The Quiet Man
Posted By Emma Farrell on 14 April 2005
To give you an idea of where Alun George is with his freediving, here are some figures:
At Bangor University school of sports science recently he registered a vital capacity of 8.3 litres and then, on a second attempt, accidentally broke the machine.
His hematocrit level was 50.5%, above the average of about 44% and as high as cyclists doing the Tour de France. His haemoglobin levels were also extremely high at 170 grams per litre, the average being about 140.
All rather interesting for a slight man who does very little aerobic exercise. Oh, and a few years ago, he couldn't even swim.
Many people come to freediving through a love of the ocean, spearfishing, scuba diving or swimming. I found it incredible that Alun, who can swim like a fish, only learnt in his mid twenties. His biggest problems then were learning how to breathe whilst swimming and overcoming a fear of sinking - how ironic. A lifeguard qualification followed, and soon he was swimming every day.
Around the beginning of 2000 he saw The Big Blue for the second time, and having been inspired by Andy Le Sauce, Umberto, Pipin, Fred Buyle, Trevor Hutton and others ... contacted Ben Gowland and started to freedive.
I first met Alun a couple of years ago in Manchester, where I was hassling him to learn. Often the best teachers are those who have struggled, and Alun's journey and thirst for new knowledge has made him a mine of information and suggestions. He is forever patient and encouraging, and is constantly pushing the knowledge of techniques.
Soon he introduced me to the love of his life in North Wales. She is big, moody, murky, deep, and her name is Dorothea. Such is her lure that Alun visits her at least twice a week all year round.
A group has grown up around her now, and every weekend at least four divers come to dive in 4-degree (C) water, which is black at 40 metres. They're a very close-knit group who trust and look out for each other. This makes for a very relaxed and supportive atmosphere."Low pressured", Alun calls it. Their philosophy is to progress slowly and build up plenty of experience and this is why they have such a safe track record and rarely overstep their limits. Big on experimenting with new techniques, they analyse themselves and their equipment closely and are always playing around with safety systems.
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