The First 5 Feet

[freediver]

I did it again and as you suggested I completely emptied my lungs and tried to blow out and then locked my throat closed. I was able to manage 30 seconds this time.

Mike

That's great! When you fully exhale, blow your short bursts and count how many until you do your hold. Should be about twenty or so. Just curious, is it uncomfortable? Just for kicks, try a reverse breath hold, this time while jogging in place. This build up the CO2 that much quicker. This is apnea training at its finest.

 

[Keysdrifter454]

My question: are there any breathing exercises I can do to improve my ability to hold the exhale? I suppose I could just flip over and swim down, but I'd rather get proficient at doing a nice descent. Presently I keep in pretty good shape (run 3 miles a few times a week), and I also know that it's not an issue of keeping my feet from kicking, etc.

Thanks.

Make sure you're getting all the air out of your BC. Most people don't. I suck mine tight with the LPI before every dive.

Are you nice and steady on your safety stop?