Getting to 10m/33ft

[danpass]

I'll be heading over to Stuart's Cove snorkeling on Nov 29th.

I'll be requesting the Cessna wreck (Jaws IV) as one of the 3 dives they do on snorkeling excursions.

My understanding is that the wreck is at 6m.

As of today, using Oceanic Caribe fins in the 25yd olympic pool, I was able to do 3/4 of the length underwater, 2/3 of the length without fins, both with a decent push off the wall (though the fins get sucked back, tough to overcome that one. I did try pushing off the steps .... meh)

This previous week I have been doing the walk/breath-hold exercises.

Both of the above activities give me a 25sec breath hold max comfortable.


Would I be able to get to the wreck and back if I can get at least 45sec in the walk/breath-hold exercise? again, comfortably - no going for "those extra 5secs" lol

I figure gravity will get me down there easily enough and I glide back up (or blow the CO2 canister in the vest they give you )



My current issues:

- Need to improve my breathe-up, especially to minimize hyperventilating.

- Need to improve my kick rhythm in order to get into glide mode. I was kicking hard to get across the pool even with telling myself 'glide, Dan, just glide'. My muscle memory is still in the phase of "powering across" lol


Thanks

 

[OceanObsessed]

Both of the above activities give me a 25sec breath hold max comfortable.


Would I be able to get to the wreck and back if I can get at least 45sec in the walk/breath-hold exercise? again, comfortably - no going for "those extra 5secs" lol

There may be no direct correlation with your walk/breath-hold excercise and your underwater working time. It is like comparing apples to oranges and the two times can vary alot from person to person. While underwater you can benefit from a much stronger dive reflex which can result in longer breath holds. It is also easier to relax in the water. You may have noticed that after making a few breath hold dives your holds might get longer. This is a result of the dive reflex kicking in.

In answer to your question, yes, a 25 sec hold while actively swimming can get you to 33 feet (and more) and back. If you have never been to 33 feet it may feel a little uncomfortable the first time you try it so it may be slightly more difficult than you anticipate. Ideally, you should gradually work up to 33 feet and not make that a goal your first time out. Whatever you do be sure you don't push your limits and dive with a competent buddy

Have fun!

 

[danpass]

Ok, cool, thanks.

I'll keep working on walking/breath training as well as typical swimming with underwater swims and see where I'm at in two weeks.

The trip is a result of a cruise trip, I'm not entirely convinced of having someone on board who even understands the word 'freedive'.

Having said that there will probably be a freediver who just recently passed their previous limit of 30m lol

 

[freediver]

As of today, using Oceanic Caribe fins in the 25yd olympic pool, I was able to do 3/4 of the length underwater, 2/3 of the length without fins, both with a decent push off the wall (though the fins get sucked back, tough to overcome that one. I did try pushing off the steps .... meh)

Ok, so you did roughly 50 - 60 feet underwater one way. be careful not to confuse this with a round trip to depth and back. I would suggest forgetting about the distance covered and place your focus on comfort in the time you are submerged.

This previous week I have been doing the walk/breath-hold exercises.

Both of the above activities give me a 25sec breath hold max comfortable.


Would I be able to get to the wreck and back if I can get at least 45sec in the walk/breath-hold exercise? again, comfortably - no going for "those extra 5secs" lol

Only you can really know the answer to this but, again, place focus on the comfort level you attain in the water and not necessarily the depth. As always, make safety your prevailing directive!

 

[CapnDan]

I freedive with Oceanic Caribe X fins all the time. For freediving purposes these fins work best with a short, steady and somewhat rapid flutter kick, not a power kick or a glide. Power kicking burns way too much oxygen and will severely limit your bottom time, and gliding is a complete waste of time if you are trying to get somewhere (unless you are making use of positive or negative bouyancy to ascend/descend).

