FIT for Freediving
Posted By Todd Storey on 1 July 2007
As we ate in a classroom of the complex's main building, Martin covered the topics of equipment and breathing techniques. I got a kick out of seeing just how attentive the students became as Martin unlocked the "secrets" of proper breathing and breathing-up for freediving. Looking back on it in my first training, though, it DID seem like some of the deepest, most mystical secrets of the cosmos were finally being revealed. After all, knowing how to get the most out of a breath hold pretty much IS key to our sport, isn't it? After class, we headed back out to the pool (into the shallower lap pool this time) to work on static apnea.
DAY TWO: Water, Water, Everywhere
Today started with no breakfast (as instructed), and right back in the pool for more static apnea. I managed a final hold of 3:20 -not my best, but I wasn't feeling the urge to go as LONG as I possibly could. New students always want to do this, to see how long they really can go. As someone who's been working on statics for quite a while now, I decided not to push myself. I wasn't the only one, either. Gen, who I'd buddied up with, passed on her last hold, too. She was rather thrown by the fact that she was quite aware of her heartbeat during her holds, something that she hadn't experienced before. I told her that at least it proved that she HAS one!
Finally, we broke for lunch, and thanks to Publix (and my empty stomach) I ate WAY too much food, devouring a roast beef wrap sandwich, six deviled eggs, and carrot and raisin salad. As usual, my eyes were bigger than my stomach, and this would come back to haunt me. Back in the classroom, we covered physics and environment, then it was off to the marina for our first day out in the ocean.
Into the Blue
We motored our way down the INtracoastal, having several near misses with kamikaze jet-skiers and a few yachts in the heavy aquatic traffic of this crowded Sunday. We didn't have to go very far offshore, only about 4 miles, to hit the Gulf Stream. The water, which had been smooth as glass that morning, had roughened up a bit. Martin and Paul assembled the rig in the water, and soon we were all jumping in off the boat, checking our weighting and then swimming to the rig.
With our small group, the rig was built only to half its usual size, with two floats on each end of a long assemblage of PVC piping. Right off the bat, a small section of screws and bolts grabbed the back of my competitive wetsuit, tearing a hole in the back of my left thigh. I knew it was torn immediately, as I suddenly felt a cold spot on the back of my leg. A bit later Martin noticed too, saying "Oh, man, you ripped your suit!". Surprisingly, I didn't mind. It was a small tear, which I could easily repair, and it would also have a story behind it. Besides, Paul's suit had SO many repaired tears in it that it looked like Frankenwetsuit. Paul seems to have the remarkable ability to tear his wetsuit just by looking at it. [Editor's Note: Keep this in mind. If looks could kill...] Mine, by contrast, was holding up VERY well.
The Ears Rebel
We started our diving with a few free immersion pull-downs to help kick in the mammalian dive reflex that dwells within us all. Then it was on to counting kick cycles. This skill (along with kicking efficiently) had been a MAJOR problem for me during my first course with PFI, so I'd been practicing by swimming 800 yards in my long blades, once a week. As I swim my laps, I count kick cycles. In the 25-yard pool it takes me about seven kick cycles of full, wide kicks to get to the center of the pool, so I knew I was looking at about seven kick cycles to get to 10m. Spot on! Seven kick cycles, and I hit 10m/33ft.
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