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ANY info

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.

Nicky

New Member
May 10, 2002
100
4
0
38
Hello,
My name is Nicky Scanlon and I'm 16 and just starting this wonderful sport of freediving / spearfishing.
What I'm looking for is ANY information on how to hunt, increase my breathhold, how to feel more comfortable in the water and the like. I have a brother (19) who takes me out spearing at the islands around my area (mid - north coast nsw australia) which are beautiful and really fishy and really would love to make me an accomplished diver. I've just finished my open water ticket with PADI, on the way to do my advanced and would love to become a
divemaster when old enough.
Hope some info will be coming my way soon. :p
 
Hey Nicky!

Welcome to DB.

You'll have to do some hard physical labour for the info you're looking for - in other words, just read all the info on the forum!

Start with the safety - related threads, and then go over to the hunting forum for some great pics. Then try the Techniques page ....
 
Hello,
Thankyou for the help, SASpearo. I'll keep up the reading.
Just a quick question, and I am in no way refering to DB (as I think you guys are really friendly) but is spearing just for the guys? Or are the female species quite welcome in this community too?:confused:
Just making sure that I wouldn't be stepping on anyone's toes if I made my presence known - I wouldn't be rude, don't worry. Perhaps they weren't quite the right words......
Anyway could you tell me if my time is ok? I know I shouldn't be worried about that, and that it should only "feel" right, I'm having trouble getting that feeling. Time is 1:45 - 2:00 at a stetch. I've been working quite hard on it of late as I do three different sports at a state level. I don't seem to be getting anywhere fast though :head
What do you think?

Ta.
Nicky
:D
 
Hello Nicky,
EVERYBODY is welcome here, male and female, freediver and SCUBA diver. You've picked a wonderful activity to pursue.

Your times are really very, very good, not excepting the fact that you are relatively new to the sport. Lots of people here can't hit those numbers... Be very careful that you don't become fixated on just making the numbers and personal bests, (PB's). The idea here is to just go diving and enjoy it, and sometimes that gets forgotten. Some here only get that enjoyment by making 2 minutes, or 100 meters in a pool, or by spearing a big fish...whatever. Just do it safe, educated and with a smile. There are lots of people here, guys and girls that will answer any questions you have or at least steer you in the right direction.

sven
 
Thankyou Sven,
I feel very welcome here. I was reading an article the other day that said that a guy could go 8 mins without a breath - is tht true? Wow! how could I do that?

Nicky
 
Hell yeah ...

Ditto on all Sven's said. BTW, NEVER give him your tell no !! :D :D

I used to think quite the same thing - I've never met a female spearo untill about a year ago. And that meeting changed my life - this woman was just over 5 foot tall, teeny tiny, and the first dive she did she came up with a 20kg Yellowfin Tuna ... I was astounded. I was doing boat duty for the first hour or so, and she was just doing these DEEP dives and coming up eith HUGE fish.

No, it's not only for us 'guys' - but because *most* people think it's such a macho sport, the females tend not to make waves. Which is a great pity, as we can all learn from each other. Sometimes we learn the most valuable lessons from the most 'inexperienced' divers ....

And 1:45 is not bad. Most of the dives I do lasts around 2 minutes anyway, and I *try* not to push myself too hard. I just get in the water and have fun !

One thing that has made me feel more comfortable in the water is the amount of time I spend in the water, and endurance training ... but more on that later.

Ciao,
Riaan Coetzee
 
Hi Everybody,
just a quick question this time - I know you must be getting sick of me and my silly questions.
Is it helpful that if when you see a big fish, you don't make eye contact? I've heard this but don't know if its just an old wives tale......any info?
Also what does everybody eat before an early morning dive? (Sorry if that sounds really weird.....)
Ta
Nicky:wave
 
Probably an old wives tale ...

But it seems to work.

I have the biggest breakfast I can find - some fruit, eggs, toast, coffee (not too much), OJ, cereal etc etc etc. No meat. No milk. No heartburn :D

I think we actually discussed this somewhere else .... mmm maybe it was on the boat somewhere in some rough seas :D
 
Could somebody please tell me what the go is with the Karma thing? I don't understand. :duh I hope its not too obvious... :eek:
Thanks
Nicky:wave
 
Karma is like, shuwow ....

If you like someone's attitude / post / comments / pink kitty wetsuit, you give him / her Karma. If not, you can also give negative karma ....
 
Hi

Hi Nicky,
Like the others, glad to have a new member and also glad to see the ladies joining the ranks. Hope the info you get here will be informative and I can guarentee you it will be entertaining. To answer some of your questions. Yes there are a few people that can hold their breath for eight min. I think the last I heard Pipin was doing that. It takes ALOT of practice and probably some physiologic predisposition.
For breakfast I try not to eat alot before diving. Usually coffee/powerbar, something hi-cal. Also it lessens the chance of having to take a potty break while you're out the diving :eek:
As for the eye contact, who really knows but it does seem to have some truth. I use a mask w/ tinted lenses so in theory they can't see my eyes. Also somehow it seems the fish sense your intentions so I try not to act aggressive until to last moment, make your movements gentle and deliberate.
Feel free to continue asking us questions and remember there's no silly questions. Dive safe.
Jay
BTW: There are quite a few good spearfishing/freediving ladies in Australia. I believe Naomi Spicer is #1 right now.
 
