments:I have just started training with my new carbon fibre monofin and I must say it has been an interesting learning experience! So far, I have only used it in the pool, but I definitely feel that this is a big improvement over my "fibreplastic" bifins. Unfortunately, I still feel that I must look like an injured dolphin, floundering around! I am going to need quite a few training sessions before I feel comfortable going for a target dive. |
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| Bi-fins:
Cressi Sub Gara 2000 LD
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Background:
Long-blade fins take time getting used to, but they allow for much better propulsion, while sacrificing maneuverability. Many freedivers' fins are carbon fibre, but until my legs are more accustomed to the extra effort, I will stick with the plastic fins. Comments:The Gara 2000 LDs feel very comfortable, and are not as stiff as the 2000 HFs. The drawback I see at this stage with them is that they have fairly flexible footpockets, which may contribute to the occasional foot cramps I get. |
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| Mask:
Sporasub Samurai
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Background:
Ultra-low volume mask. Unlike in SCUBA diving where one typically uses a large mask with a wide field of view, in freediving it is essential to have a low-volume mask. This is particularly important when one starts going deep. The reason for this is that one must equalize the mask at depth (60-80ft +). If one is at 100ft below (4 atmospheres of pressure), the volume required to equalize the mask, multiplied by 4 gives you the volume of air required from the lungs/mouth (at the surface). Since the air in your mouth & lungs are vital for duration and middle-ear equalization, one must conserve every bit. Similarly, once I start to return to the surface and reach around 40ft or so, I will breathe back in the air from my mask so that I can utilize it without wasting it (otherwise it would bubble out of the mask). Comments:So far, I have been very pleased with the Samurai. It has a moderately low volume (middle of the line) and decent field of view. Comfort is very good, and I haven't had any problems with it so far. Another mask that is very popular is the Technisub Sphera; offering a wider field of view and lower (76mL) volume.
Read an article on how to measure freediving mask volume. |
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| Dive Computer:
Suunto D3
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Background:
A dive computer is essential for freediving. Not only does it give you an accurate depth reading (along with audible warnings so that you know that you've reached your target), it can record your entire dive's profile into memory with a 1 second sample rate. This allows one to review the dive afterwards and determine appropriate corrections for technique. Suggestions for the D3:
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| Wetsuit:
Sporasub Elite
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Background:
Keeping your body in a state for freediving involves eliminating any other physical or psychological factors that could reduce your performance. Shivering, or being worried about the cold will reduce your focus. A 5.5mm freediving wetsuit is typically much warmer than a standard wetsuit. Waterflow through the suit is nearly eliminated, partly due to the dense closed-cell neoprene. |
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| Gloves:
Bare 3mm Cold Water Gloves |
Background:
Gloves are essential for keeping your hands warm. It is important to have a pair that will still retain enough dexterity to hold the line, change settings on your dive computer and potentially adjust your gear during a dive. Like most of the freediving equipment, waterflow must be reduced as much as possible. |
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| Booties:
MEC Neo Paddling Socks |
Background:
Booties not only insulate your foot from the cold, they also provide some degree of fit improvement for your fin footpockets. One consideration is how much the booties will compress at depth. If your fit becomes too loose, a set of Fin Keepers are recommended. |
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| Weight Belt:
Picasso Rubber Belt
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Background:
The typical goal is to weight oneself so that you are neutrally-bouyant at 10-15m. This helps provide some margin in recovery in case of SWB. The weight belt material itself is actually quite important. When one is at a depth of 100ft, your lungs have compressed to a quarter of their original volume. Similarly, the bubbles in the neoprene suit have also compressed. The net effect of this is that the belt diameter set at the surface will no longer fit snugly at depth. In fact, it will fall down your torso towards your shoulders. Having a belt made of elastic rubber will allow the belt to stretch smaller at depth. Currently, I wear 10lbs for ocean Constant Ballast diving (with wetsuit, which sets me neutral at about 15m) and 4lbs for pool Dynamic Apnea training (without wetsuit). In the future, I may try 12lbs so that I can be neutral closer to 10m. |
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| Ears:
Cotton Balls |
Background:
One of the more limiting factors to depth progress can be equalization (ears and mask). It is important that there is some water against the outside of your ear, not just air on the inside of your wetsuit hood. Having some water will remove another potential airspace that could create a vacuum effect that could make equalization harder. However, having cold water from the outside coming in contact with your eardrum can cause other discomfort. So, putting cotton balls in the ears helps reduce these issues. One way around the vacuum effect problem is to punch a small hole through the wetsuit hood in the region of your ear. This will allow a small degree of waterflow. I am going to try sticking with flushing the hood with water first before I cut any holes. |
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| Emergency:
Sea Snips |
Although I have no need for this so far, it is possible that fishing line or other entanglements exist in some areas of the ocean. Having a means to quickly cut the line is crucial. I think it makes perfect sense to have some safety backup in this way. |
Tolerance Training (CO2, O2 Tables)
Download the graphical tables for (by Mozzi) (591 downloads)
Original tables and background material.
