freediving and age.

[breath_holder]

A really weird quistion.
I was wondering is there like a ''perfect'' age for freediving?

With perfect I mean like that you could preform the best.

 

[foxfish]

No idea but I cant dive as deep as I could 10 years ago, however this is due, I think mainly to ear problems. I guess the combination of experience & physical fitness I was at my best in my mid to late twenties?

 

[Pastor]

Breath_holder, awesome avatar dude rofl

Mart, I'm surprised to hear that your not diving as deep as you were 10 years ago, I would have thought that the weight of that Zimmer frame would have had you deeper than ever Fine one talking here rofl

 

[breath_holder]

haha thanks

 

[Marwan]

i think that you normally reach your athletic prime towards the mid twenties, regardless of the sport, havibg said that i think youll still fiind many exceptions, of the top of my head....annabelle brisno reaches almost 60 meters at age 56, and theres the russian lady (cant remember her name now, Alexi's mom) was the world record holder (or maybe still is) 86 meters and she's in her 40's...

 

[foxfish]

Good point mate but I actually tow the frame on my giant float! I think it could be the compressed air in my Asso that constricts my depth?

 

[Waterysmile]

i think that you normally reach your athletic prime towards the mid twenties, regardless of the sport, havibg said that i think youll still fiind many exceptions, of the top of my head....annabelle brisno reaches almost 60 meters at age 56, and theres the russian lady (cant remember her name now, Alexi's mom) was the world record holder (or maybe still is) 86 meters and she's in her 40's...

You rightly note these 2 great exceptions (I hope they apply to men as well!) and will only add that in terms of weight training lots of people appear to peak in their 30s or even be at max strength in early 40s.

 

[trux]

There is a big number of world class freedivers and world record or national record holders who are far over 40 or even far over 50. For example if you look at the list of national record holders of the USA (Briseno, Muraoka, Graham, Garrett, Lopez, Croft,...), you could think you landed in some pensioner holiday club website - the average is probably over 60 (just kidding here, it may be a year or two less ) The Russian Natalia Molchanova (45) holds almost all female world records. It is similar in many other countries too - for example French Andy Le Sauce was also far over 50 when he got many of his world records. Enzo Maiorca and Jacques Mayol were beating the records of each other also over their 50's.

The age is much less important than in other sports, since the loss of physical form is compensated by more experience, better psychical stability, and also slower metabolism.

EDIT: Here on DB, among regulars, there are also a big number of veterans far over 40 (myself including) or as old as Bill McIntyre who is close to 70. In our local club we have a 65 years old guy who performs better than many young members.

 

[cdavis]

Second to Trux's comments. If you are talking about "outer edges" of the sport, 90+ meters cw, etc, there may be a premium on youth, say late twenties, early thirty's. For general divers and less extreme competitive environments, I'd say older is better, at least into the sixties, provided you stay in shape. For me, no working out, never heard of DB, I was a much better diver at 40 than at 25. After DB etc, I'm a much, much better diver than ever at 57. Pretty sure I would be slipping if I didn't work out.

Connor

 

[Fondueset]

Internal marital artists peak in their 80s. If they are good the universe takes over where they leave off.
Freediving is quite different from most athletic endeavors.

 

[breath_holder]

cool ,, so I have enough time to become better...

 

[Narsil]

I'm 44 and I'm sure as hell that I haven't peaked yet. :crutch

 

[scoles]

once you hit 18 or hit your metabolism goes down like crazy and continues to go down until you die. so technically the older you are the less oxygen you consume??

 

[trux]

Once you are dead, you can indeed stay without breathing pretty long!

 

[Old Man Dave]

Freediving and spearfishing like many "sports" is a combination of physical prowess and skills based knowledge. The older you get the wiser you get (generally) but fitness gets less with age. Overall, in my life generally, I think late 30's and early 40's was my peak. I was not as fit as when I was 20 but I was a lot wiser. Since then I have noticed my fitness steadily falling off but I get wiser every year and as far as spearing is concerned I am still catching well and showing many youngsters how it's done.

Dave

 

[Jorg]

Most of the 'older' freedivers that I know of who set some sort of records also started late (5-10 years ago), when they were already 'aged'. Makes you wonder what some of these can do when they would have started at a younger age. And then especially with the knowledge that's available now.