Time for practice/training

[freedivernd]

Well, well, well, since we're not typing messages or taking time to read new messages (since there aren't many) maybe we should all be practicing holding our breath and the frenzel technique of equalizing. We must, we must, keep our eustacheon tubes limbered up so when you get to go on that winter dive or the springs first dive you don't have to hang on the descent line with all the folks who haven't been doing dry land equalizing or have sinus trouble, waiting for the old ears to pop. You can go right to the bottom... And why not try holding your breath... maybe when you were younger it got you a piece of candy or early dessert, but now it can take you to new lows. Try it three times in a row, with time between holds at twice what the hold was. How'd you do? O.K. - now exhale ALL your breath and hold, how'd you do? Well, see - with practice you could do twice as good! ;D

(no hyperventilating either, that's a quick ticket to passing out!)

Fred

[Dano]

Fred, is that the trick, the dry land practice of equalizing? As a new diver, I've either grabbed the rope or fluttered like a butterfly to slow or stop my descent to equalize. I was thinking it is more to do with controlling my descent with the BC. Sounds like they could hand in hand.

[Chris]

Well, generally 'holding your breath' and SCUBA do not mix well at all. One or the other, not both. Practicing neutral buoyancy is the only way to become more comfortable in the water and should be the first thing you do when you get down.

There's a chance I might have totally misunderstood this, but I wanted to make sure nobody was holding their breath while using SCUBA...

Your paranoid friend, Chris

[Skruff]

I think holding your breath was an attempt to get us all to give freediving a try.

On that note-- Even when freediving you would have to worry about holding your breath when doing a deep dive?? Correct me if that's wrong.... Say 30 feet as an example (not that I can hold my breath that long).

[freedivernd]

Dano, that's the trick..
If you can equalize easily, and if the bottoms where you want to go, why not do a surface dive and go for it? I know I always see divers controlling there descent, maybe going down a line feet first, but I guess if I want to go to the bottom, why not do a surface dive and swim for it. Add air to the b.c. along the way if you don't want to hit the bottom like a rock, plus, it's pretty easy to level off and slow the descent. If you can equalize quickly and inverted, controlling your descent isn't important.. well, I guess you don't want to go cruising into the abyss, but that can be controlled with the fins too. Where I've done it with scuba it's never been deeper than -40', so no worry about the abyss..

I wish everyone could equalize as easily as I can, and I have to attribute it to dry land practice. Seriously, my ear inards must be so stretched out... Admittedly, I have broken an ear drum once, no pain, no warning, and my dive computer said -34' !! AND that was the first time I was going to equalize...( I had meant to equalize at about -20' or so but was focused on the bottom, 75' below and goofed ) Some people claim I must have been equalizing hands free but if I was, it was unconsciously. Now I equalize almost continuously from surface to depth, no more goofs. Less frequently after about -30' or so. If only you were to try freediving and see what I'm talking about. The equalizing is THE most important and limiting factor. The tricks that I've had to learn as I passed the different depths have been interesting and that comfort attained from freediving has really extended my tank time and comfort/calmness while scuba diving. Think about it, my deepest dive this summer was just short of -80', took only about 25 seconds to get to the bottom. What would have been the difference if I had tanks on? Now I'm stuck to under water time in the pool, sans tanks, but that helps tremendously too. I have learned ways to mimic -120' + in a pool only -10' deep, so there are ways to practice "at depth" equalizing even in the shallow. That's another story....

Fred

[freedivernd]

Chris, two different subjects here..
one for scuba and one for freediving. Go ahead and hold your breath on the way down, I do it all the time.. at least the few times I've scuba'd. I must admit that holding my breath is a bad habit while I scuba, I have to focus everytime on ascent to breath/breath out. Yup, holding your breath and ascending while scuba is not a good practice.. and that makes me think about the "skip breathing" discussed earlier...

I'll give you that practicing nuetral bouyancy is a good way to become comfortable in the water but definetly not the ONLY way. I have found that my freediving has increased my comfort level 100 times over while scuba diving. Not fighting bouyancy issues is one thing that makes for a more relaxed dive, and the confidence that comes with finning down to -50' or more on a breath hold dive is another. Just plain being under the water is another...

Freddy Freediver

[freedivernd]

Skruff, so you CAN read between the lines.... I always want more people to try freediving.

Holding your breath when freediving is secondary to diving to depth, like I posted to Dano, equalizing is the most important/limiting factor. If I look at my dive profiles a lot of my dives are (surface to surface) -20'/20sec., -35'/35sec. and many times the seconds are way under the depth, -79'/48sec., so holding your breath isn't really the issue to go to -30'. but to do it in 30sec. means you have to equalize quite quickly because in 15 sec. or less you're going to be on the bottom. Plus, you want to equalize efficiently so you still have air when you get there. Practicing holding your breath helps you understand your body and conditions it to the reactions of CO2 buildup. So, in my breath hold training, I've learned when I should say to myself, O.K., it's time to surface, and be comfortable enough at that depth to realize there's no need to be in a hurry.

No Danger here in holding your breath and diving, and no danger in holding your breath and ascending. Because you are not breathing under pressure, you took the breath at the surface, it will not expand and blow up your lungs during ascent, and also because it is a surface breath, in recreational freediving, a rapid ascent is not an issue either. I'm confident you could easily do a -30' freedive if I was there to coach along, even -40'. Again, equalizing being the only limiting factor. Even without coaching a -30' dive would be fairly easily attainable if you had that goal, but the techniques I've learned can make it easier.
Fred

[Dano]

Chris, you miss understood me. I should have said I occasionally sink faster than I can equalize. This is why I try to stop or slow down, So I CAN equalize. :-[ I think I'm dumping all my BC air at the surface. Again, I think it's a combination of using my BC to control my descent and equalizing often. (Rookie stuff). Is this a correct assumption? :-\

[Chris]

Yep, I totally misunderstood! Must not have had my brain screwed in tight yesterday or something

[chrisw]

Ok, Fred. What are your ear stretching tricks?

I had a barotrauma to middle ear and then a
nice infection in October. It is cleared up now
but the ear feels kinda stiff when I try to
equalize it (on land, haven't ventured underwater
since i hurt it).

-chrisw (with a whopping 5 dives in my logbook)