The Perfect Freediving Training Centre?

[Stephan Whelan]

We're doing a bit of research and require your help! We're trying to figure out what a perfect Freediving Training environment would be.

I'd like your suggestions. When thinking of them be creative and well as realistic. Imagine you have an unlimited budget and want to have all the facilities and toys you'd want.

Be creative and let's hear your suggestions!

 

[thin_air]

Unlimited budget



ok here we go,
pool 1, 50 meter lane swimming pool, 3 meter constant depth, colder water
pool 2, 25 meter "activities" pool, from a shallow 4 feet to a 15 feet deepend water would be a cooler temp. (65F>?) this pool would be for statics, and working on surfacedives, and negative pressure dives
pool 3, diving tank, as deep as possible, ?50 meters? (not that i could reach the bottom..) ("Dolphin" type, except without the escape hatch at the bottom) with water temp. at a 3mm wetsuit temp. (75F?), this would need to have a permanent line for sleds, and another line for CB, with markers every 10 meters, and.. another line for variable ballast (is that the one that you can use the rope>?)

a 400m running track (because we all like running right>? no>? well i do so there :t ), on the outside of the running track, a velodrome, (sprinting is good..)

for testing facilities,
equipment to measure HR and blood pressure during dives, and statics, equipment to measure arterial PPO2 and PPCO2

a pressure chamber, capable of going to 40m, and having half of it submerged (hard to explain, but i think i have seen it before)

a simple gym with mostly freeweights (a few machines for leg press, to be safer if doing them during apnea), a good place to stretch/yoga/meditation another room for plyrometrics (spelling>? sven>?) and other active warm ups

other then that, there would need to be a sauna, a hot tub and adequate shower and changing facilities,

there would need to be emergency O2 located around every pool, and the dive tower

fun thinking about...
take it for what its worth

 

[thin_air]

and... a teacher on staff, and a few rooms to board, so i could live there year round and still do school and train,

this center would preferably be in an area with good mountainbike trails, yet close to a good reef or 2 to dive

rofl

 

[icarus pacific]

lotsaladies.

Not that I subscribe to all this, but as far as making it someplace a freediving afficianado would attend:

Make it a destination, ala Club Med or the like. You have my permission to call it Club Sven. :king This requires that you have facilities for the kids and spousal appendages that don't dive and need entertainment other than sitting around and comparing fins.

A deep tank for Bill and Erik. A real deep tank. With sound.

A pool for you guys that do the horizontal stuff, but for chrissakes put some kelp and a bottom in it. This going back and forth counting the penny stains is for the birds.:duh

A tank with real, live and swimming fish that we spear-types can shoot with virtual guns of our choosing and design. Hmm, I think I like this more and more! Design your own gun and virtually go after 500 pound tuna, 60 pound white seabass, 50 pound halibut and 2 pound rainbow runners. Hell, you could even ruin a good thing once a month and stage a comp for those that have no problem shooting trash fish for points and sponsorship! :hmm But charge 'em!

Instructors that have less thickness in their head than the material in their suit. I don't respond well to the chest swelling/thumper type. And they've got to have some time doing this... not just 4-5 years and a lot of hope.

A tank where there is kelp and sunlight and tunes to let your noggin just go off into La-La land... rather like a sensory deprevation pool; a back to the womb thing. With water the temperature of your core, so you can go sans everything. This I endorse too.

Gotta have good eats, I mean really good eats. And real coffee.

A yoga and meditation workshop.

A real, no B.S. bunch of physicians that know what the Hell they're talking about, rather than just the usual bunch of speculators. Get Chris on this ASAP.

A sunlit recovery area, frequented by cabana guys and gals standing by to hustle up that smooth non fat latte' you desire as tea time nears. (When is that anyway?)

REALLY SWEET AND PLUSH ROOMS WITH VIEWS OF A REAL BEACH. You know the kind. Just look at a travel brochure and plant your ass in the photo.

...the mind reels.

sven

 

[ivan]

hi

geeze I was thinking a 50m warm pool would be good enough for dynamics and statics, and for constant well the ocean looks good.

cheers

 

[Bill]

K.I.S.S.

Hey guys
Why so complicated? A sixty meter rope in a sheltered cove about thirty minutes by car and five minutes of swimming from the parking spot on the beach. 79 degree water, 150 foot viz, a good buddy and Kirk shows up every year for a refresher course.
Pardon my attitude but it was just another s****y day in Kona. Sven, does s****y have two Ts. I feel so good I think I'll bid on that D3 in E-bay.
My best friend in CA won an arguement with the Feds and will be back in a Delta AL cockpit next week. On Friday, in less than perfect conditions, on my fourth static ever in the pool, the clock said 6:00 with only a little shake and today the 150 foot free immersion felt great. Good to be back to some depth after that miserable cold last month.
Hope everyone else had a good weekend too.
Aloha
Bill

 

[jero]

Originally posted by Bill

Why so complicated? A sixty meter rope in a sheltered cove about thirty minutes by car and five minutes of swimming from the parking spot on the beach. 79 degree water, 150 foot viz, a good buddy and Kirk shows up every year for a refresher course.

Yep!
That's about it...
Maybe 70+ m rope...

 

[icarus pacific]

Re: K.I.S.S.

Originally posted by Bill
Hey guys
Why so complicated? A sixty meter rope in a sheltered cove about thirty minutes by car and five minutes of swimming from the parking spot on the beach. 79 degree water, 150 foot viz, a good buddy and Kirk shows up every year for a refresher course.
Pardon my attitude but it was just another s****y day in Kona. Sven, does s****y have two Ts.
Aloha
Bill

No latte's amigo??:waterwork No cabana girls??:waterwork

Nice to hear that you're feeling better. It's the shit's to be sick in paradise.

sven (with 2 "T's")

 

[Jon]

Where's the wreck?

You need a couple of wrecks on the bottom of that thing.
I guess it would be ok to hide some fish in the wreck to give Sven something to do.
Besides the sled, we also need some scooters to play with.
I am also not agianst putting a micro brewery for after dive activities.
It would be nice to have a wide range of gear (expensive gear) in a wide range of sizes so that we could actually try everything out before we drop the cash on that new pair of C-4's, or that monofin we have been thinking about since last fall.

Jon