Blackout idea ...

[Amphibious]

I should know better then to argue Freediving on a Scuba board. you're the only "Freediver" I know of that recomends a vest. you consistantly give out poor advice. I'm either correct, or you're so far ahead of the current established norms in freedivign and spearfishing that the 99.9% of exerienced freedivers just can;t see the light.


if you;re targeting fish that a 6ft gun is adequate for I'd hope you'd have it attached to a line and float.

the day I see an experienced bluewater hunter with a CO2 vest I'll be sure to mail you a beer.

 

[freediver]

As a side note, another inherent problem with blackout is the preceding loss of motor control. I can only question whether this loss of motor control would enable one to activate a vest cartridge. Assuming the vest has been deployed and has surfaced the unconscious diver, without surface assistance, the outlook is grim. Also, if aspiration has occurred in the blackout event and assuming the freediver or spearo is wearing a mask, once on the surface, the mask may interfere with a spontaneous respiratory effort. Since it is understood that the primary breathing effort is through the nose after blackout, a mask would make this a concern.

 

[desiredbard]

be advised a Vest will do NOTHING for you in the event of a SWB. and adds to entaglement hazard and loss of streamlining.

I don't know any serious freedivers or spearfisherman that wear one for this reason.

there are NO warning signs or symptoms of a shallow water blackout.




9m. you really know **** all about freediving. stop dishing out bad advice from an obviously ignorant view of the sport. any jackass can slap on tanks, freediving requires disipline and concentration.

I know nothing about freediving, whatever gave you the impression that i intended to come across like that?

Just reading about SWB as you call thenm gives me the willies. And any idiot can slap a tank on is incorrect as well.

The points I dont get about freediving.
1) How can you manage to do a 3-4 minute dive (ok I smoke thats part of the problem
2) Is it not a shame to be in such a hurry
3) I know freedivers can go deeper but is there much kore to see there and can you really enjoy it?

The blackouts is a scary idea to me, especially if they can occur at 9m well within CESA limit and about 2/3 of the strech i can swim HORIZONTALLY under water.

 

[freediver]

I know nothing about freediving, whatever gave you the impression that i intended to come across like that?

Just reading about SWB as you call thenm gives me the willies. And any idiot can slap a tank on is incorrect as well.

The points I dont get about freediving.
1) How can you manage to do a 3-4 minute dive (ok I smoke thats part of the problem

A little training and a lot of relaxing! Stop smoking!

2) Is it not a shame to be in such a hurry

On the contrary, the hurrier you go the less you stay! (did that make sense? ) Maybe the freediver's new motto: no worries and no hurries!

3) I know freedivers can go deeper but is there much kore to see there and can you really enjoy it?

For me, it isn't about depth nor time. It's about the feeling. When you momentarily feel like you will never have to breathe, the feeling of being encased in water but not scuba gear, the awesome feeling of close interaction with marine life that scuba doesn't give you and the feeling of being able to share these experiences with my 10 year old son.

The blackouts is a scary idea to me, especially if they can occur at 9m well within CESA limit and about 2/3 of the strech i can swim HORIZONTALLY under water.

Blackouts should be a concern. They keep you cognizant and mindful of good safety habits. Much like scuba divers should be aware of DCS concerns and the ways to prevent, a freediver would be no different.

 

[kulminaator]

Flames on

First of all sorry to all the fellows here on the forum, my initial post definitely wasn't here to start a flamewar. But it's almost the way that it worked out

Anyway, as for the vest idea, i think the people pointing out the mask/nose problem are unpleasantly correct, even if you manage to surface, you'd still need air. So you'd need an expensive mask that would co-op with your jacket. But the more equipment we add, the less free the whole thing goes.

As for 2 posts above posting, do _not_ ever hurry while freediving. The less you move the longer you can hold your breath. The faster you move, the more oxygen will be wasted on overcoming the stretchback of the water and less oxygen will be reserved to move forwards. It's the same as cars, your car takes probably twice as much fuel when you drive it over 150mph compared to driving at 30mph. Just relax and enjoy the view and don't overdo it, you can always return after a little rest.

ps. to all divers near beirut, we cry along with you, let's hope there is something left after they clean that mess up (hopefully somebody does clean it up ...)

 

[JimQPublic]

...The points I dont get about freediving.
1) How can you manage to do a 3-4 minute dive (ok I smoke thats part of the problem?

3-4 minutes breath hold swimming is pretty rare, correlating to a near world record static ability. 1-2 minutes for a comfortable, safe dive is much closer to what most people get. Obviously(?) an active smoker has some hemoglobin tied up with CO and decreased lung function so you would probably be more limited.

...2) Is it not a shame to be in such a hurry?

Hurry? The freediver on a 2 minute dive can drop to 20 meters, hang out there for 1:20, then pop back up. Believe me, 2:00 underwater on one breath seems like a long time. He can repeat the experience 10 times an hour for several hours. That's a lot of bottom time and since you're streamlined you can cover a lot of ground in the process.

I don't think it's better than SCUBA; It's different than SCUBA. I might take up SCUBA at some point but for now I'm enjoying my too-infrequent freedives.

 

[ScottB]

Again, there is a strong degree of comfort knowing if i were out of air at 100 feet and I were able to get a decent breath I could ascend, while exhaling of course, and make it to the surface. My only concern would be that I could probably only do a three minute safety stop as opposed to five.

Hmms.. I have a quesiton related to this, but it is more of a scuba quesiton..

Would doing the safety stop, which when breathing allows time for off gasing, allow off gassing if you were holding your breath?

I'm going to post this question in diving physiology =)

 

[Chad Carney]

Yes... if you have an air-integrated computer, it would know, right?

Even though freediver is blowing off part of his safety stop, as long as he made his deep stop he should be cool!

Chad

 

[stefusa]

Blackout appears mostly on or near the surface.. during the ascent above 7 m....