Links of Interest
Physiology
- Dive Geek's Bibliography
- A large bibliography of material on breath-hold diving
- ScubaMed
- Collection of answers to medical questions people had about diving (SCUBA & breath-hold).
- Duke University
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- http://freediving.dyndns.org/physiology.asp
- -
- AIDA Brasil Articles
- Freediving & decompression sickness.
- http://joh.med.uoeh-u.ac.jp/pdf/E43/E43_1_08.pdf
- Ama diver neurological incidents.
- NCBI PubMed
- NCBI PubMed. Free access to millions of medical abstracts.
Forums
- DeeperBlue
- A very popular freediving forum with many active members.
- Freediving Manual
- An attempt to put together an open community-written freediving encyclopedia.
- Freediver UK
- Good collection of freediving videos. See "Freediver TV" link.
Books
- Pulmonary Physiology
- Michael Levitzky. Sixth Edition. 2003.
- Respiratory Physiology: The Essentials
- John B. West. 2000.
- Exercise Physiology.
- Scott Powers, Edward Howley. 3rd edition.
Personal Sites & Photo/Video Albums
- Eric Fattah's Freediving
- Local diver - Eric Fattah
- Andrew Brownsword
- Local diver - Andrew Brownsword
- Tom Lightfoot
- Local diver - Tom Lightfoot
- Mandy-Rae Cruickshank
- Local diver - Mandy-Rae Cruickshank
- Tyler Zetterstrom
- Local diver - Tyler Zetterstrom. Writings and photos.
- Umberto Pelizzari Gallery: Dolphins
- Umberto Pelizzari. Swimming with the dolphins.
- Benjamin Franz
- Benjamin Franz.
- Tanya Streeter
- Tanya Streeter
- Audrey Mestre
- Audrey Mestre
- Freeology Profiles
- Profiles of several well-known freedivers.
- Deeper Blue Productions
- Some great photos of the freediving masters.
- Freedive Vancouver
- Freedive Vancouver
- Performance Freediving
- Performance Freediving Clinics (Kirk Krack). Home of an excellent freediving school.
- CAFA - Canadian Association of Freediving and Apnea
- CAFA : Canadian Assocations of Freediving & Apnea
- Freedive Sweden
- Freedive Sweden. A collection of training tips and records.
Equipment
- Suunto Dive D3 Demo Software
- Demo of the Suunto D3 model.
- Suunto Dive Manager Software
- Suunto Dive Manager software 1.51.
- Suunto to Clie
- Creating an interface for the Suunto line for the Sony Clie PDA.
- Suunto interface schematics
- Many different schematics for building a Suunto PC interface, instead of spending $200.
- Freediver reviews of Fins
- Extensive user comparison between freediving fins.
