What if a free diver breathes from scuba regulator?

[Dsix36]

Free divers aren’t allowed to signal the safety diver for air? You can only approach on a black out?

Exactly correct. The safety of the freediver is the biggest factor. They can almost always be recovered from a blackout, but an embolism will almost always kill them.

Everything is timed to the second for theses dives. If the freediver does not show at the right time the weight is dropped and the diver is pulled to the surface extremely fast and the recovery happens. I, acting as a safety diver, was actually a backup to their weight design in case of a failure or entanglement.

 

[hammet]

From an old French game show.
Actual site was in Turks and Caicos. You can dive and swim through the remnants of the steel. (Dive site is called Thunderdome, for obvious reasons)

 

[happy-diver]

So what's a freediver
and how deep does a freediver do

So there we all were, about ten of us on a trip on the edge on a ledge about to go diving
in three 10m deep channel interconnected ponds and the tech instructor tour organiser
has left his regs at the lodge

so he did the dive without surfacing, completely unencumbered using other peoples regs
sometimes turning off the donors air as a thank you
until he surfaced

a bunch of chain smoking hung over alcoholics

what a gas

but Pics was better

 

[D_Fresh]

So what's a freediver
and how deep does a freediver do

So there we all were, about ten of us on a trip on the edge on a ledge about to go diving
in three 10m deep channel interconnected ponds and the tech instructor tour organiser
has left his regs at the lodge

so he did the dive without surfacing, completely unencumbered using other peoples regs
sometimes turning off the donors air as a thank you
until he surfaced

a bunch of chain smoking hung over alcoholics

what a gas

View attachment 519202

but Pics was better

Wait, what??? Was this a training dive or fun dive? I think more information is needed here....

The "instructor" is a diver, so I assume he/she knows the dangers, therefore can avoid issues, but closing other diver's valves? Maybe if it was a training dive and that was discussed as part of the drills, but otherwise.....

 

[M DeM]

Hi. I've always been wondering what would happen if a free diver at 10 or 20 meters depth who suddenly cannot hold his/her breath grabs a regulator from a scuba diver and breathe. My imagination is:
1. He/she can exhale first and then breathe normally with the reg, but cannot release it until surfaced.
2. If it is within 10 meters depth, he/she can let go the reg and do CESA to ascend.
Could anyone tell me if I am wrong? Would there be a lung problem? Just curious about it. Thanks.

Yes, but from what I’ve been told- not worth the risk. However, if you must: breath off it (don’t gulp) and the important thing is to ascend as slowly or slower than you would as a scuba diver.

 

[Eyegore]

Do freedivers generally hold their breath when ascending?

Yes, and use the breath to clear the snorkel once back to the surface.

 

[Dr Simon Mitchell]

We published this in DHM just a month ago. It is not the first. SPUMS or EUBS members can access full text now through the respective society websites. The full paper will be available on PubMed Central in December this year.

Simon M