I'm just returning from a very successful course I organized in Cozumel for family and friends.
I had taken the course in Miami, last February and liked it so much that I got a whole bunch of my friends interested in what they called "training not to breathe".
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/_DSC3830a.jpg
Before the course I did some diving, the first day I tried to go spearfishing on the north side of the island (40miles out) got to a shoal around 90Ft deep and during a couple of hours got to see 3 fish: two 2 inch bottom fish and one 20" barracuda. The sea was pretty bad and I took the trip on a Grady White catamaran and if I had any doubts about these type of boats they were all cleared on this trip: I will never get on board another one if I can avoid it. The thinig navigates horrible !!!!!!! it was even worse than my old boston whaler.
The following day Kirk and Mandy arrived and we did a little practice, but my determination to overcome the 36meter (118ft) dive I did on the Miami course was screwing up my mind and I was trying to swim down too fast and all the way down, so I didn't manage to get below 35 meters (115ft) due to equalization problems.
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/_DSC3922a.jpg
The following day the course started and everyone but 3 students showed up.
My PB in static had been 4:45 and I came out with a little samba. That also happened at Miami, so I was determined to do at least 5 minutes, but I didn't do more than eight O2 and CO2 tables, so I knew it was going to be tough.
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/P1010734a.jpg
I was placed on the second round of statics, and I was amazed to see that almost everyone in the first group did 5 minutes and a friend ended up doing 5:15. I was contemplating the chance of being beaten by my non diving friends!!!
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/SNC11395a.jpg
My time came up and I was happy to do 5:55 on my third static, but came out feeling I could have stayed a little longer, so I went for a fourth static (one too many). I can recall Kirk telling me at 5:45 that I was doing very well and he was obviously looking at things from the other side as I was really not doing very well by then, I was getting dizzy already and that's as far as I can remember. I woke up when they took off my mask. Everyone told me it looked horrible, but I didn't feel a thing, it was quite nice to go through the BO in this controlled setting. I did feel extremelly tired the rest of the day.
At the end of statics we found that the group average had been well over 5 minutes, with one 5:55, one 5:45, one 5:30, two 5:15, six 5:00 and the rest did anywhere from 4:45 to 4:55. Most of the group took the course because they wanted to try freediving, so for many it was their first freediving experience.
The following day I did regular training while the rest of the class did what they had to to. Again, I only got to 35m as I was having problems equalizing my ears at over that depth, but I could get there on any dive.
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/P1010763a.jpg
On the last day of the course I was feeling a little depressed because I could just not go past my old PB, even though I did everything I was told to do. I got to the floats and line and just tried to remain calm and do things easy.
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/P1010813a.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/IMG_0067a.jpg
I started off with a 35m dive, and I was able to compensate very well, I then did a 38m (125ft) and again I had no problems equalizing, so on the third run I managed to get to 43m (141ft) and came out with the largest smile you can imagine. I got to that depth with a little ear disscomfort, but it was 3m over what my goal was.
The rest of the group did very well too. My older brother, who couldn't reach 50ft before did 37m (121ft), a friend who did 5:45 static got to 34m (112ft), three more people got to 33m (108ft), four others got to 32m (105ft), two did 30m (98ft) and only two more only got to 28m.
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/P1010816s.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/_DSC3919a.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/IMG_0036a.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/IMG_0058a.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/IMG_0060a.jpg
A day after the course who ever was still there got to go diving with the instructors on the reefs. It was amazing to see almost everyone going down to over 28m (90ft) staying a little bit down there and then come back up.
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/IMG_0098a.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/IMG_0093a.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/IMG_0087a.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/_DSC3888a.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/IMG_0045a.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/IMG_0049a.jpg
We all had a great time, and we all exceeded our goals for the course.
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/IMG_0082a.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/IMG_0072a.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/IMG_0070a.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/IMG_0055a.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/_DSC3895a.jpg
I hope the photos show, I couldn't attach them the normal way.