- Spearsniper's Equipment overview
- Overview of freediving / spearfishing equipment. Equipment Vendors: Dive Computers
- Suunto
- Very popular Suunto dive computers, including the Freediver D3 and Mosquito. Equipment Vendors: Monofins
- Specialfins / Sebakfins
- Excellent fiberglass & carbon fibre monos, bifins.
- WaterWay Canada
- Popular fiberglass & carbon fibre monos, bifins. Reasonably inexpensive.
- Leaderfins
- Monofins & bifins Equipment Vendors: Miscellaneous
- Spare Air
- Spare Air. A tiny SCUBA system capable of 48-85L.
Training, Techniques & Articles
- Gerald Schmidt's Freediving Training
- An excellent summary of various freediving-related techniques.
- Eric Fattah's Equalization
- Eric Fattah's highly respected training article on Frenzel equalization techniques.
- Freediving Norway
- Sebastian's Norway freediving website. Excellent source of information and data collected from his own experiments.
- About.com: Interview with Streeter
- An interview with Tanya Streeter on everything about freediving.
Organizations
8 users online
Reader's Comments:
Please leave your comments or suggestions below!Walt
Happy Holidays,
Walt
1. 5 min relaxation period, just tidal breathing,
2. 5 purge breaths
3. 3 minute hold, well short of any contractions
4. 3 minute rest, still tidal breathing
5. 5 purge breaths
6. 3:30 hold, well short of contractions
7. 3:30 rest, again just tidal breathing,
8. 5 purge breaths
9. 4:15 hold, still well short of contractions
10. 10 minutes of breathing in 2 seconds, holding 4 seconds, then out 2 seconds
11. 5 purge breaths
12. 5:30 hold, no contractions
13. 10 minutes, in 2, hold 4, out 2
14. 5 purge breaths, no deep exhale at the end and no packs
15. Final hold
It ends up being about a 48 minute breathe up, but no contractions in any of the holds, not even the last one.
The entire breathe up is designed to be very low energy. And to push contractions out as far as possible. It is something I have been working on since the last time I hit 7 minutes early this year. The only warmup hold that approaches being difficult is the 5:30 one, and then only because of the big jump from the previous 4:15 warmup hold.
This is the first time I have hit 7 minutes with any kind of control. I think it is partially because of the reduction in intensity of my breathe up.
Sorry for any confusion.
Walt
Thanks for the followup & great progress Walter!
Walt
Walt
Walt
Walt
Thank you for your scientific assistances.
Kind Regards,
Dr. Magdy Zeid
Two things that made this possible were increasing my no-warmup hold times and also decreasing my breathe up time.
Starting the first hold of the series at 6:01 is a big lift both in confidence and also in kickstarting the dive reflex.
Still not packing for my holds.
One strange thing happening lately, my resting heart rate dropping in the last few weeks from the low 40's to the mid 30's. This is lower even than when I was running marathons more than 10 years ago. Do you know if anyone else has noticed this effect?
Tonight, celebrating LOL.
Regards,
Walt
I think people want to know what a good breathe up is. I think that I can say for sure that it is different for different people, changes as you mature in training, and varies depending on what kind of diving you are doing. I am sure everyone is glad I laid down the final definitive word on that subject, LOL. In general for me the following principles apply though (some contradictory):
1. Good to get CO2 low and O2 high in the tissues. This is affected significantly by the breathe up rate, and, in my opinion, is not much affected by short breathe ups like during CO2 and O2 Tables.
2. Good to kickstart the dive reflex if you are doing warmup holds. Training can help reduce or eliminate the need for this though. Personally at this time I am not doing warmup holds.
