Bottom Time...

[atomichaggis]

What i like to do is dive down to 30M with a rope, then tie it to some underwater structure and secure the other end around My neck with a perfect bowline and then release My weighbelt. I can achieve several hours underwater like this.

If this is no use to You then I recommend a 7mm open cell wetsuit... once you are comfortable its just a matter of relaxing and doing everything in slow motion

P.S. don't set goals

 

[octpora]

roflroflroflrofl I love having all the sick people and the experts in one place!

maybe we could combine methods; lash a tuna cannon to one wrist, stuff a 30 kilo rock in the wetsuit, and maybe some fresh box jelly.

I have to agree with the comfort factor. I like 70f with just a pair of board shorts and a skin top, but thats cause i,m a dense 6'3" 280lb walrus who was born in Minnesota. The buddies who i have hooked on spearing are around 6' and 160. They cry about the cold? water in the keys. I have a considerable bottom time advantage over them when they are out of a suit.
And if you have to hold on to a rock to stay down, less beans in the diet. Your trying too hard and too stupid. Unless, of course, your trying to get leverage on that 8kilo lobster...

 

[Cold_Under_Here]

No, she's not. She pretends many false facts about herself (or about himself - possibly even the gender is not true). Check out this thread for some details: http://forums.deeperblue.net/introductions-greets/72540-i-am-new.html

As for an advice regarding improving your performance - the best I can give you is making a course, joining a freediving club, or finding experienced buddies who respect safety. There are plenty of exercises to improve your performance, or the hypoxic and hypercapnic tolerance (like those listed in the Apnea Training Manager), but if you just gain more self-confidence and start to push closer to your physiologic limits, or employ them incorrectly, you may harm yourself easily. Hence, you better find a good course or a club, as I wrote.

I am just trying to get out in the water as much as possible with my dive buddy. The closest club is too far and the courses are just too expensive right now.

We are taking things very slowly, diving no deeper than 6m (usually 3m), discussing protocols, practiced rescuing each from mocked SWB's and turning the dive as soon as we feel that breathing urge (~40-20sec).

My buddy dubbed what we're doing "surface diving", more an advanced snorkelling thing! No diving down into an apparently bottomless lake, I can see the surface at all times. I think this is more of a psychological thing (like you said), as the vis in the area is around 5-6m.

I'm not concerned with pushing myself too far yet, I hope to keep taking it easy and enjoying the silence.

cheers.

 

[Tony Babowicz]

Yeah, the silence is great isn't it?. In my limited experience as a "safe and proper" diver, I've got to see two blackouts. They both happened at the surface, and one was during a static in waist deep water! Scary as hell for me to see. I'll only dive with a buddy now, and my big focus is on our recovery from the dive. Enjoy the silence and dive safe. Tony

 

[octpora]

To any of those self assured dweebs out there:


Think you can go forever without seeing some kind of medical complication in your sport? Wrong!!! While i have never had the privledge [if thats what call it] of seeing a real medical emergency related to freediving, I'm sure it is only a matter of time.

As a massage therapist i have worked at marathons doing post activity recovery work. The things to which our bodies are succeptable come without warning, especially when we are soo excited and wrapped up in the beauty of the moment, having just met some set goal. You get some person on the table, they are all lit up from the accomplishment, and then their face changes and some body part spasms up enough to elicit a sickening groan. Or worse, Without realizing it, they are slipping into hypothermia, and at the same time their body is jittering they deny it is true. I remember one young woman who's inner thighs were bleeding- rubbed raw, and she didn't even realize it until i said something to her!

This forum has convinced me to take a freediving course, even if i never compete and stay at the relatively shallow 15-20 mters for my spearing. THANKS to all those who ask the questions here and the ones who give informative answers.

THIS GIN & TONIC IS SOOO GOOD AND I LOVE YOU ALL:friday

And could someone direct me info for Maryland usa freedive instructions? Or ignore me an let me find my own mary way- hahahahaha

 

[monkeyhatfork]

octpora- I may be wrong but I think Florida might be your closest bet. PFI and DiveFit hold classes there, maybe someone else know of someone closer, and I believe they will come to your area if you can get enough other people together to fill a course.

 

[Pinggene]

I made it like this: When I was at the bottom, i looked for a big stone and grabbed it and just waited... every time i tried to stay longer, about 5- 15 seconds. It worked, now i stay very long at the bottom... just try it!

Keep doing it, & pretty soon you stay on bottom for a very long time...like FOREVER! :naughty

For a newbe, or a seasoned freediver/spearo, safety is number 1. Buddy up always. Go slow, & have patience with yourself. Safety, safety, safety...