Welcome I too am new here.Dont worry about your time it will increase overtime.I asked the same questions as you about a week ago so look at those.When I joined here I had a time of 2:13 or something like that now its 2:30 but today I might break that( with lots of help from DSV and some from the guys around here).You might want to buy a few freediving videos.
 
finally

more people my age around here(and a lady none the less :chatup ), ah, i like good news, (this is turning out to be a very good week for me ha ha ha rolf)

dont worry about anyone around here, the only bites you will get will be from sven (and he only bites at your words, turning them against you :D )

im only 15 and love freediving (even more when i get out of the pool ;) which hasnt happened in a while...) and when i joined here my pb was 1.30 (or somewhere around there) and these guys got me up to 3:15 (of the holds i time, only a small fraction, some that i havent timed i estimate to be over 4 minutes)

they taught me about saftey, how to be a safe and responsible diver (some of this has even transfered over to my school work :D atleast some of the responsible part) they gave me great training techniques, they also gave me motivation, a reason to dive many goals to strive for (i finally reached a 3.30 timed static, during english class non the less) an,

MOST IMPORTANTLY, they made me a better person, my health has gone up, my grades have gone up, my life is much better, you learn alot from listening to your body, and this has helped alot


everything takes time, be patient
 
Gee thanks guys,
I feel special now that heaps of people have written back. Thank you for all the info/tips etc. I think it would be a good idea if I got a tinted mask. Then I wouldn't have to worry about not looking at the fish I want and concentrate on the shot. Thanks Jay - are they easy to find?

thin_air - how long did it take you to increase to 4 mins? Thats heaps good, my proplem is I'm too impatient. :t

Thanks Kevin88 - I did have a look at your threads and they were very helpful and I even managed to get a video, "I think its called diving in the coral sea" its really good. What is DSV? :confused:

Does anyone know what I should be saying to myself (if anything) when I'm breathing up? I know its probably different for everyone but should I be phsiking (how DO you spell that?:eek: ) Or just relaxing?

Any ideas on some drills I should be doing to increase breathhold? I swim once a week for 2 hours and almost every other day I do either soccer or touch (football) for a few hours, but these aren't really specific. I read somewhere (probably here) that a good "program" for improvement is to breathe up, hold, walk 20 metres, let out re - breathe - up. and repeat. You increase your distance over weeks of training. What do you think? I hope programs aren't a secret thing.....just let me know.:D

Righto Ta then
Nicky:cool:
 
"A LOT" IS TWO WORDS !!!

Originally posted by thin_air

dont worry about anyone around here, the only bites you will get will be from sven (and he only bites at your words, turning them against you :D )


And he does this until you realize it's in your best interests, and then only with flair... rather like diving.

sven
 
Thanks Sven,
Its cool, I'm not worried at all - I'm happy for any replies.

:D :) ;)

Nicky
 
Originally posted by Nicky
should I be phsiking (how DO you spell that?:eek: )
I hope programs aren't a secret thing.....just let me know.:D


PSYCHING. :D

Nope, programs aren't necessarily a secret thing, unless and until you go to levels that get your name in the papers, usually with the added heading, "Found drowned..." Take a gander and give Erik here a ring, he and Bill are waaay into apnea and will most probably be able to put you on a right path. My breathe-ups are less technical and sophisticated but revolve around really relaxing and letting myself be bouyed by the water, feeling my various parts stretch and limber up, (I know I'm gonna get hit for that one... :hmm ) and then a pretty good concentrated focus on packing up that last little smidge of air on the final, and off and down I go, trying to remember to stay vertical and be looking...

The tinted lenses are good on a couple of levels- one, they will block your quick eye movement from the fish's sight; remember that they will be looking you over as somehing of a curiousity and a threat, so anything you can do to reduce erratic and nervous twitches is a good thing. The lenses also act as sunglasses in that since you spend so much time at the surface and then descend, they keep your pupils slightly dilated and happy. OMER and Picasso have them as does AQA from Hana Paa in Hawaii. I fyou can find a mask that has the lenses and will fit your mug, go for it.
 
Lateral sensor

Originally posted by Nicky
Is it helpful that if when you see a big fish, you don't make eye contact? I've heard this but don't know if its just an old wives tale......any info?
Also what does everybody eat before an early morning dive? (Sorry if that sounds really weird.....)
Ta
Nicky:wave

Hi,
most fish use their lateral line where they have pressure sensitive sensors to detect thing that approach them, movement in the water when there's no visibility etc... That's why a fish will go toward you then turn sideway, so he can sense better the pressure change when you approach. BTW that's the best time to shot them so they can meet mr.BBQ and mrs.Lemon with sir white wine....:p

As for eating, a lot of carbo (i.e. sugar) is a good diet before diving. In the water, you loose body heat 20 times faster then in air. On top of that the swimming and apnea just pump energy like hell, that's why i always bring chocolat with me that i eat after an our or two of freediving (my girlfriend think half an hour is enough to need chocolat...). :p I also bring water with sport drink powder, you dehydrate a lot in the water, that gets your blood more dense and it circulate less efficiently, lowering the efficiency of the oxygen exchange in your body. You feel more tired and cold. Stay hydrated!

Because you are upside down a lot of time while freediving, some stomach acid get up in your esophagus(The portion of the digestive tract between pharynx (throat) and stomach. ) and you can feel heartburn.
 
Nicky- i started into freediving "seriously" in september, by december i was at 3:30 (timed) and now, finally i beat the 4:00 timed, i FINALLY got 4:30, and im really pumped, anyway, it took me about 4 months to get around 4 minutes

sven- right as usual, it is in everybodys best intrest, (both for humor and facts "sometimes") flair>? what does that mean? well, i think it means style and you would be right again

its raining cats and dogs (and rats) outside and the "creek" in the back yard just flooded, the worst(best) part is i feel like going diving ha ha ha rofl
 
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