WOW!! Just back from the Hawaii PFI course

[wes]

We did the 4 day Performance Freedive International (PFI) in Kona Hawaii. What a rush!! Imagine 4 days of, all freediving, all the time, instruction, physiology, pool training, max static attempts and of course 3 days in the ocean "going down the line" with Martin, Mandy and Kirk, all, of course, propelled by Monfins.

Its unbelievable really, my wife Nancy came home this summer from the beginner PFI course demanding to go freediving at our local lake every weekend. Now after the 4 day intermediate course she wants to know why I haven't already bought a monofin and which monofin she should order. The PFI courses are very inspiring and its worth the extra money to do with your partner for sure if you want to freedive more with them.

I am also glad Nancy and I already did the beginner course this summer as it made the intermediate course way more easy and relaxed. I was worried that there would be alot of repetittion and I ended up being thrilled we had the beginner concepts down as we could focus and listen and understand so much better on all the new course information (and of course I read DB all the time so you would think I know everything).

So we learned a ton, got wet every day, and hung out with world class freedivers, what could be better than that. Well personal bests (PB), that's what. My wife started out by adding 47 seconds to her PB for a 4:00 min static on day one. Now you have to understand that Nancy doesn't really practice statics and I have been practicing alot and that my PB last year was 4:00 so this was a big big deal. We only went to 4:00 min the first day so I didn't get to test my previous PB of 5:15 (set at this summers PFI beginner course). Day two was the last static practice so was looking pretty pivotal for me.

Day two we both skipped breakfast and the instructors had us do negative warm up dives in the pool. My wife was a bit pissed as I had told her she shouldn't eat as we would start with statics right away. I kept saying, "yeah, just wait till you do your static." So we do the static and Nancy pulls up "early" when her fingers started tingling at 4:20 min!! She is blown away as this is better than I could do last year and the best female static time in the course I think (except Mandy the intsructor of course) and she keeps saying, yeah and I came up early!!.

So now its my turn doing static and I know it will be good as I usually get contractions around 3 min and don't get any contractions untill 4 min. Near the end of the static I like to pump air from my cheeks and mask into my lungs as it helps me relax. So I am doing this with a new mask and on each contraction a bit of air is leaking from my mask. Kirk the instructor is worried I should come up as leaking air can also mean Loss of Motor control (LMC) and impending Black Out (BO). Kirk tells Nancy again and again to keep tapping me and she does and I keep giving her the good signal. Then Kirk starts yelling "come up!", "come up!" as he is worried that I will BO and that this long static won't "count" as my PB if I BO. It's like some surrealistic 50's black and white war movie with some one yelling at the fighter pilot ace over the radio to "pull up!" "pull up!". Finally with all the yelling and tapping its too much for me and I come up clean at 5:45 min!! This is very very cool for me as all summer long I have been doing statics in the middle of the night with a heart rate monitor when my two year old is sleeping as this is the only free time I have so this has all paid off. Then we have lunch and go out for day 1 in the ocean . . .

Well it's getting a bit long and late so maybe I will go to bed and tell about the ocean diving in a day or two. Please be assured the PFI courses ROCK and as always - Cheers - Wes.

[bluecape]

Nice one Wes! Sounds great. I can identify with your enthusiasm as I'm busy with a course with Trevor Hutton in Cape Town at the moment.

[island_sands]

i am soo jealous, i booked to go last year and couldnt make it!
Great to hear your feedback, and your great timings!

[Absolute]

Yea, I remember that.

Wow! A year goes by fast.

[island_sands]

yeah i tell you what, i should have gone. never again will i change my life for a man!!!!

[maytag]

Welcome back, Wes!

Congratulations on your and your wife's new PBs! Awesome. Thanks for posting - looking forward to hearing about the rest of the course!

Cheers to all,

[ROBERT REYES]

Nice, we are waiting for part two, make it longer, :-)

[DiverTodd]

Sounds like you had a blast too, Wes! My course with them last month was one of the BEST times of my life, and I'm glad you had so much fun, too! They really are a GREAT group. It was SO enlightening for me that's I am bound and determined to get to the advanced course in Grand Cayman in April.

Todd

[icarus pacific]

Congratulations and great stuff, Wes!

Where were you staying during the course?

[Paul Kotik]

Wes, why on Earth would a guy who lives in the windsurfing capital of the galaxy even think about freediving? Man, if I lived in Hood River I'd call it "Free what? Hey, gotta-go-it's-four-point-oh!"

[Paul Kotik]

Wes, Wes, Wes. Why would a guy who lives in the windsurfing capital of the entire GALAXY even think about freediving?

If I lived in Hood River, I'd call it "Free-what? Gotta go, it's blowin' four-oh!"

[wes]

First, thanks for all the congratulations, its nice to share an individual accomplishment with people who know and understand its personal worth.

Paul,

Glad you asked about Hood River. I started windsurfing in 1986 and 15 years later ended up speedsailing (where you sail only for the highest speed over 200m or 500m course). This was very fun and stimulating and I did a top speed of 46.8 mph (75.3 km/hr) which was about 5% shy of the world record. I stopped because attaining higher speeds with speedsailing was very very condition specific so lots of waiting around for the perfect wind, wind direction and even tide sometimes. Next I started kitesurfing as the equipment is so much lighter and more versatile for different conditions like big surf etc so have kited for the last 5 years. Kiting is also good for traveling by air. This is the first summer I haven't kited or windsurfed, though I am sure I will kite again. I have a two year old who keeps me very busy and I am drawn to activities that we can all do as a family. Freediving fits the bill very nicely and I will tell all about it in my next post with some pics too - Cheers Wes

[Paul Kotik]

Originally Posted by wes

First, thanks for all the congratulations, its nice to share an individual accomplishment with people who know and understand its personal worth.

Paul,

Glad you asked about Hood River. I started windsurfing in 1986 and 15 years later ended up speedsailing (where you sail only for the highest speed over 200m or 500m course). This was very fun and stimulating and I did a top speed of 46.8 mph (75.3 km/hr) which was about 5% shy of the world record. I stopped because attaining higher speeds with speedsailing was very very condition specific so lots of waiting around for the perfect wind, wind direction and even tide sometimes. Next I started kitesurfing as the equipment is so much lighter and more versatile for different conditions like big surf etc so have kited for the last 5 years. Kiting is also good for traveling by air. This is the first summer I haven't kited or windsurfed, though I am sure I will kite again. I have a two year old who keeps me very busy and I am drawn to activities that we can all do as a family. Freediving fits the bill very nicely and I will tell all about it in my next post with some pics too - Cheers Wes

Yeah, me too. Except the part about getting to within a hair of the speed record. I did the whole ignore-career-move-to-Maui thing, yada-yada. Wife made me move back to the mainland - Florida. It just don't blow here very much, and I will not do kite surfing, for psychological reasons which are unimportant here.

You're absolutely right - freediving fits into the, uh, mature lifestyle a lot better.

So I guess this means you don't want to buy my garage-full of windsurfing gear? I haven't used any of it in 2 1/2 years.

[wes]

Paul,

It's a little late to hide your psychological problems from us, we all know freediving turned you into a wussie, or was that weenie?

Cheers Wes

[Paul Kotik]

A weenie wrapped in a wussy inside an enigma....