3. Good to have high blood O2 saturation (Not hard since your lungs are very efficient at exchanging gases).
4. Good to have lower blood CO2 levels (Not so low that you get loopy or pass out when you start the hold).
5. As relaxed as possible during the breathe up and hold (Key words--as possible)
Some of these mitigate toward a higher breathe up rate and some toward a lower breathe up rate, so you have to figure out what works best for you. The best thing I can say is that your breathe up has to be controlled. To do that you have to practice consistently, document what you do, determine over time what works and what doesn't (some of this varies based on how you feel during the breathe up), and be flexible enough to try new things. I have found that most of my significant improvements have been accidents. Writing it down is important. It keeps you honest and makes it easy to go back in your history to rehash old methods, make your improvements cumulative, and share your methods. All of this raises your confidence level in your breathe up and your ability to make intelligent modifications during the breathe up based on how you feel that day, while at the same time reducing your inclination to perform experiments on your breathe up on the day of competition.
I did try to track heart rate once on a 6:21 hold. It started at about 110 during the first minute and tracked pretty steadily down to 39 at the end of the 6th minute. I got reliable numbers because I was writing them down as I went. That might have skewed the numbers a little bit because I had to stay in a mindset where I could pay attention to the clock and write as necessary. In any case, the dive reflex started to kick in immediately after I started the hold and progressed steadily throughout the hold. The biggest drop in heart rate was during the 6th minute. I think alot of the elevated heart rate in the beginning is due to the pressure on the heart from the expanded ribcage. I tried once doing about a 50% capacity hold (no breathe up) starting at about 48 bpm resting heart rate. My heart rate went down to 38 bpm at the end of the first minute, so I think the diving reflex kicks in almost immediately. Any significant elevation in heart rate at the beginning of a hold is probably due to that rib cage pressure and the resulting reduced stroke volume of the heart, along with whatever exertion the breathe up presents.
I have found though that tracking heart rate during any particular hold is not particulary useful. A high heart rate is not necessarily indicative of a short hold and may make you think too much. Also, the heart rate monitor is no gage of mindset and ability to relax. I do find it to be a good indication, however, of general condition and hydration before starting a workout.
Just more bonehead theories of mine.
sincerly: alex rivera
Walt
Walt
Walt
- He did about a 12 minute breathe up prior to the hold with no warm up holds that I could see.
- Did at least one packing stretch that I could see, maybe more (the camera was not on him the whole breathe up).
- Periodically immersed his face in the water.
- I could not gage his breathing rate but it didn't appear rushed.
- Did about 60 packs, then started the hold (in a previous video of one of his world record performances I saw about 20-25 seconds of what I assume was packing, his face not visible).
- Hold was about 6:24.
Some questions I have:Found a good website with downloadable videos of WR performances for those who want to see good technique.
Thanks,
Walt
As for the facial immersion, in my training it was strongly recommended to include it in one's warmup as the chemoreceptors near your nose help trigger the dive reflex when exposed to cold water. If you are already able to get in this state fast, then it may not provide a whole lot of extra benefit. But most of us did make an effort to keep it as a part of our routine. Typically, all this would involve was 5 minutes face-down with our mask partially-flooded with water, breathing through a snorkel.
1. I can't stay underwater because water keeps me pushing up to surface. I understand that I need to wear some weight belt. How much weight I need to put to stay underwater in swimming pool and what kind of belt is recommended?
2. How do I train to increase my breath hold time? I am very thinly built and not athletic at all and am 45 years old.
Any guidnace will be higly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
That said, most people tend to be buoyant (float) after taking in a big breath. Trying to swim distance underwater is best done with some small weights (weight belt and possibly even little neck weights). Without a weight belt, your kicking style will probably be compensating for your positive buoyancy and you'll be much less efficient.
Most freedivers use a stretchy rubber weight belt (e.g. popular one made by Picasso), but this is more important for deeper diving than pool diving. If I remember correctly, I only required around 2-4lbs of weight to keep me neutral. A good test for this is to put on a small amount of weight, dive part-way down the edge of the pool wall, and then kick off straight, allowing yourself to float back up. If you start to float, add more weight; sink, use less.
As for increasing your breath hold time -- a big part of the training comes from the mental / willpower aspect. Using static apnea training tables can really help you get past this barrier in your first stages of training. After that, you can start experimenting (as Walt has been) to see what works for your body. Best of all, a training course will quickly get you up to speed, of course. Good luck!
