DB and freediving bans

[cdavis]

Hello Papa Smurf,

As you probably already know (or see threads in General Freediving) the "Dying for Air" article is already having a very negative impact on freedivers, me in particular. The thing has way more creditability than it should. Please consider getting involved: contact the magazine, see if you can get a reply published, get AIDA and other organizations interested, get me some factual ammunition. In other words HHEELLPP!!!!!

I'd email this, but I'm computer chalanged and can't get it to work. I've tried to sign up as a supporter, but paypal will not take my perfectly good money. They seem to think I already have an account and won't send me the password to reactivate it. Anyway, can you suggest another route to get some of my green stuff to you? How do I pm you??

Connor

[Stephan Whelan]

Connor,

I've seen the thread and the article. I'm starting to rally the troops and will be sending a letter to the magazine and author in due course. I've seen your request for facts and will be getting some of the top level experts to help answer for you.

As for sending us the green stuff - keep it and use it to help fight this battle.

For sending a PM - click on my name on the top left, select Profile and then you have the options to send me email or PM me.

[cdavis]

Thank you Papa, I'll keep working on my end, looking forward to getting some hard facts to use. If you can, please post or send me copies of what you send to our "opposition."

One line of inquiry occured to me. How many deaths, near drownings, etc, occur in pools? Since it wasn't apnea, what caused them? Those data are available somewhere and would make good ammunition.

I haven't gotten a reply from the magazine editor yet.

Connor

P.S. Don't you ever sleep?

[subaquaticus]

In the vast majority of swimming pools in France, you can read :

"APNEE INTERDITE " (Apnea forbidden)....

In some more lenient ones, you can read "APNEE STATIQUE INTERDITE" (Static Apnea forbidden) ; there it means that you can do some dynamic apnea, provided you are watched accordingly...

What is the situation in other countries ?

[SanSan]

For now in Slovenia we don't have any problems. I often use the local pool where we also make some competitions ocasionaly. We are a group of 5-10 people who regulary (2-3 times a week) train there so everybody knows us.
Only once I had a situations because I was doing a short warmup satic alone in the pool and somebody outside the pool was waching and started bumping on the window screaming that I was drowning . After that the staff of the pool came to me and said that i shouldn't doo it alone what I certanly don't if doing anything longer...

[naiad]

Here in the UK there are not too many problems - sometimes lifeguards have made a fuss about sambas during freediving sessions, but I have got enough places to train. During public pool hours I don't think the pool staff care about what I do in the pool, but I don't do any long apnea for my own safety.

Lucia

[subaquaticus]

Originally Posted by naiad

Here in the UK there are not too many problems - sometimes lifeguards have made a fuss about sambas during freediving sessions, but I have got enough places to train. During public pool hours I don't think the pool staff care about what I do in the pool, but I don't do any long apnea for my own safety. Lucia

Is there a written paper in every British swimming pool as in France giving the regumlation ?

[naiad]

I haven't seen any written paper on display that mentions apnea, except in one pool where it says "Avoid holding your breath and swimming long distances underwater", but the lifeguards let us train there. I don't know if there is an official set of rules somewhere, but I haven't ever been told that it is banned. I think the situation in the UK has improved compared to a few years ago. I wasn't freediving then, but people say it was difficult to convince pool staff to allow freediving clubs to train.

[subaquaticus]

Originally Posted by naiad

"Avoid holding your breath and swimming long distances underwater"

Extremely interesting... it shows the difference of cultures between our countries...

Above contrasts with "Apnée interdite" (Apnea forbidden) from the Parisian swimming pools...

[naiad]

I wonder whether this is because after the movie 'The Big Blue' was released, there was a spate of accidents in pools, so pool staff and local authorities in France became less tolerant of freedivers.

[subaquaticus]

Originally Posted by naiad

I wonder whether this is because after the movie 'The Big Blue' was released, there was a spate of accidents in pools, so pool staff and local authorities in France became less tolerant of freedivers.

You guessed right... There is kind of "Latin" spirit for challenge...

I have heard that watching "Big Blue" occasioned some accidents in swimming pools...

[pim]

it is called 'copycat effect'....

not only the Big Blue caused problems; in the 60's Superman caused some youngsters jumping out of windows, in the 90's another movies caused some deaths, and so on.....

par example; http://copycateffect.blogspot.com/ (google will give you loads of links).

We, in the Netherlands, don't have problems in public pool sofar BUT we train mostly within Diving-clubs, where we inform the staff and other members what freediving is and warn for the dangers. Even then some copy without realising what they are doing.

greetz Pim

[cdavis]

I can't speak for the whole country, but my local problems have disappeared after a little education of pool staff. I, too often, have to train(dynamic, not static) with no buddy, so I actively seek participation of the guards. It has been real interesting. If the pool is busy, it is just not reasonable to expect the guards to pay extra attention to me, so it's surface work on those (rare) days. When it is slow, some guards are good and some are not. It makes me real nervious when I come up, look at the guard and his eyes are not on me. I've learned that it just isn't possible with some guards. At any rate, I'm pretty sure that keeping the guards informed and interested will reduce or eliminate any new moves to ban my training.

It is my impression that the British Freediving Association did some very effective work getting pool training accepted in Britain. I used some of their literature. Thanks to all those who helped me.

Very interesting report from France

Connor

[subaquaticus]

Originally Posted by cdavis

I can't speak for the whole country, but my local problems have disappeared after a little education of pool staff. I, too often, have to train(dynamic, not static) with no buddy, so I actively seek participation of the guards. It has been real interesting. If the pool is busy, it is just not reasonable to expect the guards to pay extra attention to me, so it's surface work on those (rare) days. When it is slow, some guards are good and some are not. It makes me real nervious when I come up, look at the guard and his eyes are not on me. I've learned that it just isn't possible with some guards. At any rate, I'm pretty sure that keeping the guards informed and interested will reduce or eliminate any new moves to ban my training.

It is my impression that the British Freediving Association did some very effective work getting pool training accepted in Britain. I used some of their literature. Thanks to all those who helped me.
Very interesting report from France
Connor

Last Thursday I took the bus which would take me to te swimming pool of Châtillon where there are 2 lines booked by the Air Force.

Because of works due to the construction of the new tram, the bus got stuck in traffic jam ; then I left the bus which by chance was going close to the pool of Issy-les-Moulineaux where I train on Wednesday (the Air Force has there 3 lines) ;

Instead of Chatillon, I went then to Issy's pool. The lifeguards know me very well since I train every Wednesday under the responsability of a special lifeguard but this time I was in public hours...

I went in the line with a belt (2 X 0.500 kg) and 2 ankle weights around the neck ; I also had swimming paddles ; my intention was not to train in apnea but more to reinforce my arms' muscles with suitable laps with swimming paddles...

I began to do very short laps underwater (no more than 15" !) but the lifeguard came to me and asked me to stop "doing apnea" ... She remarked that I had weights... She told me to do that only in the frame of "special lines" rent on Wednesday in this pool...

I took off my belt, remaining with my ankle weights around the neck... and went on mainly doing laps with my swimming paddles... I did some very short swimmings underwater (no more than 4 strokes), almost like a thief ...

I think the lifeguard had been more impressed by my belt than by my doing apneas...

[subaquaticus]

Originally Posted by cdavis

It is my impression that the British Freediving Association did some very effective work getting pool training accepted in Britain. I used some of their literature. Thanks to all those who helped me.

Very interesting ; I should like to know better the British exemple, which might give me suitable arguments to convince our overcautious lifeguards ...