[freediver]

Originally Posted by MCF

A couple of interesting questions for a newb....

1. If I can hold my breath for 2 minutes and 5 seconds sitting on my couch (that includes the exhale and holding before breathing in) what kind of time could be expected under the water exploring, etc.??
I have seen great variances in the time that a person can hold their breath dry and wet. Personally, my times in-water are substantially better than dry. I would venture to guess, however, that most will have better dry times as they are still trying to gain comfort in the water. Please note that your time "exploring" would be substantially less than the time static on your couch. I'm sure you were aware of this but I didn't want you to expect a max dry static on the couch to equate to a 2'05" exploration dive.
2. Anything really to 'fear' while snorkeling in St. John's and any need for a diving knife (like toys, etc. etc.).?
Nothing to "fear" as long as you are comfortable in the water. I like your approach in that you are snorkeling first and the freediving comes in to enhance your snorkeling, in other words, you don't appear to be aiming toward any competitive aspects.
3. Any tricks/tips/techniques for improving abililty to hold breath while practicing on couch (pre-breathing, relaxing, etc. etc.)?
Lots of these available if you know specifically what you want to improve. The empty lung training that holdingmybreath mentioned is really good! Look into some of the breathing exercises. I would love to share some things that have worked for me over the years if you're interested. As far as breathing exercises for me personally, the one exercise that I have found to quickly and very effectively induce relaxation is the Yogic Alternate Nostril Breathing. Do a bit of research on it and try it out!
Thanks!

As always, please make safety your prevailing directive! Enjoy St. John's!