Going DEEP for the first time

[freeflypony]

Hey Everyone.
I hope someone can offer some advice or encouragement. I've been freediving for about 7 months now and started when it was coming into Winter so have only really been training in the pool. I managed to my PB the otherday of 5m26s static and 115m in the pool with fins.
I went out in the sea the otherday with some friends and was very excited to test out my new skills. Previously, I had only gone to about 10 meters. This time, I managed to get down to only 13m (please note.. this was at the bottom so couldn't go further). However, I noticed such a difference with pressure on my body and how that affects the amount of air it feels like you have in your lungs and how much longer you have underwater. It was kinda depressing because I thought I was progressing well but got quite nervous when doing deep... all the thoughts were going through my head like "there is no turning back" and "I'm down here now, I can't screw up like in the pool" etc.
Does anyone else feel like this? is this natural for a beginner? Is there ways to train or push through this? Can anyone explain to me what is going on with the air in your body under pressure? I heard a rumour that the change in atmosphere pressure doesn't sting quite as much after 10m down? I seem to have found that if i understand what is going on in my body, then i can push through as I know what to expect... I know it all comes with experience but hope you can help.....:-)

[miguel-van]

Hi freeflypony,
Don't push trough anything! In deep freediving your body needs time to get used to the pressure and the new environment.
Just go step by step and you will get more comfortable along the way.
Stay safe

[Karletto]

be relayed and calm. nothing to be afraid or concerned off (which makes you consume more oxygen) because you got your friends on the surface to help you, if you need it. it is important not to make some record attempts in depth, in rates of dives or in case of ear trouble. when you'r on the surface you can snorkel a bit, talk to your friends so keep it fun.

[davewastaken]

yes it is natural to feel a bit uncomfortable wen diving depth for the first time and very diff to in the pool. i felt like i was using my oxygen so fast and slightly panicking wen i first did some depth stuff. u shouldnt b feeling any pain or anything though if thats wat ur saying? it will take u some time to just get used to being in the ocean, the important thing in my opinion are to stay relaxed at all times, u have nice static times and dynamic but just takes some experience to convert it into depth.

[freeflypony]

Hey everyone.. Thanks so much for your answers, they have really helped. I guess it's just time in the ocean is what I need.... and to relax!!! I really appreciate all your answers. Thanks again!

[cdavis]

Hi freefly, Welcome to DB.

You are right on, experience and relaxation will carry you much deeper. Its just time.

You heard right that the rate of pressure change decreases with depth. Time (and depth)between equalizations gets longer, so equalizing gets easier up to the point where you start to run short of air to equalize. Somewhere south of 25 meters, your lungs will be approaching residual volume and it will get much harder to equalize. At that point, your chest will probably start to feel pretty strange as the lungs approach RV, breathless, etc. No problem, practice will work you through that too. That's the point where learning mouthfill equalizing is a huge advantage. It will open the door to much deeper water. You have the aerobic capacity for 50 meters+, maybe much more.

Sounds like you would benefit greatly from a course. Expensive, but some of the best $ I ever spent. Short of that, use the search function top right of this page and look up any freediving topic you're interested in. Lots to learn on these pages.


Good Luck,

Connor

[freeflypony]

Hey Connor
Thanks for your note. What is involved in mouthfill equalizing? I'm guessing you take your breath and then take a mouthful of air to keep in your mouth for equalizing on the way down? but how do you use the air in your mouth to do this? and do you know what the Frenzel technique is?

[BennyB]

Hey Andrew,

Frenzel is simply another method of equalising, one which allows you to go much deeper when used in conjunction with a mouthfill.

Google Frenzel-Fattah and you'll find a MS Word document that goes over the Frenzel method of equalising. Other than that i'm more than happy to discuss it over a crepe or 2 on Wednesday night, it's easier when someone is in front of you showing it to you.


Cheers,
Ben

[freeflypony]

Awesome.. Sounds good Ben :-) See you Wednesday

[Dennis77]

You can´t train depth without going deep. Ok, some people dive exhaled to increase the pressure on the body within shallower water. But in my opinion this can´t be the proper way.

Please note; all I write is my personal thinking. It´s what works for me. But I´ve met a few people which had problems. But once they managed to think a bit like me, or feel this way, the improved.