How each individual trains is a very personal thing. As you know, I am not particularly shy about posting what works for me, but some things work well for me that would not work for others, and vice versa. I have seen dogmatic statments in some places that this or that breathe up, or amount of packing or not packing, or relaxation method, or number of purge breaths or warmup holds is the best and will get you to your max potential. I bet if you got an honest answer from the top 10 apneists about how they train and do a max static, you would get 10 widely different answers. In fact though, there is not much written on how to go past 7, 8, and even 9 minutes, there being so few people with experience at those levels. I think the top 10 should get together and write a book. That is the only way I think to get a look at enough different methods to be of some use. Believe me, if I ever get to 7:00, 8:00, or 9:00, you will for sure know how I did it. That is one reason I post alot. If you could see my training log, it is replete with detailed descriptions of what I have tried that doesn't work, or doesn't work anymore. Some things worked well to get me to 4:00 but fail me miserably at 5:00. Hyperventillation is one of those things--I can hyperventiallate for 20 seconds then hold my breath for 4:00 with no other relaxation or preparation. There are examples of that in my early training, but that won't work going to 6:00. So adaptation of methods to the level I am at has been essential, which is why you see a gradual change in my training and breathe up.
But back to the subject of confidence, I think you can get the same or even greater level of confidence without doing warmup holds as with them if you have done your training well, because you can have more experience at max holds than someone who uses some number of warmups, so there are very few surprises on any given day. You know the breathe up that works, if you feel blah or bad in the middle of a breathe up, you have probably felt that way before at some point, so you know what works to fix it. If you feel a certain way at the beginning of a hold, you know what to expect, so you are not worrying in the hold. It is almost like driving a car and knowing the way. If you know how to go to the corner store from your home, there is little stress in the trip. On the other hand, if you are taking an unfamiliar route to go somewhere, stress goes up. Same in apnea, if you know the route and have been there many times, there is little stress in the journey. If you start having bad thoughts during the hold, it is easier to banish them, saying, been here, done this, no problem.
4 cents today.
Walt
Keep experimenting, as I think your diligence will put you in a perfect position to identify some very useful techniques and approaches which may stretch your limits well beyond what you may have expected. I think the key is being detailed with your training records and being willing to try different ideas.
This was exemplified well by some of the top constant ballast freedivers who began experimenting with exhale diving (empty-lung dives). While this would seem so counter-intuitive and against commonly instructed techniques, they were confident of the physiological benefits and were in fact able to acheive incredible depths in this manner.
One of the main reasons, I think, for my improvement lately is that in a very short time I have gotten alot of experience doing max holds. Doing tables it would have taken probably 6 months to do if possible at all.
Whether or not I end up doing warmup holds in my routine for competition is still up in the air, but strictly from a training perspective, ditching the warmup holds has been very effective and I think very efficient.
Thats my 2 cents for today.
Walt
Thanks,
Walt
Did my normal breathe up and first hold 4:30. Didn't feel right so stopped early. Did another 10 minutes of breathe up, no packs no purge breaths, then held for 6:47. Very strange though, didn't feel right anytime during the breathe ups only felt right during the second hold. I tried a new way to pass the time, singing in my head, but not complete verses, just little bits and pieces of songs, lost all track of time. Seemed to work ok. This last week 6:00 or better 8 days in a row. Seems like my training seems to be working. I joined CAFA two days ago. I hope I can compete in Vancouver later this year. Looks like it would be a blast.
Walt
1. You don't carry excess baggage of waste products and bad ions from your warmup holds into your max efforts.
2. Much less work overall so less likelihood of burnout.
3. Your teach your body to adapt to do what you want to do in the first place, instantaneous dive reflex initiation at the beginning of a hold and long holds. I can say from personal experience that I had no more difficulty yesterday doing 6:02 than I did the first day I started this two weeks ago and did 4:00. The body adapts to the demands you place on it. If you teach it that it has plenty of time (2,3, or more warmup holds) to relax and start the dive reflex then it will take time. If you teach it that it needs to do it quicker, then it is able learn that as well.
