No mask, no reg swim

[Searcaigh]

Thanks. How long do you think it took you to complete the 15m swim? I can hold my breath for 60 secs on the sofa but with any exertion I feel the need to breathe really quickly. I'm reasonably fit from cycling

I don't recall as I was not the person counting, but I do recall being very thankful for the regulator and being able to breathe again.

 

[JCM@Atlam]

Yup....kick and ride the glide till you're almost still. RInse and repeat.

Out of interest, do you know if this test exists in PADI TEC40 or beyond?

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

You can swim 15m in <30 secs while carrying two AL80 cylinders with no fins? I can barely move without fins

Yeah....... I didn't understand that the drill was in full gear... and I totally agree that in full gear without fins I probably could not make the distance on a single breath..

 

[Belzelbub]

I can hold my breath for 60 secs on the sofa but with any exertion I feel the need to breathe really quickly. I'm reasonably fit from cycling

The urge to breathe is not from a lack of O2, but rather from a buildup of CO2.

As suggested earlier, download an apnea training app. I use one called Freedive Apnea. It’s free, but there is a paid version as well. The free version gives you all you really need, though.

First step is to establish a static breath hold duration. This is then used for the CO2 and O2 tables. The CO2 table uses 1/2 of your breath hold for the apnea portion. You then do alternating apnea and ventilation cycles with a decreasing duration of ventilation. The O2 tables have fixed ventilation and increasing apnea portions.

The CO2 tables help you deal better with CO2 buildup. The O2 tables help with increasing your maximum breath hold. I usually do a week or 2 of CO2, then a week or two of O2.

 

[DiveLikeAMuppet]

Out of interest, do you know if this test exists in PADI TEC40 or beyond?

TDI includes no mask no reg in mouth breathhold swim in full gear in OC normoxic trimix. I think ANDP had a no mask swim separate from no reg/breathold swim.

IANTD separates no mask and breathhold swims in full gear, at least in CCR courses. IANTD standards are top secret so who knows, it might depend on the instructor.

GUE has regular breathold swim with no gear (just swimming trunks, no fins) with increasing length for each course level. My SSI rescue course included a breathhold swim - again, just swimming trunks, no gear - in a pool too.

I think trying to swim in full gear, out of gas with no fins is a bit silly.

 

[MacDuyver]

Thanks, that's really helpful. There is clearly merit in just fighting the urge to breathe

Good luck,

Also, it ought to go without saying, but don’t practice subsurface breathholds alone. Have a buddy / don’t ever do this without telling the lifeguard what you’re up to. Sometimes one of the lifeguards will agree to come oversee an iteration or two

 

[kensuf]

The skill is really

I'm doing IANTD Advanced Nitrox (in sidemount). Today I had to do a no mask, no reg swim for 15m. I failed and didn't even make it halfway without reaching for my regulator, at which point I realised I'd dropped my mask and nearly panicked. Not great My question is, how long should this swim take? I can hold my breath for 60 secs sat on the sofa but I can't see me ever holding my breath for more than 30 secs in this scenario. Any tips on successfully completing this exercise would be appreciated.

The exercise is about comfort in the water and should take less than a minute to complete. Before starting the skill, take some slow deep breaths to relax yourself. When you do the skill, slow down and allow yourself to glide between kick cycles to reduce the build up of co2. Kick, glide, kick, glide. This is the way.

 

[Vicko]

It's not a physical but a psychological skill, a 15m swim should be doable by a post covid lung cancer survivor that still smokes.
You need to relax, the only thing that's stopping you from this is your own mental pressure. .

To practice on dry land exhale fully and hold your breath, walk around until it starts getting uncomfortable. Don't hyperventilate before you do this, breath normally.

 

[JCM@Atlam]

The skill is really


The exercise is about comfort in the water and should take less than a minute to complete. Before starting the skill, take some slow deep breaths to relax yourself. When you do the skill, slow down and allow yourself to glide between kick cycles to reduce the build up of co2. Kick, glide, kick, glide. This is the way.

Thanks. Efficiency in finning is a common theme across the replies. I need to practice this which should benefit my diving in general as I am heavy on gas consumption.

 

[rick00001967]

I'm doing IANTD Advanced Nitrox (in sidemount). Today I had to do a no mask, no reg swim for 15m. I failed and didn't even make it halfway without reaching for my regulator, at which point I realised I'd dropped my mask and nearly panicked. Not great My question is, how long should this swim take? I can hold my breath for 60 secs sat on the sofa but I can't see me ever holding my breath for more than 30 secs in this scenario. Any tips on successfully completing this exercise would be appreciated

I'm not sure if I should go hell for leather or try to be efficient. I have v.heavy jet fins which I can only really use with a frog kick

i remember when i was working towards my instructor level and i had to practice my swim (we are talking about a horizontal swim and not an emergency ascent correct?)
i think i had to do 15 meters.
i found it made a big difference which fins i used. at the time a had a pair of apollo split fins and found they worked the best for me.
but we did it without gear on.
going full out is def not the way to approach it. i agree with the others that being as relaxed as possible is key. it is surprising how much energy your body will burn when your muscles are all tense.
obviously being as streamlined as possible will make a big difference as well.
i would assume you should be able to do 15 meters in 30 secs?
i am quite confident there is no way i could swim that far with all my gear on in one breath. not these days thats for sure.