As some of you have written before; it´s absolutely normal, you feel a bit uncomfortable while going to a depth you´ve never been to before. If it´s really for the first time you might be scared because of the pressure. Or the darkness. Or the change in water temperature. That´s all natural. Your body get signals from the outside that there´s something happening which is new.
Over all, there is one thing you have to feel. Enjoyment. You have to enjoy the sea, or yourself in the sea. If you don´t feel comfortable at all, you have to check why you feel like this. Is it because it´s new? Then it´s ok. But it has to get better from dive to dive. Do you feel uncomfortable after a longer period of time or after several dives, then you have a problem. For example I feel very uncomfortable when visibility is bad. I accepted this. It maybe "bad", because I don´t dive in some conditions. But I dive to enjoy. So.... why to dive if I don´t enjoy???
Ok, now you´re going down. As you have written you went into the sea with a lot of expectations on yourself and your improvements. But to think like this is risky. You add to much pressure to your mind. If you think "I have to go deep", you aren´t relaxed anymore. While going deep, your mind is much more important than your body. Because you have to be relaxed. You have to enjoy the depth. When you are going down and you think "oh boy, I do 5+ in static, I have to reach depth xy easily" you get stiff immediately. Your O2 consumption increases, you feel uncomfortable.
Second mistake; you look down all the way down. If you look downwards, your throat is stretched. Equelization gets much more difficult in this position. If you don´t dive on a rope, look sometimes down, but not all the time.
Once you are down there, don´t look up. Even don´t look up while going up again. You will think about how long you have to go to be able to breath again. It´s like if you are mountain climbing. You look down, and you get scared. Once you are used to a certain depth you will know yourself better and better. There will be a point reached, you can enjoy the depth and look up. But if you touch a new personal best or if you come close to you personal best; don´t look up.
And on every dive; if theres this voice inside of you which tells you to return; do so. Listen to yourself. Don´t think like "man, I can easily go down to depth xy. So I have to be able to reach a depth 5m less on this dive.". No, it´s not like this.


As I said; this is what works for me. This November I´ve been to Sharm el Sheikh for a freediving course. It was my second. Last year I hadn´t got a dive computer. So I was excited what depths I will reach and so on. I never looked at my watch while diving. It´s the same like to watch to the surface. So; I had some dives I felt like going to 20ms. I had to fight, I felt not so good, and so on. Back at the surface I really was surprised. I only reached the 16 or 17 meters. But then I had dives I felt really nice. I enjoyed myself in the ocean, the light was perfect, and so on. I went down just to have fun. It felt so nice on the rope. After surfacing I couldn´t believe my watch, but I was down to 24,3 meters.
So I realized for myself, I can´t force to reach something. If the depth is ready for you, you are ready for it.

[e.m.p!]

Nice one, Dennis. Your words are really motivating - Wish I could go deeper than 18m, but that"s the deepest spot around the coast here. Need to go to Taupo...

Schoenen Gruss aus Wellington!

[freeflypony]

Hey Dennis77, what you wrote really hit a cord and was exactly what I needed to hear. Thanks for taking the time to write.. It was perfect. What you spoke of was exactly what I was doing. Looking down and then looking up and thinking all the things you spoke of. Expecting to much of myself and putting pressure of myself because of what I was doing in the pool. I think I need to go out there and just have fun.. not think about it all to much but enjoy it.
Thanks again!!!

[Dennis77]

Wohooo. It´s really nice to get such a nice feedback on my writing. Thank you.

[kontrajan]

Additionally, I suggest everybody to read Umberto Pelizzari´s "Manual of Freediving" - an extraordinary book, as probably everybody knows. I especially like his psychological tips, similar to those Dennis mentioned above. For myself I found them to work very good - although I was only able to do pool diving until now :-/ Nevertheless, it improved my DNF from 25m to 47m, and my static also got MUCH better - simply by relaxing properly and enjoying the water around me. I guess, this may also be true for deep diving.

[Kars]

Yes indeed Jan, Dennis, Freeflypony, much of freediving is mental.

Like suggested by many, time at depth is the way to learn the depth.

I've often suggested for a divers to belly breath slowly for 5 breaths, do a deeper exhale and than a slow deep inhale, do a duck dive and after a couple of kicks slow down the line and relax, close your eyes a bit, relax your neck, shoulders, chest limbs etc. Dive like a lazy seal . At 10m you'll become negatively buoyant, slowly put a hand on the slipping line, stop kicking, and try to relax again. When you feel like you're 'out of air', grab the line, and Slowly let yourself swing around. Now it's time to do a little relaxation hang, holding the line with both hands, close your eyes, look inside your body - just like when doing a static - and see where the tensions are, command those parts to relax. You're buddy is close to you and you know you have plenty of time to relax and let your body learn the depth.
After the small relax hang, pull the line, and - without looking up - gently, slowly swim up. Feel the buoyancy giving you a helping hand and let yourself float up.

Be like a fish, slow lazy only moving what and when needed.

Don't wear a computer, it's a distraction, especially in beginning.
Rather have a capable buddy that is capable and very relaxed that can accompany you the whole dive. Seeing and knowing your trusty guide is right there, is much very comforting.

The focus to learn relax.

In my view it's better to go to 80% of you depth personal best, and do a nice 10 - 15 count relaxed hang down there, becoming very comfortable and relaxed at that depth.

When you're technique improves and you build confidence and relaxation ability, you'll discover that you conserve much energy and air.
This can be used to let yourself fall a little deeper, and learn the next new depth.

Apart from relaxation there are some other points that can help:

Warm muscles and torso.
Warm-up stretching before getting in.
Working on diaphragm and ribcage flexibility.
Diving in warm clear waters.
Being rested.
No food in the stomach.

Well the list could be long, look up the rest through the search function.

Happy, lazy diving !

Love, Courage and Water,

Kars