Totally FREEdiving - no weights, no wetsuit, no fins...

[adax]

Does anyone track the records or at least practice this kind of "discipline"?

How deep is it possible to go without weights and other gear, compared to going with it?

Does it create any more danger? - to me it seems to be even more safe...

I now only train in a pool, so I do not have much choice of using gear anyway, but still what attracts me the most on freediving is that you really do not need anything beside swimsuit (in the more conservative countries ;o) Why spoil it with all that heavy stuff...

[SanderP]

Well It depends where you're diving. It's definetly harder to dive deep without any weights in a salty sea. Baltic Sea, for example, has a quite low salt-level so diving without weights is easier - same goes for diving in freshwater (lakes). You can't say that for Caribbean and probably for most other seas.
I'd like to see someone freediving without weights in Black Sea .

More dangerous? I'd say yes, especially without a computer.

I bet freediving roots go back to pearl hunting - pearl hunters didn't use anything (duh), but dove quite deep nevertheless. Hmm... I'll see what I can find in google.

[trux]

Yes, there is a discipline called natural apnea or natural weight. It is practiced (besides others) for example in Greece, during the Kalymnos festival. The divers do not use any equipment (no mask/goggles, fins, weight) in this discipline.

The most known natural freediver is probably Danai Varveri (Δανάης Βαρβέρη), Greek female freediver who was pictured also in the movie The Freediver of Alki David, and who did a 40m dive in 1999 and I believe another even deeper in 2004. The fictive Danai Varveri in The Freediver movie dies during a competition, but AFAIK, the real Danai lives in Greece and is still involved in diving activities.

More information about Danai is available for example in WikiPedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danai_Varveri

or at Apnea.nl:
http://www.apnea.nl/UK-GeschDanai.htm

There is one video of the real Danai in my collection:
http://apnea.truxoft.com/#Varveri

and also a trailer from The Freediver movie:
http://apnea.truxoft.com/#movies

Some natural apnea records are listed for example here, but it is rather outdated.

[trux]

Originally Posted by SanderP

I'd like to see someone freediving without weights in Black Sea .

Although it depends on the location and the depth, the salinity of the Black Sea is actually much lower than that of the Mediterraenan sea or the oceans. The lower salinity is very pleasant for swimming/diving "naturally" without goggles or a mask - no eyes irritation at all. I've been snorkelling without weights to depths of up to 20m in the Black Sea without any problems for years. If I remember well (it is almost 20 years ago), already around some 10m the buyancy was neutral. Though, later I've been using weights anyway.

[DeepThought]

Originally Posted by trux

The fictive Danai Varveri in The Freediver movie dies during a competition

10x, I was going to watch that movie someday. :-/

Except 'natural apnea' there's also 'Unashamed Constant Ballast'. Last I heard Peter Pederson had the WR.

[daiquiri]

Originally Posted by DeepThought

10x, I was going to watch that movie someday. :-/

you didn't lose anything, that movie seriously sucks anyway. all the actors are VERY lame, it's like watching a cheap porn movie without the porn part.

[Evita]

Originally Posted by DeepThought

Except 'natural apnea' there's also 'Unashamed Constant Ballast'. Last I heard Peter Pederson had the WR.

Unashamed Constant Ballast? Details, please

[DeepThought]

Originally Posted by daiquiri

you didn't lose anything, that movie seriously sucks anyway. all the actors are VERY lame, it's like watching a cheap porn movie without the porn part.

Being a movie with freediving in it I will still watch it.

Originally Posted by Evita

Unashamed Constant Ballast? Details, please

http://forums.deeperblue.net/showthr...ight=UCB+peter

[Evita]

Excellent!

But I agree about the mask - obviously there was no need to use a performance enhancer...

Hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe

[naiad]

Today I went to the pool and did some underwater swimming with no wetsuit, weights, mask or fins. (With swimsuit though. )

Only a few metres at a time, because it wasn't a freediving session, and the pool was only about 1m deep.

It was very good. I liked it so much I didn't want to get out, but eventually the chlorine became too much.

I also got away with holding my breath in the spa pool, which is very warm. Of course it was only for a few seconds at a time. The lights in the sides of the pool look magical.

Definitely worth trying again.

[adax]

I think that live broadcasting from the ladies AIDA competitions in UCB could attract even more enthusiasts of this sport than David Blaine's stunts!

[Evita]

Mixed double, anyone?

Sorry, it REALLY is too early in the day for this

[BennyB]

Originally Posted by daiquiri

it's like watching a cheap porn movie without the porn part.

That's the best, most accurate description of The Freediver i've ever heard

[Apnea_Addict]

In that little online-video you can see "Danai" wearing a mask, though.

Too bad it´s still so cold in the lake: I was going to try if I could reach the sailboot at ten metres without gear (with mask) this summer.

[sickbugs]

Originally Posted by Evita

Mixed double, anyone?

i'll take u up on that

hmn... that blood shift stuff improves static times right?