dangerous???

[diviajar]

Is it really dangerous to train in a normal pool?
My question is: if I go to the local pool, do some
dives following the length of the pool, trying
to improve my distance/time, am I in any
danger?
I have done it several times and never
thought it could be dangerous...

thank you for your help!

I´m thinking of taking a freedive course in Dahab,
Egypt, this summer. What should I expect? Am I
going to significantly improve?

 

[naiad]

Yes it is very dangerous, if you don't have someone with you and supervising you all the time. You should always have a competent buddy with you if you are trying to improve your time or distance. I have blacked out before - there wasn't any warning, and I wasn't even doing my longest time.

Dive safe!

Lucia

 

[DeepThought]

Addition to Lucia's warning: Don't consider lifeguards as competent safety, they have to watch other people as well and might miss you if something happens, there have been casualties in pools before under the eyes of lifeguards. You need someone to watch you perosnally who knows how to do proper safety specifically for apnea. Try using the search function of these forums, there should be enough information about this already.

I´m thinking of taking a freedive course in Dahab,
Egypt, this summer. What should I expect? Am I going to significantly improve?

Taking a course is very advisable, you can gain years worth of expirience in a few days - that was true in my case eventhough I've been browsing these forums for about a year before my course. There's no price for proper safety, also it is VERY likely that you'll increase your diving abilities (some people double or even triple them).

Dahab is wonderful, with whom are you planning to take a course there? Check out http://www.blueskunk.net/ located in Dahab.

 

[Pocoshower]

I´m thinking of taking a freedive course in Dahab,
Egypt, this summer. What should I expect? Am I
going to significantly improve?

Sure you will improve your performance. I been diving (sperafishing most of the time) for more than 20 years. Then I took a freediving course and I was surprised with the improvemet in my diving skills.

Salud

 

[naiad]

Addition to Lucia's warning: Don't consider lifeguards as competent safety, they have to watch other people as well and might miss you if something happens, there have been casualties in pools before under the eyes of lifeguards. You need someone to watch you perosnally who knows how to do proper safety specifically for apnea.

Michael, thanks for adding that. I only ever go near the limit or try something I'm not sure of if the person supervising me is a freediver who I know well.

 

[sinkweight]

Here here. I tried to play a rather mean trick on a dear friend's friend (lifeguard). He paid me to lay at the bottom of the pool for a while to see if the lifeguard would notice, with my friend watching both of us from under a college pool bleacher. Rather cruel, I agree.

Don't try this unless your a stupid Texan playing a trick on other stupid Texans, mind you.

Anyway, I was rather suprised, as I was the only one other than the lifeguard in the whole college pool (that shall remain nameless). All he had to look at was me and his precious clock that was about 5 minutes away from blowing the "all out" whistle.

I was getting my 9th, really uncomfortable contraction at about 2:20 without a proper breathup. He was twiddling his float-strip, or whatever you call those floatie-belts. Twirling it around, with his eyes to the clock, according to my friend. Not even aware over the faint music playing over the loudspeaker, that the splashing of the only lapswimmer had stopped. It would have gone totally unnoticed if my hammy friend hadn't run out from his hiding place to yell and point at me at the bottom of the pool. Unfortunately, I'd built up too much CO2 for the gag and had to surface. The lifeguard, only then, was running towards the deep end to jump in and "Save the surfaced drowned man", ha ha ha.

That'll teach'im. And I hope that teaches YOU out there. There was a scare a couple of months ago that swim areas, and their respective staff members, were catching on to the whole apnea practice....the scare being the idea that they were banning this type of activity, no matter if it was supervised by buddies or not. It seems quite the opposite here in Dallas. I wasn't posing as a blacked out freediver, mind you, I was merely posing as a drowned evening lap swimmer.

It woke the lifeguard buddy up, I can tell you. But that's typically what it takes for some "lifeguards" who assume that everyone has been swimming for so long that nothing is probably going to happen.......heh-heh-heh...even if that's what I think sometimes....Just goes to show....