New WR for pure O2 static

[naiad]

Tom Sietas has a new world record for static on pure O2 of 14:15.
http://www.tomsietas.com/indexE.html

Lucia

[Jee]

This news is not really new, isn't it?

Seriously, I'm waiting for the internet version of the show.

I think this time Bon Jovi was not there (fortunately ).

[Ben Gowland]

I thought Pelizzari had managed 20 mins?

[Bill McIntyre]

I'll be the first to admit that I don't follow this sort of thing, but my initial reaction is WHO CARES?

Its a gimmick using 100% 02. If we aren't going to use natural air, why pick 100% 02? We could also keep records for 25% 02, 50% 02, 75% 02, etc. Then if someone breaks your record for, say, 50%, you could always just change to 48% or 52% to set a new record.

I'm reminded of Pipin when he set a new record for depth using just one breath from a scuba tank and justified it by saying that the event was "no limits." How many breaths does it take before its scuba diving?

[naiad]

Originally Posted by Ben Gowland

I thought Pelizzari had managed 20 mins?

I think he has, but it wasn't the official record. In fact, I have heard of several freedivers exceeding the official record.

[Absolute]

Good on ya Tom.

Keep up the good work!

Cheers!

[Jee]

I've heard master Pelizzari did perhaps 18min? 15min? Iám not sure, but they saz, he said, he could have done further, just he didnát feel air hunger, so he stopped (it was a totallz unknown teritorz for him ü as I think for almost all of us).

Also as I've heard Tom did much more on training (with O2).

I don't agree with you Bill. If it would be somebodz unknown, I would say, perhaps zou are right, but we are talking about the official static (not pure O2) world record holder. So this is another case, I think.

I could also imagine, that somehow this could be the part of his (Tom)
static trainings (reaching for the magic 10)..

[efattah]

Here in Vancouver several of us were theorizing how training on 100% O2 could improve your normal O2 static. The idea is that with 100% O2 you can tolerate a FAR higher CO2 level, much as occurs during a deep water 'hang.' As such your CO2 tolerance increases dramatically by doing this sort of static.

[jome]

Just wanted to say in case anyone tries that (pure o2 as tolerance training) that be very VERY careful. Co2 narcosis and respiratory acidosis are not something to be taken lightly...I've heard a very chilling first person account of such an incident, and it was not funny. You don't necessarily come around from a hypercapnic blackout the same way you do from a hypoxic one. I'm sure Eric and other experienced divers reading this are aware of that, but some might not be.

I recommend against O2 statics all together, but if someone does go on and try it (and there's always people who will), please start with very conservative results, only topping your "air pb", by very small increments.

[superhornet59]

man that must be

A) boring as hell due to lenght

B) must suck in terms of contractions. remember people your body doesnt sense how much oxygen you have, but how much CO2. higher concentration of Oxygen means at end of your dive dont expect 30% CO@ (the rest is nitrogen) but more like 95% or something. ouch.

[Veronika]

Originally Posted by superhornet59

B) must suck in terms of contractions. remember people your body doesnt sense how much oxygen you have, but how much CO2. higher concentration of Oxygen means at end of your dive dont expect 30% CO@ (the rest is nitrogen) but more like 95% or something. ouch.

Not necessarily. I just tried it once but found it waaaay nicer towards the end then with air. http://forums.deeperblue.net/forum15/thread54355.html
Perhaps it depends on various factors ? I remember Tom at his first O2-attempt saying that the contractions were awful.

Veronika

[jome]

It's not just high co2 that triggers contractions/breathing reflex. Like Veronika suggests, it's ultimately more complicated than that. I believe that the low o2 receptors (or what ever, chemoreceptors?) only activate when the oxygen level reaches a pretty low level, so with pure O2 they never activate and you get these kind of half-contractions or whatever...But on a normal static, for the last minute or so, you feel the combined effect of high co2 and low o2. Towards the end of a maximum static I get what I call "hypoxic contractions" (for the lack of a better term), which compared to the co2 ones are much uglier and ultimately determine the break point. The CO2 contractions you can learn to ignore and tolerate pretty well...

I haven't tried my self, but having talked with some people who have tried pure o2, they describe it as something like "you get contractions, but they just don't feel bad"...

[naiad]

Originally Posted by jome

Towards the end of a maximum static I get what I call "hypoxic contractions" (for the lack of a better term), which compared to the co2 ones are much uglier and ultimately determine the break point. The CO2 contractions you can learn to ignore and tolerate pretty well...

I have also noticed that hypercapnia and hypoxia are quite different feelings. These are from some of my earlier posts...

Originally Posted by naiad

For me, the feeling of CO2 and low O2 simultaneously is less bad than either on its own. A good static is when I get the balance right. A max static is very difficult, but still not as much as the terrible contractions caused by high CO2 alone, or the fierce urge to breathe caused by low O2 without high CO2.

Maybe I'm lucky and the two feelings cancel each other out.

Originally Posted by naiad

I think that both elevated CO2 concentration and extremely low O2 concentration can cause the urge to breathe. I have experienced both separately, although in normal circumstances there would be a bit of both and CO2 would be the dominant one.

High CO2 causes an intense urge to breathe, much stronger than that caused by low O2, but it is more bearable. This is what happens at the end of a CO2 table, or after doing dynamics with short intervals.

Extremely low O2 causes a less intense feeling, but more urgent and unbearable. It usually comes on suddenly and gets rapidly worse, unlike low CO2. This is what happens if I hyperventilate too much before doing a max static. The feeling doesn't always happen, and it is possible to BO without any 'struggle phase'.

Lucia

[matrixed82]

Do you know of anyone who tried to freedive with pure O2? Is it even possible or would you run into to problems such as O2 toxicity or others?

[Veronika]

Originally Posted by matrixed82

Do you know of anyone who tried to freedive with pure O2? Is it even possible or would you run into to problems such as O2 toxicity or others?

Short answer: Yes.

1.) OxTox (Bert Effect) due to increased ppO2. -> potential to get convulsions underwater
2.) OxTox (Smith Effect) if exposed to O2 for longer periods of time -> you basically ruin your lung
+ to my understanding:
3.) highly (!) increased probability of BO due to minimal CO2 levels at start of apnea

Just a few thoughts.