SCUBA Diver with freediving questions...

[roughwater]

Hi,

I've always been intriegued by freedivers as opposed to scuba diving, but my curiosity has left me with some unanswered questions I was hoping some people here may be able to shed some light on for me please.

(My questions are focussed on recreational freediving, and not competition, or those who use 100% o2, etc)

1) My first question is for scuba divers who have taken up free diving. After becomming a freediver and learning the techniques, have you noticed any change in your SAC rate when you go back onto scuba. (ie - has freediving helped you improve your bottom time or scuba technques?)



2) I've heard that freedivers get 'beyond the burn'. Does that mean that if you wait out the burn long enough it goes away, or is it more referring to practise eliminates the feel for burn?

How do you know you need to surface. (For my 20 second snorkel dives I feel like I need air now, or I'm going to explode! Do freedivers feel this too near the end of their dive - or does that 'uncomfortable feeling' go away with training / experience?)



3) How much preparation time is required before a recreational freedive in general? (ie, can you just prep for a min or two, and get good dive times, or do you have to spend 5 to 10 mins before a dive prepping yourself for a free dive)?



4) Don't you get CO2 headaches from freediving (or are they caused moreso from constant CO2 loading, rather than short 'bursts'?



5) What sort of intervals do you require between dives? (ie, can you surface, and go for another dive within a minute or so, or do you have to spend significant amount of time preping for subsequant dives)



6) What sort of dive times are realistic for the average Joe who would only get to freedive a few times a year. (As opposed to someone who practises and dives frequently)?


7) When you started Freediving, what was your:

a) Dive time before learning freediving,
b) Dive time after learning freediving, and
c) How long did it take you to go from (a) to (b)
d) What is the avg tempreature of the water you dive in.
(I'm interested in contrast of free dive times between
warm water divers, and cold water)


I envy you guys. It must be great to be able to go to the bathroom after someone else has, and not have to worry about the odour left behind, being able to hold your breath the whole time.

In all seriousness though, thanks in advance for those who take the time out to reply to one or more of the questions above!

 

[freediver]

Hi,
1) My first question is for scuba divers who have taken up free diving. After becomming a freediver and learning the techniques, have you noticed any change in your SAC rate when you go back onto scuba. (ie - has freediving helped you improve your bottom time or scuba technques?)

This was not the primary reason I started freediving but I found it to be a superb side benefit of the sport. So yes, freediving has certainly helped me with my bottom time AND techniques.

2) I've heard that freedivers get 'beyond the burn'. Does that mean that if you wait out the burn long enough it goes away, or is it more referring to practise eliminates the feel for burn?
How do you know you need to surface. (For my 20 second snorkel dives I feel like I need air now, or I'm going to explode! Do freedivers feel this too near the end of their dive - or does that 'uncomfortable feeling' go away with training / experience?)

By "burn", I suppose you're referring to the imperative to breathe? With routine practice and training specificity, you develop a tolerance to this "burn", which is a signal that CO2 is building up. Whether beginner or advanced the urge to breathe shouldn't be dismissed.

3) How much preparation time is required before a recreational freedive in general? (ie, can you just prep for a min or two, and get good dive times, or do you have to spend 5 to 10 mins before a dive prepping yourself for a free dive)?

Usually, my total prep time is about 15 minutes. This includes pre-dive routines such as relaxation exercises, biofeedback, lung stretching and breathe up.

4) Don't you get CO2 headaches from freediving (or are they caused moreso from constant CO2 loading, rather than short 'bursts'?

Never have gotten headaches from anything freedive-related.

5) What sort of intervals do you require between dives? (ie, can you surface, and go for another dive within a minute or so, or do you have to spend significant amount of time preping for subsequant dives)

Depends on objective of the dive. If it's recreational, I may go with a longer SI. If it's training specific, I may have shorter intervals.

6) What sort of dive times are realistic for the average Joe who would only get to freedive a few times a year. (As opposed to someone who practises and dives frequently)?

First of all, I wouldn't get fixated on time specifics. However, to answer the question somewhat, I would expect times significantly shorter for the average Joe who doesn't practice and dive regularly. If I were to guess, I would say at the least, Joe's time would be half of what he could expect if he dived and trained regularly. Also, note that year round dry-land training can be very effective even when one can't get in the water much.

7) When you started Freediving, what was your:

a) Dive time before learning freediving,
about 20 - 30 seconds
b) Dive time after learning freediving, and
dives are about 3 minutes on average
c) How long did it take you to go from (a) to (b)
ummmm, let's see, carry the one and........19 years?
d) What is the avg tempreature of the water you dive in.
(I'm interested in contrast of free dive times between
warm water divers, and cold water)
72 - 86 Fahrenheit

I envy you guys. It must be great to be able to go to the bathroom after someone else has, and not have to worry about the odour left behind, being able to hold your breath the whole time.

This is a little known training method of mine.

In all seriousness though, thanks in advance for those who take the time out to reply to one or more of the questions above!

Excellent questions and if you're pursuing freediving yourself, I wish you much safety and benefit!

 

[Down_Bubble]

3 minutes? wow. I still have a way to go... I can only make about 1-1.5 minutes.

 

[roughwater]

Hi Freediver,

Thank you very much for your detailed reply. It's greatly appreciated, and has certainly helped me understand freediving a little more.

30 seconds to 180 seconds in 19 years. Let see... carry the 8 this time that's like 7 second improvement per year. Must be a slow sport to get into... maybe I'll stick with just scuba.

But in all seriousness - thanks heaps. I appreciate the reply .

Cheers

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I'v been freediving for a lot longer than 19 years and my dive times are a lot shorter than 3 minutes.

I think that with a little practice and some slight degree of physical fitness that 45 second dive times are reasonable for a lot of people in the beginning.

 

[freediver]

I'v been freediving for a lot longer than 19 years and my dive times are a lot shorter than 3 minutes.

hehe, you have to consider that most of my dives consist of going to a platform at depth and hanging out. I don't spear nor do I move around much when I'm at my quarry training. My movement is done in my dynamic training. I do agree with you DD, 45 seconds should be very attainable for the beginner diver.

 

[vtxkev]

I would venture to say that 45 seconds under the water not being able to breath must feel like 45 minutes to a beginner. Never even really knew what freediving was let alone that there is a professional level of it. Great questions and answers, thanks.