I've been watching some video footage of freedivers, really amazing. I also read an article in Dive Training magazine on freediving. My question is this. How feasible is it for most people to learn how to hold their breath that long? I'm pretty maxed out just swimming to the bottom of a 12ft pool. I'm in really good phycical condition, just can't hold my breath very long. Could I learn how to freedive or do some people have poor genetics towards this sort of thing? It looks quite intriguing but not sure my body could do it.
Can most anyone learn to freedive?
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Im not a free diver but I asked myself this question and started practicing holding my breath after about 1/2 and hour I increased it from one minute to three, but this was sitting in a chair watching the clock. I have never tried it in water.
Hank49
Contributor
Some people are genetically superior with larger lung capacity. But still, you could vastly improve on your 12 foot pool limit.
The key is relaxation before doing a dive. Rest on the surface and get your heart and respiration rate down as low as you can before submerging. This will help immensely.
To give you an idea of it, lay on your couch and start holding your breath as long as you can while resting. Give yourself 2-3 minutes between breath holds. You will see an increase with every attempt until you reach your maximum (maybe 2-3 minutes or more)
THEN...get up and walk around your house a couple times, lay down and try it again. Your max time will drop back down to a minute or so. This depends partly on how good shape you're in aerobically.
That's what happens in the water if you're swimming before diving.
Relax. But don't try going deep (more than 20 feet or so) until you can do that depth comfortably for a minute or so.
The key is relaxation before doing a dive. Rest on the surface and get your heart and respiration rate down as low as you can before submerging. This will help immensely.
To give you an idea of it, lay on your couch and start holding your breath as long as you can while resting. Give yourself 2-3 minutes between breath holds. You will see an increase with every attempt until you reach your maximum (maybe 2-3 minutes or more)
THEN...get up and walk around your house a couple times, lay down and try it again. Your max time will drop back down to a minute or so. This depends partly on how good shape you're in aerobically.
That's what happens in the water if you're swimming before diving.
Relax. But don't try going deep (more than 20 feet or so) until you can do that depth comfortably for a minute or so.
JamesBon92007
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How long? I usually free dive to around 35' or so, that being pretty easy. I think just about everyone I ever went diving with could make it to 35'. At 50' I can't stay down very long but it's still easy enough to get down that far. The deepest I've been is about 80-85 feet but there was no air left in my lungs to equalize my mask so it was difficult to see. Now I have a very low-volume mask. You should read up on such things as shallow water blackout so you'll understand the risks. Hyperventilating can be tricky but in my experience I tend to get lightheaded at first, then after several dives it doesn't seem to happen any more. I've never passed out at the surface, or, if I did, I didn't realize it. Either way I didn't die 
The only time I've ever shot a fish while scuba diving was the day I bought the fishing license and wanted to make sure I got my money's worth. Other than that spearfishing is generally done only while free diving.
If you are weighted properly and you point your head down and stick your fins up in the air you'll be down 20' with just a couple of kicks. I would consider 20' very shallow.
I think the longest I ever held by breath (timed) underwater was three minutes. I held it for four minutes once sitting at a table. I suggest you practice swimming underwater laps in a pool. See how many times you can make it back and forth before surfacing. Keep trying to beat your old record. Holding it while swimming and holding it while just sitting there is two different things. Those guys that can stay down for seven minutes or whatever may just have some kind of genetic trait that allows for it, or perhaps oxygen deprivation has had it's effect.
The only time I've ever shot a fish while scuba diving was the day I bought the fishing license and wanted to make sure I got my money's worth. Other than that spearfishing is generally done only while free diving.
If you are weighted properly and you point your head down and stick your fins up in the air you'll be down 20' with just a couple of kicks. I would consider 20' very shallow.
I think the longest I ever held by breath (timed) underwater was three minutes. I held it for four minutes once sitting at a table. I suggest you practice swimming underwater laps in a pool. See how many times you can make it back and forth before surfacing. Keep trying to beat your old record. Holding it while swimming and holding it while just sitting there is two different things. Those guys that can stay down for seven minutes or whatever may just have some kind of genetic trait that allows for it, or perhaps oxygen deprivation has had it's effect.
Yes, anyone can learn. But everyone has different limits.
There're numerous freediving classes available. Without endorsing any, three different schools known to me were founded by Kirk Krack, Martin Stepanek, and Carlos Eyles.
Although likely a difficult or tedious read for most people and it pertains mostly to extreme/competitive freediving, this article does have good information on the physiology of freediving JrnApplPhys on breathhold diving.
My paramount concern for anyone seriously pushing longer and deeper is to always workout with an attentive, level-headed, experienced partner. Chasing numbers, whether depth or time, can be an extremely dangerous game. In the ED, I've attended to apparent drownings due to breathhold activity. I've blacked out once myself but got lucky. It's sudden. It's painless. Except to the ones you leave behind.
There're numerous freediving classes available. Without endorsing any, three different schools known to me were founded by Kirk Krack, Martin Stepanek, and Carlos Eyles.
Although likely a difficult or tedious read for most people and it pertains mostly to extreme/competitive freediving, this article does have good information on the physiology of freediving JrnApplPhys on breathhold diving.
My paramount concern for anyone seriously pushing longer and deeper is to always workout with an attentive, level-headed, experienced partner. Chasing numbers, whether depth or time, can be an extremely dangerous game. In the ED, I've attended to apparent drownings due to breathhold activity. I've blacked out once myself but got lucky. It's sudden. It's painless. Except to the ones you leave behind.
cmburch
Contributor
Take a look at "How to start Freediving"
Beginner Freediving
I have run into old men drinking beer and smoking cigarettes after freediving for abalone in Mendocino. I assume they went 25' or deeper. So even though they were not younger than 60 years old and in tip-top shape they could stay down at least 45s if not longer.
May want to have someone watching at the pool when practicing for safety.
Beginner Freediving
I have run into old men drinking beer and smoking cigarettes after freediving for abalone in Mendocino. I assume they went 25' or deeper. So even though they were not younger than 60 years old and in tip-top shape they could stay down at least 45s if not longer.
May want to have someone watching at the pool when practicing for safety.
A good deal of it is mental: The urge to breathe is governed by CO2, not by oxygen. You will feel a burning need to breathe, with chest convulsions trying to make you breathe, long before you actually run low on oxygen. Good freedivers have learned to control this. It's mind over body.
Note however, that your body gives you no indication when you really are low on oxygen, and hyperventilation can delay the CO2 burn until after you've already passed out. Thus you MUST have a spotter if you are doing more than very casual diving. Typically, the spotter starts down when you turn back up, meeting you half way and returning to the surface with you, to be able to bring you back up if you black out.
Note however, that your body gives you no indication when you really are low on oxygen, and hyperventilation can delay the CO2 burn until after you've already passed out. Thus you MUST have a spotter if you are doing more than very casual diving. Typically, the spotter starts down when you turn back up, meeting you half way and returning to the surface with you, to be able to bring you back up if you black out.
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