For some reason I struggle to hold my breathe for more then a minute in shallow water or on land. Yet when I'm deeper and I get a good equalization it calms me down and I can hit 80ft+ on my dive. Is this normal for my dynamic times to be longer than my static?
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Weird question about equalization?
- Thread starter tuffstuff
- Start date
Thread Status: Hello
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It seams like just a matter of focus and/or preperation.
Preperation:
We tend not to prepare as much on shallow dives as we would for deeper dives. This will cut your dive times short. If you know that you can dive 80ft, then you may not even think about preparing for a dive to 30ft. You think "that's easy" so, you just dive.
Focus:
When we do static dives or shallow dives with little movement, our minds tend to focus on the time that we have been down. And soon we find ourselves needing to come up for air. When we dive deeper, our minds are focused on the dive and our surrondings. Our minds are pre-occupied, and we forget about time. Before you know it, you have been down longer than you expected.
Example: If you get off work in a 1/2 hour, and you keep watching the clock, it is going to seam like hours. But, if you are out having fun, time will pass by and you won't even know it. 3 hours will feel like a 1/2 hour.
It is the same with freediving. When I do a static, I never look at the time until I have my first contraction. Just by doing this, I have doubled my static. If I watch the time, I'll have to breath before I get to a contraction. When I do a dive, if I think about my time, I'll have to turn back early. But, if I focus on my dive and my surroundings, I will stay down longer and dive deeper. Now, if you are not carefull, you can stay down too long and black out. One way that I avoid this is to set a dive timer.
For Example: Let say that I can do a 1:00 dive, I'm diving 50ft, and I know that I can float to the surface in 15 seconds. I will set my dive alarm for 45 seconds. This way I know that when the alarm goes off, I need to turn and go back to the surface. I also know that I can make it back with time to spare. If I float to the surface in 15 seconds, I can swim it in about 5 seconds. Giving me 10 seconds to spare.
Well, this is getting a little long so I'll end it here. I hope that this helps. There are other reasons, and I'm sure some will mentioned those. But these are the ones that you can control and use to get better dives.
Brian
Preperation:
We tend not to prepare as much on shallow dives as we would for deeper dives. This will cut your dive times short. If you know that you can dive 80ft, then you may not even think about preparing for a dive to 30ft. You think "that's easy" so, you just dive.
Focus:
When we do static dives or shallow dives with little movement, our minds tend to focus on the time that we have been down. And soon we find ourselves needing to come up for air. When we dive deeper, our minds are focused on the dive and our surrondings. Our minds are pre-occupied, and we forget about time. Before you know it, you have been down longer than you expected.
Example: If you get off work in a 1/2 hour, and you keep watching the clock, it is going to seam like hours. But, if you are out having fun, time will pass by and you won't even know it. 3 hours will feel like a 1/2 hour.
It is the same with freediving. When I do a static, I never look at the time until I have my first contraction. Just by doing this, I have doubled my static. If I watch the time, I'll have to breath before I get to a contraction. When I do a dive, if I think about my time, I'll have to turn back early. But, if I focus on my dive and my surroundings, I will stay down longer and dive deeper. Now, if you are not carefull, you can stay down too long and black out. One way that I avoid this is to set a dive timer.
For Example: Let say that I can do a 1:00 dive, I'm diving 50ft, and I know that I can float to the surface in 15 seconds. I will set my dive alarm for 45 seconds. This way I know that when the alarm goes off, I need to turn and go back to the surface. I also know that I can make it back with time to spare. If I float to the surface in 15 seconds, I can swim it in about 5 seconds. Giving me 10 seconds to spare.
Well, this is getting a little long so I'll end it here. I hope that this helps. There are other reasons, and I'm sure some will mentioned those. But these are the ones that you can control and use to get better dives.
Brian
I find my breath hold usually improves during the course of a dive and even more over the course of the season, as I relax more and think less. Somebody wrote a while back that they don't expect to hold their breath long for their first 3 dives -- I found that idea helped me to relax and not expect too much too soon. I'm a lone spearo though, not a competitive free diver, so I don't push it, if its comfortable I stay with it, otherwise I surface.
Hey tuffstuff and all
I am only a newbie (so take the below with a pinch of salt) but I do agree with kronek67, it must be a combination of preparation and also a mental 'block' about doing static.
It certainly does not make much sense (in the physical sense) for your dynamic time to be greater than your static time but maybe when you are doing static you are not truly relaxed. By what you are saying (and just by the fact that you are posting it), it looks like you are a lot more relaxed at 80ft and that you have possibly some mental block about the 1 min mark etc. I agree with kronek67, certainly don't look at your watch while doing a static - I try to either empty my mind or just think of/visualise something pleasant and relaxing.
Another thing I can think of is that maybe when you are doing a static, you are a lot more aware of the CO2 building up gradually in your body and you are just more aware of the need to breath.
The only other thing I can think of: do you have any different preparation routine when diving to 80ft? It might shed some light if you are doing any kind of different breath up when preparing to dive to 80ft than when you are doing a static.
One thing I am fairly certain about - I am sure your true static capacity is much longer than 1 min! ;-)
Best
Simos
I am only a newbie (so take the below with a pinch of salt) but I do agree with kronek67, it must be a combination of preparation and also a mental 'block' about doing static.
It certainly does not make much sense (in the physical sense) for your dynamic time to be greater than your static time but maybe when you are doing static you are not truly relaxed. By what you are saying (and just by the fact that you are posting it), it looks like you are a lot more relaxed at 80ft and that you have possibly some mental block about the 1 min mark etc. I agree with kronek67, certainly don't look at your watch while doing a static - I try to either empty my mind or just think of/visualise something pleasant and relaxing.
Another thing I can think of is that maybe when you are doing a static, you are a lot more aware of the CO2 building up gradually in your body and you are just more aware of the need to breath.
The only other thing I can think of: do you have any different preparation routine when diving to 80ft? It might shed some light if you are doing any kind of different breath up when preparing to dive to 80ft than when you are doing a static.
One thing I am fairly certain about - I am sure your true static capacity is much longer than 1 min! ;-)
Best
Simos
Good point Lil Dragonfly. I relaxed & took a good deep breath while spearing this weekend and then realised that I drifted over a shallow area. I dived but felt I had to release some air as I had much more than I needed for the depth.
Ditto Vali, yes depth tends to focus the mind doesn't it - and I don't go that deep.
Ditto Vali, yes depth tends to focus the mind doesn't it - and I don't go that deep.
i once went in a dive somwhere arround 10m without knowing what tot expect from the bottom panorama...
my thaught was only to reach the bottom, get a quick look arround and came back...but downthere i saw a stingray and i was currious and follow her for some good meters...when surfacing i realised that i've passed one minute under water...
so i guess the panorama worked-out
however i did'n manage to stay 2,20' under water in depth-diving mode, but did in the pool...wierd to can stay longer in deepdive than in static, tuffstuff
my thaught was only to reach the bottom, get a quick look arround and came back...but downthere i saw a stingray and i was currious and follow her for some good meters...when surfacing i realised that i've passed one minute under water...
so i guess the panorama worked-out
however i did'n manage to stay 2,20' under water in depth-diving mode, but did in the pool...wierd to can stay longer in deepdive than in static, tuffstuff