4. You get more practice at your max holds so you gain confidence that "Yes I can achieve this anyday."
5. Less saturation of muscles and other tissues with CO2 from warmup holds, therefore, more oxygen in those tissues. The muscles and other tissues can store about half of what can be stored in the lungs so better it is oxygen from a relaxed breathe up than CO2 from warmup holds.
6. In a competition situation you might end up doing one or two holds a day of competition instead of 4-8. Much easier and it has got to be intimidating to the other competitors.
Just a note on breathe up. I played with different things but lately I have been doing stretches, then a 10 minute breathe up at 5-6 breaths per minute (breathe in 2 seconds (nose), out 8 seconds (mouth)-- deep breaths but relaxing not straining), no purge breaths, last exhale full exhale, inhale fully, about 10 packs (more or less depending on comfort level), then hold. This is the breathe up that got me to 6:02 yesterday. It gets the body effectively oxygenated without excessively depleting CO2 and messing up blood chemistry -- none of that light headedness at the beginning of a hold. It maintains relaxation (except for the pacs), and starts the hold at a lower heart rate than if you do purge breaths or hyperventillation. And this breathe up is very easy, relaxing, doable, and easily repeatable. Hard to botch this breathe up unless I forget how to breathe. Still I will continue to play with breathing rates (probably slower) to get the optimum.
As far as how it feels during a hold. At first it felt pretty bad most of the way through but every day it has gotten better as my body has adapted, especially once I hit 5:00 the first time.
Any way these are my lunatic ideas and theories. Even I would not have believed them two weeks ago.
Walt
1. Didn't see Sietas hyperventilate prior to starting hold. Just a couple of deep breaths in the last minute prior to his hold.
2. Couldn't see because his head was down just prior to the holds but he probably starts packing about 10-15 seconds before start of hold (and packs alot), because he was leaking air alot during his holds.
3. About 25-30 secnds before the end of his holds he started exhaling in small bursts.
4. He puts on a great show at the end making it look so easy. Of course we all know that a 9 minute breath hold is not easy.
On a more positive note just last Friday I went to 6:00 minutes on the final hold of Table B. I felt under complete control with no dizziness at all. I still have not arrived at that euphoric state I hear about at the end of a hold. In fact your descrpition of how you feel during a long hold is the only one I have seen online. Would love to know what the guys doing 9:00 minute statics are thinking and feeling the last two ore three minutes of those WR holds.
Sad news this week about Loic's death. Reminds us all of how close we are to death and that even when great care is taken, there are still big risks in the sport. My heart goes out to his friends and family.
As for the euphoric state, it is just another sign of hypoxia. Everyone reacts to hypoxia in different ways. In my case it made the hold easier at the end, but with the drawback that it was also easier to overdo it. Others may not feel this way at all. Several other freedivers who I trained with noticed a similar experience, so I don't think it is too uncommon.
It is tragic to hear about Loic Leferme's death (April 11, 2007, attempting 171m). Given how dependent No Limits freediving is on equipment working perfectly, the risk is certainly always there. I do hope that improvements in technology will help avoid these tragedies going forward.
Second on the subject of motivation--today I woke up did a Table B set to go to 5 minutes on the last hold. I went all the way to a difficult 4 minutes before punting on the following hold. Very low motivation, not sure why. About an hour later I decided to try again, this time woking on my mental attitude and thought processes. Programmed the Table to 5:30 on the last hold. The last minute of that last hold was all about me Deciding that I was going to go all the way to 5:30 and I did it without any complications. First time since before Christmas that I went above 5 minutes. I was so happy that I made 5:30 that it didn't occur to me to try to go farther. Too bad.
Anyway, motivation and desire are keys and combine that with the knowledge that you gain from your own training, you can confidently take your body to extremes that most people find unbelievable.
