I cant hold my breath under water.

[Ktrell]

Hello!

Well my problem is kinda simple, i can hold my breath for 1.30 minutes without too much effort, little contractions start around 1.20 (im very new so i think is a good time) but i've hold my breath to 1.52 couple days before but with huge contractions and feeling like dying.

So, all of this is been outside the water, in my bed. The thing is when i go to the ocean i barelly hold my breath for 10 seconds, ive been trying to go down to 8 meters and cant do it and when i can is very hard for me, but outside i dont have any problem walkin holding my breath or just in the bed. :chatup

Im not using fins at the moment and i cant go to a course because the sport here in my country is almost inexistant, but i will love to do some training to get that solve.

Thanks in advance,

Ktrell

 

[Whopperhead]

RELAX. Relax and enjoy the water. I'm wondering if maybe you are panicking a little bit? Is there fear when you are in the water?

 

[Ktrell]

Thx for the reply.

Well i dont have afraid of the water, and im a good swimmer (i take a course when i was in college) but when i dive maybe im getting a little panic, i dont know. how can i control that?

Tomorrow ill go and try to dive till 4 ot 5 meters only and try to figured out whats really happening.

Anyone has special advices or exercises to get more relax or to improve my breath hold time in the water? Remember i dont have a problem doin that outside. =(

Thank you!

 

[hteas]

By far the best thing you can do is spend time in the water.
One possible exercise is to float on the surface with your eyes closed. Simply feel it.

 

[baiyoke]

i cant go to a course because the sport here in my country is almost inexistant, but i will love to do some training to get that solve.

You do have a buddy right? Someone to watch you when in water... Otherwise do your training on land, learn about freediving physiology and how your body works, then you will be better prepaired mentally to breathhold in water when you have found a buddy.

I doesn't sound like you are hyperventilating, but just for the record don't hyperventilate...

Read a lot of the threads in beginner forum (change settings to show threads from beginning at the bottom).

What you really need is someone to stay with you, starting with relaxed, slow, easy, fun static sessions...

Can you tell us, what happens when you hold you breath in water??? You say you can't, but why? What actually happens?

It sounds like you are swimming down to 8 meters... Is that right? My advice: Get yourself a buddy. Forget everything about any meters, just start with static sessions, be warm relaxed, feel safe. Then later you can perhaps start pulling yourself down a rope to 4-5 meters. But if you don't know anything about safety and setup, this is something you need some help with... search for a buddy, I think i've heard about some great freedivers from your country...

Anyway, take it slow, relax, play it safe, always with a buddy...

 

[baiyoke]

i cant go to a course because the sport here in my country is almost inexistant, but i will love to do some training to get that solve.
l

Don't know where you're at, but out of curiosity I googled it, and there seems to be possibilities in your country...

---> http://forums.deeperblue.com/caribbean-central-south-america/71152-freediving-colombia.html

---> Freedivers in Colombia :: Freedive Central

 

[geo909]

+1 to baiyoke. If you have the option of taking an AIDA 1 or 2 star, it would be of a huge benefit. If you're thinking of freediving often do consider it!

 

[Ktrell]

Hi! Thx for the replys.

You do have a buddy right?

Yes i got one, he used to be a diver (more a swimmer). We are tryin to "play" this the safer we can. But both are kinda afraid of the blackouts we always read around youtube and this forums and stuff...

Can you tell us, what happens when you hold you breath in water??? You say you can't, but why? What actually happens?

Im in the surface floating and breathing then i dive and after the first 5 seconds i found myself longing for air but i keep pushing, so when i reach around 6 meters and i guess 15-20 secs or so im at the top and need to get the hell out to the surface and start sucking air like crazy. I think im relax, idk, tomorrow ill be monitoring everything i do and come back to explain me better.

But if you don't know anything about safety and setup, this is something you need some help with... search for a buddy, I think i've heard about some great freedivers from your country...

