FIT for Freediving
Posted By Todd Storey on 1 July 2007
I'd also been training and practicing my entries and form once a week since September, and it paid off when both Paul AND Martin told me my entries and form were perfect. That REALLY made me feel good: at least I was doing SOMETHING right!
However, even with proper form (keeping my head in neutral position) my ears were being horrendously stubborn; I managed just over 12m/40ft. In April, in Grand Cayman I'd reached 22m/72ft, so I was a bit disappointed in my performance. This day I'd hoped to reach the weights at the bottom of the line, 20m/66ft down. But there were still a few days left, and besides, this was NOT about depth, it was about technique.
We moved into a few rescue scenarios, wherein I discovered that Martin is really a CINDER BLOCK in a wetsuit: all muscle and dense bone, the man is HEAVY. I managed to get him over onto his back after dunking his airway into the water only ONCE. Had he really been unconscious, he may have gotten a little water in his mouth, but not enough to drown him. So it wasn't all bad. Once back on shore, we went back to Pro Dive and reviewed the day's video footage.I had to admit (even though I wasn't getting all that deep) I did look good! Paul even used me as an example, pointing out my entry, my form, how I turned at the bottom, and how I ascended. It made me feel a bit better about how the day's diving had actually turned out.
DAY THREE: "Push Push Push Push PUSH!!"
Today held another surprise: lung volume testing! Before we headed out on the boat, we had a classroom session at Pro Dive, where Martin and Paul produced a spirometer, a handy little device designed to measure lung volume. We students each stepped up to perform a peak inhalation, pinch our noses, then bend over while exhaling forcefully into a tube on the little machine while Martin rapidly chanted "Push push push push push push push, there's more in there, push push push, you can do it!"
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