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Free-diving
Free-diver
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Free-diving refers to various aquatic activities that feature breath-hold diving. Examples include breath-hold spear-fishing, free dive photography, Apnea competitions and, to a degree, snorkelling. The activity garnering the public's attention is competitive free diving, often referred to as Apnea. This is considered an extreme sport, where divers attempt to reach great depths on a single breath and without direct assistance of breathing apparatus.
Description
Apnea is generally broken down into three categories; static, dynamic and depth - with male and female records recognised in each category:
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Static Apnea is timed breath holding and is usually attempted in a pool.
Dynamic Apnea is underwater distance swimming with sub-categories for swimming with and without fins (flippers). This competition is also usually held in a pool.
The depth category has four sub-sections:
Constant Weight competition is for self-propelled maximum depth, no weights or lines are allowed. This category is also divided into sections for fins or without fins.
Free Immersion competition is for self-propelled ascent and descent along a line and is for maximum depth.
Variable Weight competitions use a weighted sled for descent and the diver ascends by pulling themselves up along a line.
No Limits competitions allow divers to descend with a weighted sled and ascend with a buoyancy control device - usually an air filled bag with a tether. The world record for "No Limits" free diving is held by Belgian diver Patrick Musimu. On 30 June 2005 he dove to a depth of 209 m (685.69 feet) in the Red Sea in Egypt - surpassing the previous record set by Loic Leferme by 38 meters and breaking the psychological barrier of -200 m. The current women's record is held by Tanya Streeter, who dove to 160 m (524.9 feet) on 17 August 2002. The unofficial record is held by the late Audrey Mestre (166 m), wife of legend Francisco “Pipin” Ferrera; she drowned whilst trying to set a world record of 171 m (561 feet).
Training
Training for free diving can take many forms, many of them out of water.
One example is the Apnea walk. This consists of a preparation "breathe-up", followed by a short (typically 1 minute) breath hold taken at rest. Without breaking the hold, the participant then initiates a walk for as far as they can, until it becomes necessary to breathe again.
This form of training is good for accustoming muscles to work under anaerobic conditions, and for tolerance to CO2 build-up in the circulation. It is also easy to gauge progress, as increasing distance can be measured.
Before diving, many free divers will purposefully hyperventilate - resulting in a lower level of CO2 in their lungs and bloodstream. This postpones the start of stimulation to the breathing centre of the brain, and thus delays the warning signals of running out of air. As the oxygen level of the blood is not increased by hyperventilation, this is very dangerous and may result in drowning.
External links
AIDA - Association Internationale Pour Le Developpment De L'Apnee (Apnea)
Apnea Academy - A global teaching organisation for underwater apnea
APNEA MANIA- massive freediving info web site
Free Diving - DeeperBlue.net
Freediving Advice Globally - Free Service
F.R.E.E. (Freediving)organization