Questions about contractions

[TRITON]

I don't know that....but I know that Dave gets contractions at ~50m in DYN and can do over 240m.

[TRITON]

Here at deeperblue there are a lot of guys that do over 7 mins .....they can give us the answer to that.

[Narsil]

I don't think there are any hard and fast rules around when contractions start.

For me, contractions used to start like clockwork at around 4.20 a year or more back. My prep is shorter now, and I probably start with a little higher CO2. However that doesn't explain why my contractions usually start before 3 minutes now

So for any long hold, for me say 7mins plus, I'm doing more than 4 minutes of contractions. I don't think it makes much physiological difference in terms of my potential max, but psychologically it is harder.

That's probably why I only do a max(ish) static about once a month these days

Cheers,
Guy

[Macnaughty]

Hi DD,

I know the feeling with contractions. I am not at the stage where I am completely good friends with them yet. But in my experience the very worst time is immediately before the contractions come (when you are still trying to postpone them), plus the first couple of contraction which are really powerfull. For me it feels as if my entire abdomen is trying to tie it self into a knot. Once you are over the first couple, it tends to ease up, and you can focus on just letting them ride through you. Personally I find a person coaching me from the pool side to make all the difference. The first 3:00-3:30 before I get contractions are fine and I can use visualisation techniques to tone down any discomfort of the breathhold. But once things start to get rough it is REALLY nice to have a supportive voice to listen to.

Incidentally I found this minute-by-minute description of a breathhold that I find makes a lot of sense:

ImpulseAdventure - Freediving - Apnea / Breath-hold Diving

Scroll down about two screenfulls till you get to: 'What does it feel like to hold your breath / static apnea?'

Hope that helps.

By the way, DivingDane, are you studying in Queensland? I know a few danes who are or have studied there.

[DivingDane]

Macnaughty,

Finally someody that feels the same way i do in a breath hold that is pretty much exactly how my dive feels (static), site was quite useful and i will have to try the buddy talking to me thing if it works then sweet, so you find that after the first couple of contractions they tend to ease up a bit?

No don't study in Queensland, i studied at Curtin University in Western Australia back in 2001-2004 ( Aquaculture and marine science)then moved over here when the right job arose.

Havent really met alot of Danes up here yet, plenty back in WA but not so many up here (and even fewer freedivers) spearing takes priority up here very few people have the patients or drive to actively practise freediving.

DD

[Macnaughty]

Actually it was almost help to self help. It helped to get things written down and rereading Calvin's excellent description of emotions during a static. So yesterday at training with everything still present in my mind, I had a really nice and relaxed static with a new PB of 6:10 (up from 5:32 in Berlin i Ferbuary)

Yes, I take it that spearing is pretty big in QLD, and you can certainly pick up lots of breath holding and freediving experience (and tasty fish) from that. But for monofin techniques and such, a fin swimming club would probably be really usefull. One sees way too many perople that have taught themselves bad monofintechnique (using leg muscles), and it is difficult to change if one has become accustomed to an inefficient style.
The people I know are/were mostly realted to JCU and AIMS (marine biology), but not freediving types.
Mind you, having been a fieldwork assistant for one of them at Lizard Island for a month, I could half swap the frigid waters of Øresund with you right now...
Hehe, good luck with the statics

\ naughty

[Macnaughty]

Oh, sorry- forgot to answer your actual questions before I went on rambling (no - hypoxia doesn't damage the brain,- honest).

Yes,- the contractions are really powerfull in the beginning ( I think problably partially because one tries to put them off a bit by tensing), but for most they tend to wear off after a while, and then they are actually quite easy to get used to.

