Newbie progress

[oreana123]

I have started my training for my trip to Maui in April. I am working at the YMCA with 13 feet of depth but that can be tough if you work it right. I am getting 2 minutes of time at 13 feet by watching the swimmers lap timer. I am practicing breathing through a coffee stirrer. I have been practicing in my entire set up (camo wetsuit, weights and freediving fins). Yeah, I look strange to the people there.
When I see the ice off the reservoirs here, I will start diving a bit deeper. The local dive shop has a free diving class that I am about to attend. Thanks for all the help from those who post here and on the other forums. I have gotten a lot of info from past posts and I think I will be in a good position to "get sum" when I get to the island. John S

 

[Bindlestitch]

John,
That's awesome! They actually have a freediving class in Idaho?! That is too cool......we don't have any thing like that.:waterwork

 

[oreana123]

Yeah, The dive shop owner tells me that he can help me double my working time at depth, so I am gonna come to him with the best times I can develop on my own. I dont really have any particular breathing rythym as I have seen some other accomplished divers have, so that is where I can use some instruction. John S

 

[icarus pacific]

Welcome to DB and the sport, John.

While the training and excitement are admirable, be REAL sure that you have someone spotting for you while you do your in-water work. Punch up "shallow water blackout" in the search function here and do some reading.

You're on a good path in getting the local shop to give you what they can. Get some some time in the water and then give a real good look at attending a real freediving clinic like that given by Preformance Freediving or Tanya Streeter's show.

All the best in your development. Let us know how it goes for you.

 

[Johnny Arizona]

That sounds like a goodY.

I used to belong to the Y in Moline, Illinois years ago.

I would go underwater and hold my breath for two and a half maybe three minutes.

On day some old geezer came up to me along with a life guard and said "Why," as if I were doing something immoral or illegal.

You must consider that this was in Moline a severely conservative area and it was probably in the eighties. But that doesn't excuse his attitude.

When I lived down in Nashville a year or so before that the life guards seemed to be impressed with my efforts.

I held my breath for 4' 20' a few years ago publicly. It got on the news because I pointed out that it was longer than Harry Houdini's best time. No one has tried to beat it in this area of maybe 350,000 people. I'm almost amazed by that.

I've hit around 5' 40" since then and am thinking of doing some serious training and need some tips.