Just a note on the previous posts regarding hyperventillation. I have not tried this with a heart rate monitor but I would be willing to bet that hyperventilating will cause you to start your holds with a much higher initial heart rate and I know that can reduce your hold time.
As far as discomfort goes, the more you think about the hold itself while you are holding, the more stress you induce I think. One thing I have done is sing to myself while I am holding, especially after the end of the third minute. I have a song which takes me about a minute to sing in my head. Of course I have to imagine singing it well :) Anyway that is enough of a distraction to keep my mind off the hold for a minute or two.
Another theory I have is that there is a significant amount of dead air in your lung passages, trachea, nose, and mouth that never gets used during a hold unless you actively take steps to use it. For me when I start to feel the need for contractions (about 4-5 minutes) I begin to use that air by breathing to my mouth, inflating and deflating it. I have found that it satisfies my need to breath, elminate the feeling of needing to breath for a few seconds, does not waste too much energy, and is not uncomfortable. This technique is what I used to go to 6:30. At about the 5:30 point I started. It gave me about 30 more relatively easy seconds and 30 very hard ones, all without lightheadedness.
For me I can do this all without hyperventillating. Personally I would highly recommend against hyperventillation. There are enough dangers in freediving without pushing our luck, especially for the untrained among us. And NEVER in a pool without appropriate safty personnel.
On the note of singing a tune in your mind to keep yourself distracted, I also used to do this, but I was advised by my trainers that it may not be a good idea. The reason being that you then have a reference point to compare how you are doing against time (e.g. at this point in the song I usually feel good, but not this time). Any potential for negative feedback should be avoided. Generally, you want to avoid anything that will give you an objective reference point in time, as that makes this feedback easier to create. This is the same reason that it is probably best to completely avoid the temptation to look at your watch!
With that in mind, a strategy that I found extremely useful was to walk my mind through all of the things that I did in the previous day. This way you always have a different reference point, and there is usually no shortage of details that you can wander through!
Some of the top competitive freedivers are able to simply clear their mind completely, but I was never able to do this. One reason why this strategy may work better is that apparently your oxygen consumption increases when you are actively using your mind to walk through these thoughts. I had a hard time believing that how this affects oxygen consumption, but if it does indeed cause your heart rate to increase slightly, then there may be some grounds to it.
If you are wanting to do some experiments, these must all be done on land -- which will make them quite safe (a blackout won't cause you to drown). Best to do the tests when you are lying down (e.g. on a comfortable flat surface) and relaxed.
THANKS
I'm curious to find more info on how strength training affects ones performance in apnea. Any info is greatly appreciated.
This is how many divers get themselves into trouble. Don't do the breath-holds in water unless you have the training. Hyperventilating will delay the onset of your natural urge to breathe (build up of CO2). So you won't feel the same signals and it becomes much easier to reach your minimum O2 threshold (which is decreasing all the time during the hold). At some point you'll black out and if you're in water, you can drown. If you don't hyperventilate, the hold will be a lot more uncomfortable, but at least you have some signal from your body as to where you're at (it's much harder to reach your min O2 limit that way).
As for your progress, please feel free to post as I'm sure many others will find your learning experiences and progression interesting. Cal.
Walt
When taking your main breath, a good technique is to focus on maximizing all three sections: filling your diaphragm, your chest and then finally your upper chest/throat. Completing in that order really seems to help. Most people don't breathe with their diaphragm enough.
It's great to hear that you have managed to find an AIDA course nearby -- I am certain you will do very well and are way ahead of the game! Good luck Walter!
Everyone's physiology is different and it will take some time to identify the signs that you are nearing your safe point to come up. I base it on the changes in the rate of my contractions, while others might base it on sensations that they start to feel. I do know that if I start feeling like it is getting too easy, then the hypoxia is kicking in and it's time to stop.