About the buddy/coach,- For AIDA competitions it is mandatory to give confirmation of consciousness once a while during a static. And one might as well do everyday training as if it is a competition, thus it is familiar during an actual competition.
So, yesterday I had my buddy/coach call the times: 3:00, 4:00, 4:30, 5:00, 5:15, 5:30, 5:45, 6:00. And for each call I twitch my index finger as confirmation. To some extent, this communication also helps take ones mind of contractions. My buddy/coach will also come with encouraging statements in between time calls,- it can be comments like: 'relax your shoulders/neck - it is loking good - let the contractions pass through you easily - everything is going fine - you are there soon - put your arms on the edge of the pool (for when you are nearing the end of your dive)' and stuff like that.
Just to contadict myself on the previous statement about training like during a competition (where I believe the coach is not allowed to touch the contestant) during the pre-contraction period, it can also be quite relaxing to have your buddy float you around slowly in the pool, but one contractions start have them 'park' you facing the edge of the pool about a foot out, so you are ready to put your arms up for the end of the dive.

Hope this helps.

\ martin

[salibandy]

Macnaughty/Martin, you know people from JCU doing/had done marine biology? That's where I want to go for my degree in marine biology, once I'm done with the army.

[Macnaughty]

yeah, I think one guy is still out there doing a Phd or something, and one of my mates here in Denmark did a semester there last year. From what I heard the courses were great, and from a brief visit Townsville seems really nice. However the GBR is quite a while off shore that far south, so you need a boat to access it (my mate had a student job as scuba instructor for Prodive, so went on one of their liveaboard trips. Most of the dive sites could probably have been done quite easily on freediving, but as I wasn't into freediving back then I never asked what their policy was.
Cheers martin

[salibandy]

Cool. Say you wouldn't happen to know how hard/easy it is to get into the marine biology course there, would you?

[DivingDane]

Salibandy

the coarse at JCU is one of the best in the world from what i understand, i had the optin at one time but for some reason stayed in WA (still kicking myself), depending on your schooling history it is possible to get in but it is a VERY popular coarse so applying /expressing interest as early as possible is recomended.

Macnaughty i know what you meen about Danish water (COLD) i still head back every year or 2 from Holstebro but have family with a house down in Toftum, so attempted some diving last time i was there and nearly died! learnt that 3mm suit works for aout 20min max before it is just too cold.

also tried for static again last night and was just trying to go past contractions and it was a little easier after reading the link you put up before. so hopefully thats a sign of things to come, we'll see what happens

DD

DD

[salibandy]

DD, what do you mean expressing interest as early as possible? Like write in to them?

[DivingDane]

something like that, heads of department are always available through email or better yet phone, give them a call or something similer and ask what is required for coarse entry and go from there, i know when i was doing my coarse one of the guys hadnt made the cut off for some reason or another, but by speaking with the heads of department and expressing interest he was able to make his way in. in your case it might be as easy as asking for application forms, i dont know as i said it depends on your back round.

but first step would def be to contact someone in the specific degree you are interested in.

Hope this helps

DD

[Macnaughty]

Hi SaliBandy and DD,

Yup, it would probably be a good idea to contact them sooner rather than later. And a lot of Oz paper work can be real slow,- I spent the better part of a month in getting sampling papers for Marine Bristleworms from GBRMPA (Great Barrier Reef Marine Parks Authority),- even had to 'prove' that they would not feel undue anxiety while in capture, and that they were put down in a human fashion... Just for the record we are talking annelids that are about 1mm long. Not that I would in any way want to impart suffering in my fellow living beings, but I could hardly double tap them in the head..

No seriously, the courses should be great, and one thing that really works for you, is that exchange students mean big money (tuition fees) to them , so I gather they tend to be quite helpfull in that direction.

Good luck and make the most of your courses there..

[apneaboy]

Incidentally I found this minute-by-minute description of a breathhold that I find makes a lot of sense:

ImpulseAdventure - Freediving - Apnea / Breath-hold Diving

Very good! I always explain the stages of breath holds to people and it now makes sense that someone wrote it down to share.

What would be really interesting is if one of the 7 - 8 min static guys or girls could say if that is how they are feeling at 5.30 and take it from there or if they have different sensations and maybe share them with us.

Good find that!