For an efficient, air-saving technique with these fins, try to keep your feet and legs pretty much lined up with your body, as wider strokes will just slow you down and waste energy. Your knees can bend a little, but keep your feet fairly close together at all times. Provide a gentle, steady amount of power. If you want to go faster, kick a little faster but don't swing your legs any wider. Kick for air conservation, not speed.

I figure gravity will get me down there easily enough and I glide back up (or blow the CO2 canister in the vest they give you )

Gravity should not get you down there at all. I hope you're not planning to ride weights down to your objective, as this would be very foolhardy for a novice freediver. For safety's sake you should have some positive buoyancy on the surface and thus you will have to to kick to descend, as do other mortals. Also, keep in mind that you will have to equalize on the way down, so your descent may be somewhat interrupted.

I assume you're joking about blowing your CO2 canister to ascend, right? If so, forgive me for not being well versed on the meaning of the popcorn smiley.

 

[cmburch]

I do not know exactly what you mean by 25yd Olympic pool. I assume you mean the 50M length. I can go slowly across almost the length of a 50M pool with a push off without feeling the urge to breath with no fins. This is done by calming down and optimizing forward motion while minimizing exertion. Slow relaxed even movement.

We freedive cold water 46-54F, so it is relatively easy to go to 35ft. I am neutrally buoyant at 30ft with 24lbs of lead and a 9/7/6mm wetsuit when working for Abalone at 25-40ft. If spearfishing to 50ft, I take a couple of pounds off to be neutrally buoyant at 35ft.

I never hyperventilate. I breath normal deep full even breaths until I am calm and relaxed.

I only need a slight kick to get myself started to the surface from 40ft.

Take it slow and easy. One up - One down Buddy System if possible.

Enjoy your dive!

I carry a spearfishing popper float, but never thought of it as buoyancy for myself. We just drop our belts and pop to the surface in an emergency. It would be the same thing as using your vest with larger CO2 cylinder with 25lbs of lift. We know where our quick release is and to be ready to drop our belts if need be.

 

[danpass]

Thanks for the input.

I don't know why but many people like to throw around the phrase "Olympic size pool". In this case this Miami-Dade College pool is 25 YARDS by 20 lanes across.

 

[cmburch]

Oh, the pool is 25yd x 50M. There are a different set of lane lines for 50M use usually during a swim meet.

So you can go almost all the way across on the 25 yd length?

I can pull 100 yd freestyle with a pull buoy the 25 yd length only breathing on an open turn. It has to do with streamlining, calming down, and finding the minimal exertion for the maximum forward movement.

Try not looking at the other end when going across. Just look up when seeing the lane end marker.

For me it is sometimes psychological. I can follow a slope down to 30 feet easier than going straight down. We also have Bull Kelp. I can pull myself down to 40 ft really easy if diving near the kelp line.

 

[danpass]

I got across 25yd on Monday. Nice, relaxed kick tempo. Finally convincing my body "easy on the way" vs "gotta get there now" lol

Here is a pic of the pool (50m long way as mentioned by cmburch). Sidenote: Took four pics with the blackberry and used Panoramic stitch in Windows Live Photo Gallery. Pretty impressive program. I had stitched before with other programs so I knew having good pics was key lol

 

[cmburch]

That is a nice looking swim complex.

Try this exercises. No fins in the 6-8 foot deep section going the 25yd length.

Go slowly across the pool about 4-6 foot under the water. Push off with good thrust that does not expend that much energy - glide as far as possible. Try breast with whip kick one way and breast with slow flutter on the way back. Glide and do not stroke until forward momentum begins to slow. Flutter kick will vary in speed depending on position of arms when stroking. Calm, relaxed and easy. Surface before feeling the need for air and complete the lap moving slowly and easy breathing recovery.

If not fully rested and recovered stop on the wall and take normal deep full breaths not hyperventilating. Wait until calm and relaxed before pushing off again.

Try starting with 6 lengths and work up to 10 or 12 lengths.

This may help with relaxing and maximizing forward motion without expending a lot of energy. You will notice that the other end will be easier to reach and get closer each time before having to surface.