Exhale dives.

[Dr.Clean]

Hey guys. I saw a video on youtube where a diver apparently blew all of his air out and sat on the bottom for a while and stretched a little bit. So, my question is, if I wanted to increase my bottom time without any air in my lungs, would I just practice my CO2 tables by exhaling all of my air before I begin to hold my breath? Here is a link to said video:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlgTz9sMvLg]YouTube - free diving[/ame]

 

[blueface]

Use the search and type in (exhale diving for the average diver).

 

[Dr.Clean]

Ahhhhh, thank-you. I'll try and remember to use the search next time

 

[cdavis]

Dr. Clean,

Be careful with exhale statics underwater. The BO potential is high and you can hurt yourself very easily with full exhales(personal experience), even in the pool.

Exhales have many uses, the diver in the video seems to be using them to aid his stretches. Works with diaphragm stretches, I'm not sure how it would help intercostal stretching. Exhale diving is a pretty advanced technique, something you should work into slowly and do A LOT of research before you do. Personally, I'm a big fan of frc diving (about 1/2 exhale) and do a lot of pool practice using full exhales, but it takes much getting used to. Use of full exhales especially with reverse packing is controversial. There are some very good divers who think such stuff is just dangerous and not helpful at all.

To your question: doing co2 tables(dry) on exhale is much harder than full lung and should provide considerable benefit. I don't do tables and so am probably not the best source.

If you want to learn FRC diving, the thread above is a good start. Search for all of Sebastian Murat's threads and read them, Several times. His knowledge and logic is superb, but he has a hard time explaining himself in plain english

Connor

 

[Kars]

Exhale diving is very extreme indeed.

I agree with things said above, and would like to add the following.

It looks like the people in the video want to do some stretching. From their movements I suspect that the first guy is a novice, and the second more experienced.

I have done full exhale dives to -5m in a pool, as a way to practice relaxation and increase flexibility and comfort. When you exhale diving you're in fact simulating very deep dives. Example, when I do an full exhale dive to -5m it feels close to a -50m dive(!).

In this light I think it's very sensible to gradually work your way up to this level.
And also adjust your dive time to mirror the dive time of the simulated dive. For my -5m dive I take 40 sec to get down, 40 at the bottom, and 40 seconds to go up, using fins or a line to hold on to. During this dive I don't have contractions (!), I avoid them because I don't want to shock my stretched lungs and body. When I resurface I gradually slowly breath 'pack' in, slowly re-expending my lungs.
As a 'bonus' I enjoy the great flood of blood-shift returning to my limbs.

But indeed go slow, and I too suggest you try FRC first. I also made a little video about finding the state of flow in freediving, and you can find that in this thread:
http://forums.deeperblue.com/freediving-science/86127-how-flow-freediving.html#post806560
This frog flow exercise will help to learn to relax into and through the struggle phase.

Oh yeah, don't forget to have a capable freediving buddy safeguarding you personally.

Love, Courage and water,

Kars

 

[blueface]

Kars, that is a very cool video. It makes me want to dive right now!

 

[Kars]

Thanks Blueface, I hope you to find the things in there helpful in your diving, increasing the level of enjoyment more often and to greater depths

 

[Lil Dragonfly]

Is it true that exhale diving can cause squeeze?

 

[Kars]

yes.

If you're not flexible and relaxed, warm. Contractions increase the risk even further. That's what my previous post was about, making people aware of these factors and risks.

 

[cdavis]

Diving exhale or diving frc doesn't cause squeeze. Simplistically, squeeze is caused by going deeper than your chest flexibility will allow. When diving exhale or frc, that will be a much shallower, and easier to reach, depth than when diving full lung. Do a full, forced exhale and a few reverse pacs and a swimming pool is deep enough. That is part of why divers need to be very careful doing full exhales, even in shallow water.

Connor

 

[blueface]

Diving exhale or diving frc doesn't cause squeeze. Simplistically, squeeze is caused by going deeper than your chest flexibility will allow. When diving exhale or frc, that will be a much shallower, and easier to reach, depth than when diving full lung. Do a full, forced exhale and a few reverse pacs and a swimming pool is deep enough. That is part of why divers need to be very careful doing full exhales, even in shallow water.

Connor

What Connor says is very true. My friend did some reverse packs and was diving in a pool and was coughing up blood. It took almost a week before he went back into the water.

Skip

 

[waxlips]

exhale diving feels really neat and stretching magnifies the feeling.

 

[aaeax]

nice topic and a good answer thanks alot
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[seaflower]

You got me a little worried.
I'm experimenting a bit with exhales in a (shallow) pool, simply because I'm so buoyant that even with a 10 pound weight belt, I just float at the surface.
When I exhale about half, I can swim under the surface without fighting to stay there, and if I exhale fully, I can sink.

I won't stay down long, just swim a bit here and there or sit on the bottom (as I said, not deeper than 7 ft at most), I never was uncomfortable at any moment.
I also won't do this without constant supervision.
Is this alright, or can it still lead to squeezes?
I don't do reverse packing.

 

[cdavis]

Everybody is different, with different chest flexibility, but most divers who get into squeeze trouble in the pool are using the deep end, 4 meters roughly. If you are feeling no discomfort, pressure on the chest, etc, I would not worry about it. BO risk for full exhales is still there.

 

[seaflower]

Thank you for the reply!
Yes, I'm mindful of BO and always have a buddy at my side.
The pool I exhaled in was 1,35m deep, so I guess I'm good =))

 

[Lewis Matthews]

anybody know how to go deeper while diving frc? at about ten meters i feel my trachea feeling a little tighter, no pain but just a strange sensation, is it still safe to progress a little deeper? no rush, just looking for advice

 

[esom]

You are watched i guess...
So this question is one that you need particularly to answer yourself. Because the important bit is, whether this is just a feel in your trachea or if it spreads to the rest of the the body as a tension. Differently said you feel it and you express this perception not only as a thought but bodily, according to the meaning the feel has to you. This is the least.
I can also be good to see, whether the changed trachea feel is the result of changes* of your expression (this is the other way around, timing might differ slightly).
If you gain clarity on these two dynamics there is nothing to be afraid of , i´d say.


*given your initial meters are of a high quality, which is easier to recognise going slow and awake though with low ambition

 

[Lewis Matthews]

Thanks for the help, i just cant seem to find the right answer, that being said i am listening to my body and keeping my awareness on the feelings high, but also staying relaxed as well

 

[esom]

Cleaned my above post up a little, still it´s dense and lacks the space to explain about things properly. If i would comment to clarify i´d underline "meaning"...