newb /wave

[HoL]

so Ive started training and have a little cruise to the Bahamas in March. this website has been SO incredible as far as the information and general expertise of the divers in here. I first just want to thank you all for the time you've spent putting things in here to help us beginners. As someone that was told they couldn't blow bubbles anymore it's awesome to think I may have found something even better in the tragedy of losing scuba.

Anyhow ... I have 2 questions about O2 dep. and CO2 buildup charts.

1. I found an app called "Breath Hold" for my iPhone that seems nicebso far. I just wanted to know if this was a good app as far as the ratios go.

2. while doing the charts should I be taking a big deep breath? or are these the times when I do the 70% thing?

My PB is not great compared to alot of the beginners in here I'm afraid. At around 2' I feel like I'm a bit slow. But hopefully this will improve with the charts. Im at quite a disadvantage for freediving in general living in Colorado. However I live at close to 10,000ft ... I wonder if that'll help when I actually get to the water haha!

thanks again, and I hope to hear from you soon!

Donnie
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[HoL]

At around 2' I feel like I'm a bit slow.
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I should clarify ... it was past my bedtime when I wrote that and it sounds as if I'm foggy (hypoxic) @ 2min ... I only meant I feel like 2' is behind the general "curve" ... if a dude off the street can just sit down and do 3' I have some work to do lol ... if it matters, I'm extremely fit albeit bigger then the average freediver I've seen. I played professional football before retiring (really just not quite good enough LOL) and started work as a fire fighter in colorado. I've lost quite a bit of the muscle mass from football since taking on other hobbies (IE soccer, hiking, biking) but still a solid 200lbs. Could this be my hangup with static times?

On a 2nd positive note I just got my copy of "the freediving manual" and what a great read!!! I highly suggest it for a beginner such as myself! And I had no idea how much breathing exercises and yoga can affect your daily life and activities!! talk about peace and a new level of fitness ... the feeling of finishing a nice yoga session at 5am is incomparable to anything I've ever done!!

Ok sorry for the rant but this is almost a new page in my life and I like where its headed ;o)

HoL

 

[cdavis]

Hi Hol, Welcome to DB.

200 lb of muscle burns a lot of 02 just sitting there. That might hurt your max static time, but you are nowhere near your max yet. In the water, relaxation and technique are much more important than size.

Keep doing tables, they are great starters. Size of your inhale isn't important(for starters), just keep it consistent to monitor progress accurately. In general, you will get better, faster training effect with less than full inhale.

Before your trip, try to get in the pool (WITH BUDDY) and play with time, distance and what apnea feels like in the water.

Where are you headed in the Bahamas? That's my stomping ground.

Connor

 

[HoL]

Thanks for the reply Conner! We're going on a cruise (ehh, i know) there. I think it'll hit Nassau, Freeport, and Great Stirrup Cay ... Hoping for some good diving there. If anything I know the water will be nice and clear ;o)

That makes sense about faster training results with lesser inhales ... but I'll just stick with what I've started with, like you said, to monitor progress.

Would love to spend more time in the pool actually. My only problem is where I live they don't cherish the aqua quite as much as we do ... There are a few pools however they're max depth is about 10' ... I did recently see an example of dyn training where you put your hands on the wall and fin into it ... think this might be my only option ... if you have any other suggestions for training excercises please help a brotha out!! Contrary to what my fellow Coloradans think ... I am serious about this. Since scuba was snatched away from me I KNOW whats down there now ... and I can't give it up ;o)

HoL

 

[chelle]

Hey HoL, hope you dont mind my asking, why did you have to give up scuba?

 

[HoL]

heya Chelle ... not at all. I hadn't been diving very long (4yrs) when it was brought to my attention that I should have never been able to dive in the first place ... when I was 19 I had a pneumo. They had to cut a bleb (blister) off my lung and then for future safety they thickened the lung walls just to be sure no more would form. I quit diving immediately and sought a Drs advice. I went to see quite the specialist, a hyperbaric pulmonologist. haha. And after a CAT scan and X-rays he told me he'd advise against scuba ... When I Sked him about free diving he told me there's the same risk, which was determined to be VERY low for me, but the potential for severe barotrauma leading to death, as it surely was for scuba because of breathing hyper-compresed air at depth, was far less in freediving.

so that's the story ... I feel stupid for not paying attention to the medical form before scuba diving and I thank God I didn't have any other accident while deep. however as the Dr said the chances are very very slim, but still too much to bet my life on ;o)
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[cdavis]

When you get to Greqt Stirrup, the western most beach has the best access to diving, but even there you will have to evade the lifeguards to get out of the little bay. The shoreline outside the bay(to the west) drops off immediately and is nice diving. If they offer a snorkeling experience outside the bay, it would be the thing to go for.

Pool practice doesn't have to be deep, it keeps me in shape for 30 m 1/2 lung diving, 10 ft works fine, even shallower is ok. I'd suggest doing some swim around dives that mimic what you might do in the Bahamas. Do'em at about 1/2 lung so you won't be so bouyant. Relax, sink to the bottom, sit still till the first urge to breathe, start swimming and come up when it feels right, no need to stretch to extreme discomfort. Do 4 or 5 sessions of this and you will be amazed at your progress.

Have a great trip.

Connor

 

[chelle]

thanks for sharing Hol, glad that nothing happened while u were doing scuba, and that u managed to find another way to explore the ocean

 

[HoL]

rock on Cdavis ... I'll start those training exercises soon!