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I want to know if I'm doing it right

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.

anthropisces

Well-Known Member
Jun 8, 2006
119
11
108
I've been diving for many years down to 60 feet. I used to dive alone, hyperventilate, etc. Last year I got trained by Fii as a Level 1 freediver. Now this is what I do on a typical spearfishing freedive down to 80 feet...

Generally I am with a really good buddy who is keeping close tabs on me at all times. Some buddies are better than others.

I am weighted slightly bouyant at one atmosphere.

At the surface I breathe out slowly and in quickly and don't hyperventilate. I try to make my surface interval so that it is at least double my breath-hold time. My last breath before I descend is a deep inhale which I try to do from my diaphram. In the past I used to do three little hyperventilates but I was trained that any hyperventilation is wrong.

I then remove my snorkel from my mouth, invert and begin kicking downward. I try to throw my gun and use my arms for the first stroke. I use higher amplitude kicks for the first atmosphere, then lower amplitude kicks for the second, then further reduce the amplitude or just glide.

My equalization seems to be Vasalva or some combination. I am working hard to try to master Frenzel. Getting in touch with my soft palate has been challenging.

I stay on the bottom until my watch hits the one minute mark or until I otherwise feel its time. Sometimes I'll go a little longer. I don't know if I should have some other guide for how long to stay down. I try to exert as little energy as possible at the bottom.

I gradually ascend to the surface. Sometimes I'll experience contractions along the way. I typically will pull air in through my nose from my mask during the ascent.

During the last six feet I start exhaling so that at the surface I'm ready for a deep inhale.

I am Fii level one trained but have seen level two trained divers breathe. They purse their lips and seem to try to build up pressure after that first inhale, then they forcefully exhale. This is repeated three times. After that, three "cleansing breaths" are taken. So that is what I have recently been doing. After that I put my snorkel in my mouth. After that I'll sometimes do a few more deep breaths and then I'll start the cycle of slow exhales and rapid inhales.

First of all, what do you think of what I'm doing? Should I change anything?

Can you recommend any good threads or books that I should read?

I want to stay down longer. I have just started doing some breathing tables from my iphone app "iHoldBreath". I'm doing the CO2 tables once a day. Can anyone tell me how to improve? Can you tell my what I should use as a guide as to how long I should stay down?
 
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