Underwater Breath Holding

[conn4000]

Just out of interest boys whats your average down times to successfully spear your fish

 

[scottie3030]

between 1min -1 min45 but most fish have been shot from the surface

 

[BenFord]

mines around 1-2 mins depending on how calm i am and tired i am, but i do alot of surface hunting to, just have to find what your hunting areas require,

 

[MULLET HEAD]

mines about 40 to 50 secs max ,i realy am going to have to give up the fags

 

[paddyc23]

usually wen i spearfished the med, morning time around 7am-10am, best time to spear, about 1.20 but after siesta time around 5pm-8pm longer around 1.40, but i ave stopped smoking sense that so probably longer but avent been in water yr and half so ummmm

 

[pembroke]

being a new boy about 20 secs lol, mind you i have speared more from shallow water and the surface

 

[andycornish]

Went scalloping with a mate over easter and at 10m we were both averaging 1-1:15 a dive comfortably, this was with a 2-3 in surface interval. The cold does not help and hoping to last longer in the summer.

Recently went on a freediving course which was really good for breathing techniques on 'breathe up' before going down. Max i managed on a static breath hold was 3:30 and that was with full on diaphragm spasms which you would not want spearing !

Most fish i shot last summer were seen on the surface and then swam down and shot, but starting to spend more time under where the bigger stuff is. Hoping to get a computer soon and will update on bottom times then.

 

[pembroke]

i wish i could learn to breathe longer i last about 30-40 secs, i went out today and apart from a 3-4lb bass turning away as i got in the surf i saw zillch. i was told a 4lb was caught on spinner here 2 days ago and maceral are appearing and been caught. i had 2 x silver grey mullet last week, and saw 3 x plus shoals swim past me at speed. so just a little longer to wait

 

[andycornish]

Sounds like things are starting to come in again

There are a few ways to improve your breath hold

1)Any combination or aerobic and anaerobic exercise, swimming being one of the most obvious
2)Doing more training, i.e. more spearing pushing yourself a bit more each time
3) Practising on land, just holding your breath watching tv a bit each day will add up
4)If your getting more serious using tables like apnea got to be careful with these know and know what you are doing.

I cycle 4 times a week for 30mins hard and that gives me the 1-1:15 comfortably, and works the legs which is good for my new proper fins

Then there are the obvious things like dont smoke etc. Try not having any caffine before going in as will obviously increase your heart rate

Hope it helps.

 

[pembroke]

thanks for the advice, today i am walking from tenby to stackpole quay on the pembrokeshire coastal path, approx 25 km, i cycle once a week so i will improve on that, shame i was a marathon runner 2 years ago shift work put paid to that. anyway as you say the fish are on there way

 

[Erik]

1:30 in f##king cold water. 2:00 in not-so-f##king cold water.

More importantly, 3 to 4 minutes breathe-up, enforced by a computer!

 

[andycornish]

Im sure any exercise which improves fitness is going to help breath hold. And just knowing how long you can hold your breath past when you first feel the need to breathe, but not holding it so much that you have to lay gasping on the surface when you come up because you were down too long.

Erik do you do a 3-4 min breathe-up before every time you go under? and what sort of depths are you going to ?

 

[Erik]

Erik do you do a 3-4 min breathe-up before every time you go under? and what sort of depths are you going to ?

I do a 3 minute breathe most of the time, and 4 if i know I'm going deep or want to try and do a long aspetto.
My deepest hunting dive would be 30 metres and that's rare. 20 metres is the norm for deep. Mostly on the west coast here it's 10 to 15 metres where the fish are.

Cheers,
Erik

 

[nz676]

12-30+ meters hunting and 1.20-2.00ish unless of course i shoot a fish before that.

 

[andycornish]

When you are diving 10m+ is this off the shore or is this off a boat ? all the spearing i have done so far has been of the shore and its usually 10m max, have tried going out deeper but usually ends up as just sand and no fish !

 

[Erik]

Andy the west coast of Canada has lots of fiords. It's easy to find very deep dropoffs right from shore, depending on where you are.

 

[Robbo66]

Andy, you'll see most of your fish between 1-10 mts in the UK, 1 min breathe up max or you'll be in danger of hyperventilating. Be very careful when breathing up. 2 min holds are generally more than enough. Depends on the style of spearing. I'd tend to ingnore the 30mt anecdotes and 4 minute breathe ups.!!!. May work for some state side, but for the UK....no need.

 

[DafyddRees]

I would agree with Rob. None of the people I fish with dive regularly past 15 metres as there is just no need. The guy who is by far and away the best is so natural in the water that he hardly makes a disturbance so not scaring the fish away. The way you conduct yourself in the water will bring you much more success than developing a lung capacity of a blue whale.

Cheers

(I also thought I eclipsed my PB static by 58 seconds this weekend when I checked the watch at 5mins22secs...I was pretty stoked until my girlfriend asked if I enjoyed my snooze...gutted lol. I would of questioned the time even if the good lady was not present as it was my first practise of the season)

 

[igodeep]

when swimming from shore i love to warm up at 10 to 15 meters untill i make it to the 25 30 meter area where i fish comfortably. my time at 30 meters from top to bottom is 1:15 to 1:30 comfortably all day, i have pushed this limit a couple of times when i have shot 15 kilo or more warsaw groupers and have struggled to the top with my fish at 2:12 but that was scary! i can do a 2:00 in 20 meters all day and 2:30 in 10 meters.... and i only have a static apnea at 5:05 im working on it though.

 

[Robbo66]

when swimming from shore i love to warm up at 10 to 15 meters untill i make it to the 25 30 meter area where i fish comfortably. my time at 30 meters from top to bottom is 1:15 to 1:30 comfortably all day, i have pushed this limit a couple of times when i have shot 15 kilo or more warsaw groupers and have struggled to the top with my fish at 2:12 but that was scary! i can do a 2:00 in 20 meters all day and 2:30 in 10 meters.... and i only have a static apnea at 5:05 im working on it though.

Wow, 15 kilo + groupers, 30 mt dives....warm up's at 15mts....phhewww:t