Ye i read a lot about that. I only heard about one great freediver

Don't know where you're at, but out of curiosity I googled it, and there seems to be possibilities in your country...

Yes, searching around some weeks ago i found a group formed here around 2001 and they seem to offer a course focus to turists, but cant get a in contact with them. Thats why i said "almost inexistant" :t Ive been asking in diving shops and they dont give me any indication of freediving courses. Now with the links u gave me ill try to get in contact with carlosyage an send him a pm. The other courses are in the Pacific and thats impossible.


Thx all of you for the responses!

 

[Ktrell]

Oh crap. I found a course for the Holy Week that is next week. Trying to get some info soon! xD

 

[Kars]

Ok, maybe its time to practice with your buddy in the pool first.

Practice safety, practice duck diving, practice static.

Like Hteas mentioned, snorkel breathing itself is a very nice relaxation exercise. When you're ready, slowly exhale, slowly inhale to 90% full and gently duckdive down to say 2m, and do a little static there, where you try to consciously relax all the parts of you body. Do not think about numbers, depth - time - etc, just gently focus on relaxing and learning your bodies reactions. Don't continuous try to estimate how much longer you can go etc, just be in the moment. Just await 1-2 contractions an come up slowly, because you know you have plenty of air left, and there is no point in haste. Be like fish, slow and flexible. Be like water, go around barriers.

Make many dives with long bottom times, and your goal is learning to relax and slow down.

 

[Ktrell]

Hey thx for the reply.

Thx for the tip Kars. I try a lot duck dive and didnt go further than 3 meters.

Now I think my problem is movement. I was takin notes this morning and i think the problem is the movement when i dive. I make some static and my time was pretty normal again in the water, but when i try the dive theres the problem. The way im diving (moving to advance deeper) is the thing that stress (?) me and makes me want to breath sooner.

So im guessin i have to make some cardio to move without need the air so much? Better resistance? Idk any tip will be more that welcome.

Thx!

Ps. Sry for my english.

 

[Kars]

Your English is fine, mucho bueno compared to my Espagnol.

Anyway, if you can a video can show us what is happening.

From your words I get the impression your duck dive and getting down takes a lot of effort, is this true?

If so, you're not doing the duck dive right. The point of the duck dive is to minimise effort to get through the first 3-5 meters. I've been looking for a fitting video, and apparently there are not many 'duck dive' named videos out there demonstrating a nice technique, this is the best one I found:
[ame=http://youtu.be/8_4wq1fb4jc]techniques of freediving duckdive - YouTube[/ame]

Try duck diving with less air, keep your head in line with your back (don't look down!) use 1 hand to avoid hitting the pool bottom with your head.

Indeed fast movements makes your heart run and reduces your relaxation. So freedivers move slow and very efficient, and reduce resistance by improving streamlining, and save energy by relaxing all the muscles they do not need.

For you next duck dive try this:

Ralax snorkle breathing,
Exhale, inhale 80% last time slowly,
Take snorkle out of your mouth and do a little surface static,
Equalise your ears, bring your arms to your side,
Do a slow finstroke (bring your legs in line and close the surface and getting a little forward momemtum), and duckdive:
by bringing your hands forward and rolling your head downward, swinging 1 or two legs up in the air. As you go vertical your hands extent over your head. and your head gets in line with your now vertically positioned back. Wait for your fins to be submerged before you start finning.

For practising the roll movement, you can do handstands in 1,2m - 1,8m water. Swim a bit, equalise the ears, hands to the side, rotate head in together with bringing forward hands and lifting up the strait legs. What you do is transferring the forward momentum into a vertical momentum, by using the weight of your legs to push yourself vertically down.

tip: it helps when you imagine to dive over a horizontal bar, starting by lifting head a bit up to emphasise the forward roll.

I these words and images help, it's very challenging to spell out movements.


Game idea: place a target at 2 -4 m and get to hit the target without swimming or looking down.


ps. the video shows a bit different variation of a duck dive.