I had taken the course in Miami, last February and liked it so much that I got a whole bunch of my friends interested in what they called "training not to breathe".
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/_DSC3830a.jpg
Before the course I did some diving, the first day I tried to go spearfishing on the north side of the island (40miles out) got to a shoal around 90Ft deep and during a couple of hours got to see 3 fish: two 2 inch bottom fish and one 20" barracuda. The sea was pretty bad and I took the trip on a Grady White catamaran and if I had any doubts about these type of boats they were all cleared on this trip: I will never get on board another one if I can avoid it. The thinig navigates horrible !!!!!!! it was even worse than my old boston whaler.
The following day Kirk and Mandy arrived and we did a little practice, but my determination to overcome the 36meter (118ft) dive I did on the Miami course was screwing up my mind and I was trying to swim down too fast and all the way down, so I didn't manage to get below 35 meters (115ft) due to equalization problems.
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/_DSC3922a.jpg
The following day the course started and everyone but 3 students showed up.
My PB in static had been 4:45 and I came out with a little samba. That also happened at Miami, so I was determined to do at least 5 minutes, but I didn't do more than eight O2 and CO2 tables, so I knew it was going to be tough.
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/P1010734a.jpg
I was placed on the second round of statics, and I was amazed to see that almost everyone in the first group did 5 minutes and a friend ended up doing 5:15. I was contemplating the chance of being beaten by my non diving friends!!!
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/SNC11395a.jpg
My time came up and I was happy to do 5:55 on my third static, but came out feeling I could have stayed a little longer, so I went for a fourth static (one too many). I can recall Kirk telling me at 5:45 that I was doing very well and he was obviously looking at things from the other side as I was really not doing very well by then, I was getting dizzy already and that's as far as I can remember. I woke up when they took off my mask. Everyone told me it looked horrible, but I didn't feel a thing, it was quite nice to go through the BO in this controlled setting. I did feel extremelly tired the rest of the day.
At the end of statics we found that the group average had been well over 5 minutes, with one 5:55, one 5:45, one 5:30, two 5:15, six 5:00 and the rest did anywhere from 4:45 to 4:55. Most of the group took the course because they wanted to try freediving, so for many it was their first freediving experience.
The following day I did regular training while the rest of the class did what they had to to. Again, I only got to 35m as I was having problems equalizing my ears at over that depth, but I could get there on any dive.
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/P1010763a.jpg
On the last day of the course I was feeling a little depressed because I could just not go past my old PB, even though I did everything I was told to do. I got to the floats and line and just tried to remain calm and do things easy.
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/P1010813a.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/IMG_0067a.jpg
I started off with a 35m dive, and I was able to compensate very well, I then did a 38m (125ft) and again I had no problems equalizing, so on the third run I managed to get to 43m (141ft) and came out with the largest smile you can imagine. I got to that depth with a little ear disscomfort, but it was 3m over what my goal was.
The rest of the group did very well too. My older brother, who couldn't reach 50ft before did 37m (121ft), a friend who did 5:45 static got to 34m (112ft), three more people got to 33m (108ft), four others got to 32m (105ft), two did 30m (98ft) and only two more only got to 28m.
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/P1010816s.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/_DSC3919a.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/IMG_0036a.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/IMG_0058a.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/IMG_0060a.jpg
A day after the course who ever was still there got to go diving with the instructors on the reefs. It was amazing to see almost everyone going down to over 28m (90ft) staying a little bit down there and then come back up.
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/IMG_0098a.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/IMG_0093a.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/IMG_0087a.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/_DSC3888a.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/IMG_0045a.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/IMG_0049a.jpg
We all had a great time, and we all exceeded our goals for the course.
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/IMG_0082a.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/IMG_0072a.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/IMG_0070a.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/IMG_0055a.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u278/AlejF/Diving/_DSC3895a.jpg
I hope the photos show, I couldn't attach them the normal way.