After a while I found it no longer a problem to reach my physiological limit, and it became a problem of making sure that I aborted early enough -- it's very easy to fall prey to the hypoxic euphoria and think that you can push on. This is what I call the point of no return. Try to watch out for this point.
If you eventually find an properly-trained partner who can do the necessary supervision in a pool setting (do not do otherwise), you may find that you are not able to achieve the same hold as you could in the dry statics -- this is pretty common. While you may have the benefit of cold water facial immersion, you have many other things to contend with (such as cold, distractions, etc.)
Given how quickly you have reached a significant milestone, I would cut back on the tables for a while and do other things (such as apnea walking) -- you don't want to get yourself burnt out.
Keep it up and stay safe!
Walt
I have been into swimming underwater at the local pool for a while. My goal is to reach 50 metres underwater in one breath unaided by flippers by the end of the season. At the moment i am using breastroke to attempt to acheive this. I am reaching around 38 metres at the moment. Any tips to help me reach my goal?
Thanks
In the meantime, you might want to give apnea walking a try. Basically you can mimic some of the in-water training on land by attempting to measure out greater and greater distances to walk in one breath. This must be done in a safe environment as it is possible to push yourself too far. I would do this every morning as I left my home. My goal was to leave my home, walk to the building complex, enter the building, go down the flights of stairs to the parking garage, enter the garage and end up at my car. Once I could do this comfortably, I would add in extras like taking out the garbage too
Thank you for your time and help.
Jamie Mulholland
I have lately been trying to hold my breath for extended peroids of time on land. I have efficiantly made it to 3 minutes after about 3 weeks of trying. I would really like to have some tips for holding my breath. Anything would be great.
Topher
- This answer is for entertainment purposes only, and should not be construed as instructional. Such training should always be done with proper instruction and NEVER in the water without it.
- Lie down. Spend five minutes with relaxation breathing. In for 5, hold for a couple, then out for 10 or more seconds. This will reduce your heart rate (the long exhales)
- A few purge breaths before your hold may help with the discomfort, but be careful not to do more than a few -- it's easy to get lightheaded.
- When you are ready, take a large breath, filling your diaphragm, lungs
and chest, in that order. This takes some practice.
- In your hold, don't look at your watch or think about time in any way. Similarly, don't think of any negativity about not being able to complete your hold.
- I deliberately try to hold off the contractions for a while, but some people may find it more comfortable to let them come. Once they come, don't struggle against them. This is the stage that most people will exit at, if their willpower is not strong enough.
- Always practice good recovery breathing, as there is some delay in getting oxygen back into your lungs at the end of a hold. If you are near your limit, this breathing is extremely important.
Good luck!hope you have good dives
Thanks!
i recently achived 3minutes and 30 seconds of holding my breath on land (in my house.) i have read a lot about when you're underwater and you become unconscious which will kill brain cells. while on land they say you won't acutally lose any beacuse there is air.. even if you become unconscious? this has not happened to me,,but i think i was very close. i was started to black out, i could feel my body incresse in tempeture, and it felt really easy to go on, but i stoped there.
what would happen it i got unconscious? i would wake up a few munites later and could hit my head? ouch! i don't want to do that, but if i did not hit my head would any brain cells get killed? i'm guessing no, since there is oxyneg ,but i'm not sure. i know it's not a good thing to keep on doing if were to do it i bet. the only knowlage of this sport is through websites.
i feel many of the effects you do ,too,like when your body twiches and contractions. sorry i;m kind of getting off track. the one thing i want to know is: how long is too long? i'm thinking when you start to black out is too long lol. since i don't think i can go to any clinics i'm just planing to keep on holding my breath for longer and longer untill i can get 5munites and then i'll look into it more... of course my mom doesn't like this, but she knows i like extream things. well i don't know maybe if you could suggest something or if you have aim/msn maybe we could talk? that's what i kind of need.. since no one i know really does this type of thing sport. well see you around
-Matthew
Please note that due to the large number of comments on ImpulseAdventure, I am not able respond to all questions.