 

[baiyoke]

Sometimes it helps to see the best of the best in action, to have something to aim for. For the absolute supremacy in the noble art of duckdiving, see 1:34 in this video:

 

[Ktrell]

Your English is fine, mucho bueno compared to my Espagnol.

Anyway, if you can a video can show us what is happening.

From your words I get the impression your duck dive and getting down takes a lot of effort, is this true?

If so, you're not doing the duck dive right. The point of the duck dive is to minimise effort to get through the first 3-5 meters. I've been looking for a fitting video, and apparently there are not many 'duck dive' named videos out there demonstrating a nice technique, this is the best one I found:
techniques of freediving duckdive - YouTube

Try duck diving with less air, keep your head in line with your back (don't look down!) use 1 hand to avoid hitting the pool bottom with your head.

Indeed fast movements makes your heart run and reduces your relaxation. So freedivers move slow and very efficient, and reduce resistance by improving streamlining, and save energy by relaxing all the muscles they do not need.

For you next duck dive try this:

Ralax snorkle breathing,
Exhale, inhale 80% last time slowly,
Take snorkle out of your mouth and do a little surface static,
Equalise your ears, bring your arms to your side,
Do a slow finstroke (bring your legs in line and close the surface and getting a little forward momemtum), and duckdive:
by bringing your hands forward and rolling your head downward, swinging 1 or two legs up in the air. As you go vertical your hands extent over your head. and your head gets in line with your now vertically positioned back. Wait for your fins to be submerged before you start finning.

For practising the roll movement, you can do handstands in 1,2m - 1,8m water. Swim a bit, equalise the ears, hands to the side, rotate head in together with bringing forward hands and lifting up the strait legs. What you do is transferring the forward momentum into a vertical momentum, by using the weight of your legs to push yourself vertically down.

tip: it helps when you imagine to dive over a horizontal bar, starting by lifting head a bit up to emphasise the forward roll.

I these words and images help, it's very challenging to spell out movements.


Game idea: place a target at 2 -4 m and get to hit the target without swimming or looking down.


ps. the video shows a bit different variation of a duck dive.

Thx for reply!

First of all im gettin fins, lol, i dont have one and i see you talk about fins too so im buying a pair today so the movement gets easier, idk is thats true in my case.

The video looks great so ill be tryin to copy that tomorrow. So im pointin to the idea that i have to get easy to 4 mts or so with a duck dive. When i get that goal (getting comfort and feelin safe with) then ill try to go further. Thanks for the tips helps me a lot yesterday and will help tomorrow.

Ive start doing some calestenia in a near hill too in the days i cannot go diving. Maybe that helps a little.

One question: I never equalise in the near surface, should i start doing that?

 

[Ktrell]

Sometimes it helps to see the best of the best in action, to have something to aim for. For the absolute supremacy in the noble art of duckdiving, see 1:34 in this video:

William Trubridge freedives THE ARCH at Blue Hole, Dahab - YouTube

Thx for the tip! xD

 

[Kars]

Thx for reply!

First of all im gettin fins, lol, i dont have one and i see you talk about fins too so im buying a pair today so the movement gets easier, idk is thats true in my case.

The video looks great so ill be tryin to copy that tomorrow. So im pointin to the idea that i have to get easy to 4 mts or so with a duck dive. When i get that goal (getting comfort and feelin safe with) then ill try to go further. Thanks for the tips helps me a lot yesterday and will help tomorrow.

Ive start doing some calestenia in a near hill too in the days i cannot go diving. Maybe that helps a little.

One question: I never equalise in the near surface, should i start doing that?

Thanks, I'm happy to hear you're making progress and what does work and doesn't work for you.

On your question:
It's called pre equalisation, and what is does is putting a slight positive pressure in the ears, having the eardrums ready in a more favourable position before diving. With a good start it's easier to maintain your ears equalised.