Swam out to the Breakers reef the other day.

[Optik]

Got bored grabbed my float and headed on out. Swim wasn’t too bad, only had fins and a mask so I was pretty stream lined. Did some free diving hung out for a while and decided to cut it short when my friend Danny had problems with his ears.

This is where it gets funny, so we are headed back and all of the sudden I start to hear an approaching boat right, so I pop up for another breath and a nice blue dive boat is upon us. Deep blue was the name (or something like that). Captain says want a ride? He!! If you’re offering, yeah.

The moment we got on the boat everyone on board gave us the U R Crazy look. I guess it is pretty far to swim out, but I feel confident of my stamina (famous last words ehh ) so anyways they dropped us off at the beach and said goodbye. I love dive people, so friendly.

Sooo, my point is, this spot looks perfect to take out a kayak and dive off in right? I haven’t done any research on it but do any board members here Kayak dive? I just got a sevylor.

P.S I started noticing the jelly fish strikes in the middle of the night.

 

[algal bloom]

The moment we got on the boat everyone on board gave us the U R Crazy look. I guess it is pretty far to swim out, but I feel confident of my stamina (famous last words ehh ) so anyways they dropped us off at the beach and said goodbye.

I know how your feel! I did the same thing around Oakland Blvd. on Sunday. I felt confident swimming pretty far out, but when looking back at the beach, saw people gathering with that concerned look on their faces so I turned back. Decided that I didn't want to end up being a statistic! I at least had a diver down flag to try to fend off the boats (good luck). Free diving is a blast! (Not to say scuba isn't)

Talk to Mike Jacobs about diveyakking.

Good story!

Nate

 

[Optik]

Excellent, yeah looking back at the beach the little dots in the distance kind of looked like people. Hey I got a question, does the lung capacity get better the more you do it? At first I couldn’t even go down 30 feet, but after a while I could and then 50 an so on. However, at around 60 I get the CO2 alarm in my brain and I have to come up right then and there.

 

[cra2]

thank goodness you get the co2 alarm!

I think I read the other day that it's the more experienced free-divers that die from shallow-water blackout, because they train themselves in ways to either ignore the c02 alarm or disable it through hyperventilation and exhalation rather than inhalation right before going under.

I used to challenge everyone around to see who could dive down the farthest, and stay down the longest,... but after reading up on the frequency of shallow-water blackout, I'm MUCH more nervous about free-diving.

 

[algal bloom]

I doubt that it is lung capacity that is getting larger, but other adaptions such as being more efficient with your muscle movement and possibly increased RBC counts and maybe even your tolerance for increased levels of CO2. The following website explains some of the adaptions your body might be going through.

Of course, decreasing CO2 level by hyperventilating will decrease the need to breath reflex, but we also know that doing so can be extremely dangerous. I think my deepest breath hold dive was to 50 ft. but I don't like to push it out of fear of shallow water blackout. I think you'll find the info on this site informative.


http://www.freediver.net/freedivelist/faqstuff/swb_bwhf.html

here is an excerpt:

"Trained freedivers develop several other physiological adaptations that lead to deeper and longer dives. The spleen, acting as a blood reservoir, assists trained divers in increasing their performance. Apparently their spleen shrinks while diving, causing a release of extra blood cells.

According to William E. Hurford M.D., and coauthors writing in The Journal of Applied Physiology, the spleens of the Japanese ama divers (professional women shellfish freedivers) they studied decreased in size by 20 percent when they dove. At the same time their hemoglobin concentration increased by 10 percent (Volume 69, pages 932-936, 1990).

This adaptation, similar to one observed in marine mammals (the Weddell seal's blood cell concentration increases by up to 65 percent), could increase the diver's ability to take up oxygen at the surface. It could also increase oxygen delivery to critical tissues during the dive.

Interestingly, the spleen's contraction and the resultant release of hemoglobin is not immediate - it starts taking effect after a quarter-hour of sustained diving. This spleen adaptation, as well as other physiologic changes, probably take a half-hour for full effect. This might account for the increased performance trained freedivers notice after their first half-hour of diving.

There are other known adaptations: blood vessels in the skin contract under conditions of low oxygen in order to leave more blood available for important organs, namely the heart, brain and muscles. Changes in blood chemistry allow the body to carry and use oxygen more efficiently. These changes, in effect, squeeze the last molecule of available oxygen from nonessential organs. Most importantly, the diver's mind adapts to longer periods of apnea (no breathing). He can ignore, for longer periods of time, his internal voice that begins as a whisper but soon screams - BREATHE.

These adaptations, taken together, allow trained divers to dive deeper and longer, but mind control and the following techniques and factors also bring divers closer to oxygen starvation."

 

[GrierHPharmD]

thank goodness you get the co2 alarm!

I think I read the other day that it's the more experienced free-divers that die from shallow-water blackout, because they train themselves in ways to either ignore the c02 alarm or disable it through hyperventilation and exhalation rather than inhalation right before going under.

I used to challenge everyone around to see who could dive down the farthest, and stay down the longest,... but after reading up on the frequency of shallow-water blackout, I'm MUCH more nervous about free-diving.

A wise position. Nothing like drowning to ruin a perfectly good dive (free or scuba)!

 

[Optik]

So physiologically speaking your body is NOT using the O2 better or getting any more efficient (until a quarter hour). Hmmm, I guess I was hoping there was some magical adaptation that your body acquires. I guess we are just not seals. I did realize that I could suppress the feeling of starvation but the over-riding trigger for me is a type of gut clenching (almost like pre-puke stage) that tells me I am at the limit before the water gulp.

 

[clone1008]

Hey Optik,

My group of 5 were on the dive boat that picked you 2 up. I have to say that I was one of the ones giving you that look :11: You were along ways out. I figure when a Captain of a dive boat thinks your quite aways out, you must be. Anyway good luck to you and stay safe.

 

[CBulla]

How far out is this reef? A half mile? 3/4? thats not to bad.

 

[Optik]

From what I perceived it was about a mile and a half. For me, it’s fine. However, I was not about to turn down a ride back and some fresh water . Anyways, that’s ok clone it looks crazy and to a certain degree, yes, it is, but it is part of what I have done since I was young. So in a way it does not seem as crazy, but that does not mean it’s not dangerous. Always bring a float, and keep a look out.