breath-hold swim

[CatB]

Originally Posted by NotDeadYet

Yep, it's similar to why a mix with 10% O2 is breathable at 6m but on the surface will have you on your back. Pressure "artificially" bumps the PO2 up to a level that maintains conciousness, take away the pressure and you take away that boost.

Indeed, that's it - thank you.

Golden rule, never hyperventilate

I completely agree.

I stopped doing a lot of the apnea tables training because one their aims is to build tolerance to elevated CO2. I'd started freediving around the same time I started diving on a rebreather and thought the last thing I want is to become tolerant of CO2. I want the warning signs nagging at me.

That's something I'd never considered, seems sensible though. Still as a basic single tank diver probably not too much of an issue for me.

Big thing I struggled with was equalising. I can sort of half manage a frenzel which helps.

That's the major reason that I couldn't get any further - not ears but sinus's, they just take a while to equalise and hurt if I push it too fast. This just means nice slow descents in scuba but is rather more of a problem in freediving. I had a small amount of blood in my mask after a couple of my training dives, so once I'd reached my qualifying depth we decided I should call it a day and I haven't really pushed it since.

In addition scuba and freediving don't mix too well in a short space of time and if I am somewhere where there are things to see underwater I tend to be doing at least one scuba dive, usually early in the day. Following that with popping up and down freediving would be a bit like shaking a bottle of lemonade!!

I've just realised I've managed to hijack a thread in the DIR section

I wonder how many freedivers we have lurking on this forum...

[EdHornby]

lurk lurk

equalising is the big hurdle to most freedivers, it is to me at the moment, and it is dependant on being really relaxed so that the muscles can do their thing, which comes down to being mentally in the right place... sorry, getting a bit hippy there

I know what you mean about sinus equalisation, I get sinus squeeze on my first dive so I do a pull down to about 15m on the line before my full depth attempt

anyway back to the OP - 15m can be fairly straightforward, remember that a good push off can get you about 6metres, and as Stuart says, long slow strokes get you the furthest

Also keep your head down so that you look at the line on the bottom of the swimming pool beneath you, more hydrodynamic and more relaxing