[the seal]

clovelly free dive-some time around dec 2003

I got up this Sunday morning to get ready for work at the Clovelly cafe. It was around 9am when I arrived there with by back pack and put on an apron like a machine and went to the till. I started working there for five minutes before my supervisor pulled me to the side and told me I had been taken off the roster for the day. Feeling somewhat embarrassed I took the apron off and went down to the cement platforms to go for a swim. Clovelly was utterly packed that day, the water was clearer than ever before, no wind or waves. Just sunshine warm water and lots of fish; I jumped into the water after getting changed with my snorkel and board shorts, I chose not to take my flippers with me that day. I went straight to the deep end of Clovelly where I practiced diving to the bottom, which was 4 meters down and staying there as long as I could.
I did this for 30 min before feeling very confident with my diving, I set out past the shallow rocky sea weed laden inlet into the open ocean. There I swam out looking for deep areas to dive and slowly drifted in front of the car park. The water was amazingly warm there until I swam out where it was deep. I found a few hole type structures that I felt where somewhat deep enough to challenge me. I relaxed, took a breath and dived, feeling confident and comfortable in the warm water. The bottom was about 2 meters away when I got an amazing shock. I hit freezing cold water; it reminded me of how I had swum during winter when the water was 15 degrees. It was so cold; I just stopped righting myself with my legs in the cold layer and my body from my waist up in warm water. It just dropped from 22 degrees to 15 within a foot distance, a freezing layer of water simply gripping the ocean floor from 10 meters down or so.
I continued swimming out while the life guards where racing by me in their inflatable boats asking me three times if I was in trouble. I swam back in not finding any depth I couldn’t reach, getting out from the rocks instead of going inside the bay and using the steps. I went back to my towel to lye down and find some life guards listening in on their walky talkies. I frolicked around and found out that some guy they called the fly was about to do a stunt. The fly was a guy who wanted to be a stunt man and did many crazy stunts, with some ending in disaster. This time he was going to set himself on fire and jump of some 50 meter high cliffs into the water somewhere down the coast. I listened in on the radio traffic, they were saying he had just jumped of after setting himself alight. They then began discussing if he was alive, then some said “he’s moving,” and then someone said “he’s on the rocks and running away!” the chase went for 15min before the police got him and the show was over. All the while his 12 year old son was filming the stunt, with explicit instructions to continue no matter what.
I went for another swim jumping into the ocean from the rock I had used to get out of before, this time I swam to the other side of Clovelly called Shark point. I ran into the usual cold layer and got out on the opposite side. There I walked back on the rocks to meet a girl with her friend sun backing on the rocks, they invited me to go over and stay with them. So I went got my stuff and just slept for a while. I woke to find an armada of yachts racing along the coast. The temptation was too great and I swam out to one them wanting to climb on as it sailed, James Bond style. Though I didn’t, since I didn’t know how the people would react. I found out they where having a race all whilst trying to avoid the yacht as it was heading straight for me. I went back to sun bake, telling the two girls what I had just done. It was now around 3pm and the two girls left, I stayed I while longer before deciding that I’ve been cooked crisp enough.
Then as I was leaving two scuba divers were climbing down the stairs with all their gear on. A strong interest came over me as to where and how deep they were planning on going. They said it was deep and that their heading straight off of shark point so I decided to tag along. They jumped in straight off the rocks at the tip as promised and I went in with them. Just following them by sight when they started their dive, eventually they went too deep for me to see them so I followed their bubble trail sometimes getting a glimpse of their brightly colored scuba tanks. I dived down only to the beginning of the cold layer called the thermo cline that they later told me about. There I could see them a fair distance down shining their torches in caves and under ledges, sometimes giving me a flash. After some time I decided that I should test myself and also let the divers know I haven’t been eaten by a shark. So I prepared myself for 2 or 3 min just breathing and going ahead of their bubble trail getting ready to dive.
I felt it was now or never and went for it. Breath stroking it down, into the cold layer where I could see them, steadily descending down and equalizing my ears. My ears were killing me at the bottom since I wasn’t use to equalizing at that depth. I got to a few meters from them before stopping to try and equalize properly. The two divers were swimming along oblivious to me with their torches on hugging the sea floor while I was just above them! I wasn’t sure what to do since my ears weren’t equalizing so I swam over to the one at the front and just said “whatever,” and gave his flipper a nudge. He turned around scared to death! I almost started laughing so I gave him the “A OK,” he waved back and I slowly swam up, his friend was also very surprised. That was the deepest part of the dive, after that they slowly became more visible till we eventually got out.
The first thing they told me was that I have a very impressive pair of lungs and discussed how deep I dove. He told me he was totally scared out of his wet suit when I grabbed his flipper. Since he knew where his friend was and that I’m on the surface “probably.” So he though it was a shark, but later he and his friend started checking their depth gauges to see how deep it was. They tolled me it was around 18 meters deep and couldn’t get over that I made it down without any gear. Since when we entered the water one of their tanks had a leak which they had noticed. The two of them had to leave the water early meaning air was left in the tank that didn’t have a leak. With that air they taught me how to scuba dive in Clovelly for 20min before it ran out. They then left with my last words being “I’ll catch you at the bottom!”
I went home pinching myself to see if it wasn’t a dream telling my father the incredible story. I watched Television for the rest of the evening while my ears where still adjusting back to normal pressure.


some notes, do not recal seeing any fish and when i dived down the last few meters i couldn't equalise but really i didn't get all the way down there for nothing.


Near death experience 2004 14/07/05

My saga started after reading on the internet how to hold one’s breath for a long time, I had managed to hold my breath for more than 4min. After doing so I felt I should go and see what I could do underwater with this new training. I called my friend who lives in a large complex with a pool and arranged to go the next day. On that rainy day I arrived at his place to find out that he was at work. Figuring they had called him up on the last minute, I decided to head back home but then decided I still had time to stop off at the university pool for a quick swim. There I checked in, paid the 4 dollar charge and went to get changed, leaving my gear in my locker and putting the electronic plastic card in my board short pocket. I jumped into the shallow end in the second lane and began swimming.

An urge to urinate came over me so I left to and when on returning I find and find my lane had been taken. The pool was very quiet that day so I just jumped into the same lane, in the deeper section where no one was swimming. I started doing one lap underwater, which is 25m followed by one recovery lap back above the water. I did this for 20min till 12:50 then I had a break and decided to go for 50m or two lengths of the pool. Breathing deeply I took in as much air in as my lungs could hold and a bit more before pushing off and heading for the bottom. I made it to the end of the first lap easily, passed the 1.5 laps I had done before. Opening my eyes to see how much more was left I used pure will power for the last few meters. I touched the wall and happily started to take deep breaths, then feeling exhilarated once recovered; I wanted to have some fun. I stayed around the bridge in the middle messing about underwater blowing donuts and staying down for two minuets or more at a time. I looked at my watch, which said 1:10pm and thought I would go in 15min I decided to go for 60m or even 75m underwater.
I did a training lap underwater and one recovery back, relaxed and decided to warm up once more, going underwater then back normal breath stroke. As I was going back, a sudden but calming sensation came over my body. A dark warmth fell over me and I felt relaxed and happy, with a few lazy thoughts going by me on why everything was so dark. I lapsed out of the darkness as suddenly as I went into it by something pricking me and started gurgling, I feel cold again, lying down on something.
“My heart is racing, everything is blurred. Am I in the pool?
Someone’s hand is holding something over my mouth and I can’t breathe. It feels like I’m drowning and swallowing cold water. I hold my breath, thinking for a few seconds is this it? Will I die like this? I can’t see anything so I must be in the pool.”