Breathing following ascent

[robert barrocas]

Hey,

What is the proper technique for breathing when surfacing following a freedive. I am sure this topic has already been brought up but I didn't find anything.

Thanks!

Rob

 

[SnuFPunK]

Deep breaths, with calm and passive exhalations.
Concentrate on the inhalations.
In anyway, dont make any forced exhalations on a recovery breath, you might make the partial pressure of oxygen in your lungs drop and have yourself a BO party :duh

~ Snuf.

 

[Waterysmile]

Also depends on how far you have pushed it - if I really really need to breathe then lots of breaths happen very quickly after a dive.

 

[robert barrocas]

Thanks for the info snuf and watery. I know what you mean about the need to breathe but its that BO party I am trying to avoid.

 

[hteas]

Kirk Kraak pushes 1 or more hook breaths upon surfacing. This minimizes BO or sambas, like I had in front of him during a training dive last year in Kona. The reason for the hook breaths is to maintain blood pressure when you start breathing. Otherwise, as happened to me, my blood pressure dropped dramatically as I relaxed and started breathing; result was really good samba, with him and Martin laughing at me as they held me up. He then explained to me why he does, and teaches, hook breathing before the deep breaths. Makes a lot of sense to me now : o
Howard

 

[Jorg]

It's more or less the same idea as what Umberto Pelizzari is teaching. When coming up the biggest mistake is to exhale completely, inhale, exhale. The first thing when you surface is first to exhale only for 20%, inhale immediately, hold very short, maybe repeat one more time and then start your normal recovery. This way you make sure you bring oxygen to the most needing parts in your body. I remember the nice video Umberto has from the 1998 championships in Sardinia with all the blackouts because people first want to cheer when they come out with their tags and they go down under again during the cheering with a blackout because they forget to breath...