How many exciting romance in the underwater world! It is full of unknown, mysterious, as well as the human body. Freediving - immersion, with the help of which a person learns his transcendental capabilities. Many, looking at athletes from the shore, are amazed at their skills. Actually, there is nothing complicated: freedivers use their own mechanisms. Diving mammals - that's how they christened themselves. Various things prompt you to engage in this sport: someone wants to know the underwater world, someone wants to learn to believe in themselves, someone has become cramped in the framework of another sport. People learn and improve all their lives, because the technique of freediving is based on the physiological characteristics of the body.
What is freediving
What is freediving, what is it? This is a special kind of diving to a depth based solely on breath holding. In fact, the internal resources of a particular person are used. Using special techniques, the swimmer freediver accumulates oxygen so that it is enough to dive deep and forward.
The prefix "free" ("freedom") in this word is ambiguous - this is a whole philosophy. The freediver receives many freedoms: from piling up equipment, from certain limits (the depth of immersion is chosen arbitrarily by the swimmer), but the main thing is the freedom of spirit that a person feels while inside the water element. It’s not without reason that among freedivers there are a lot of those who practice yoga: the philosophies of freedom from everyday life and knowing oneself spiritually and physically are too similar.
A bit of history
This sport has a rich history dating back hundreds of years. For the first time, its principles began to be used by divers for pearls in Japan, and warriors of Ancient Greece and Rome used diving to hold their breath in order to carry out sabotage on enemy ships. People living in coastal areas of warm seas often practice this type of diving so far. Some with applied and domestic purposes, others - in order to entertain tourists.
In the XX century, the concept of "freediving" came into use. What it is, the basic principles were described at the same time. Paradoxically, the emergence of this sport is associated with the invention of scuba gear. It was a kind of diving alternative with equipment. Raimondo Boucher was the first to apply such a concept of “free diving” - he completed the dive record, the first of its kind, to argue, having gone under the water immediately 30 meters.
This incident so excited the public that they immediately began to try to break the Boucher record. Thus, the beginning of the competitive direction in freediving was laid.
Varieties
At the moment, there are three directions of dives for breath holding.
- Sports freediving. What it is? This is the name of the use of discipline to establish new records. This is a constant striving forward, participation in competitions, obtaining qualifications and passing standards.
- Recreational freediving - amateur. It is engaged in by those who simply love to plunge into the underwater world, to observe its beauties. This type of freediving is not without a competitive streak, just the motivation is different: the longer you hold your breath, the more you will see in the water column.
- Commercial freediving - what is it? This is the youngest variety. It is associated with financial benefits: these are instructors who teach freediving, guides accompanying swimmers on dives, or those who dive for sea souvenirs (corals, shells, pearls).
Contraindications
For all its charm, freediving, the photo of which is presented in the article, is an extreme sport, so there are a number of contraindications to doing it. Along with severe restrictions, there is a category of diseases and conditions in which exercise in this sport is undesirable (there is no strict prohibition).
Before you come to the first freediving session, you need to visit a surgeon, ENT specialist, dentist, cardiologist, optometrist, neuropathologist, and know the features of your blood pressure. If the following diseases are detected, freediving is prohibited:
- mental illness;
- chronic and mechanical damage to the respiratory system;
- neoplasms of any genesis and character;
- diseases of the heart and its vessels (aorta, valve);
- chronic ear diseases;
- asthmatic diseases.
Conditions in which you should think about freediving classes (there are no strict restrictions):
- hypertension and blood diseases;
- low hemoglobin;
- menstruation or pregnancy;
- chronic diseases of internal organs;
- lack of limb or violation of its function;
- runny nose.
If you feel tired, unwell, weak, or suspect that you are ill, you should not dive in holding your breath.
Physiological basis: four necessary reflexes
What is freediving based on? Underwater breathing is built on four physiological whales.
- Laryngospasm. Our respiratory system is designed in such a way that does not allow us to breathe as soon as the face is immersed in water. If suddenly under the water the freediver faints - it does not swallow water. Usually it is lifted to the surface and blowed on the face - breathing immediately normalizes.
- Vasoconstriction . Another miraculous feature associated with the narrowing of blood vessels as soon as the human body is in the water. Thus, the freediver has less heat and energy lost.
- Blood shift. Allows you to dive to incredible depths of more than 100 meters. It consists in the fact that when the freediver reaches 40 meters, his blood miraculously begins to circulate in a small circle, supplying the vital heart, lungs and brain. This helps reduce oxygen consumption.
- Bradycardia It is associated with a slowdown in heart rate under water. And you do not need to immerse the whole body, but simply lower your face. Freediving World Record - Slows strokes to 6 per minute. This principle works under the condition that the person is completely relaxed and did not drink liters of caffeinated drinks before diving.
Essential Skills
Beginners often ask the question: what needs to be trained in order to understand the basics of freediving? This sport is associated with work on numerous muscles and body systems. We will analyze the main ones.
- Swimming technique. It depends on how fast and energetically you can move under water.
- You must be able to "purge." This term is used by experienced divers and freedivers to equalize intra-ear pressure. This is necessary so that at a depth, even a small one, the eardrums do not tear. since they are affected by water pressure.
- Breath. It is necessary to train your lungs to be filled with air as much as possible. This is well helped by yoga techniques.
- Cleansing consciousness is another skill that yoga will help to master. Plunging on holding your breath, you need to completely disengage from anxiety, all that is empty. The brain should be devoid of any emotions, be in a state of relaxation. Then there will be enough air for a long time.
- Body. Exercising the muscle system is also important for proper oxygen consumption. Physical form helps not to spend extra energy on efforts underwater, which helps to spend less oxygen.
Equipment: suit
Equipment is what not only your comfort under water depends on. Sometimes life can depend on him. It is necessary to check the performance and integrity of the equipment before each dive. The first thing we'll talk about is a suit.
Strange as it may seem, what you put on yourself during the dive will help either save or waste your breath. How to choose a really high-quality costume? Nowadays, special neoprene suits are offered for underwater sports. The choice should depend on the depth and temperature of the water in which you plan to dive. For warm and tropical waters, the lightest suits are suitable.
A good suit is elastic and at the same time tight. It should not constrain movements and be good protection from the troubles of underwater flora and fauna (corals, sea urchins, stingrays and other dangerous inhabitants).
Take care to protect your head and legs. Purchase a helmet (if it is not in the suit) and coral slippers or socks, otherwise the flippers will rub, and the legs above the foot will not be protected. Women with long hair and bangs can provide a headband that will not allow the hairstyle to interfere with visibility.
Correct flippers
When choosing flippers, pay attention to their length and stiffness. The optimal length that allows you to quickly move under water is 90 cm with a blade from 70 to 90 cm. It is desirable that the fins consist of different levels of stiffness: this will make moving under water very comfortable.
When picking up fins, keep in mind that they will be worn on the toe or boots, therefore, a margin of size is needed.
They are made of carbon fiber - this is the latest material, the most comfortable to use, but fragile. Optimum - fiberglass. In ergonomic terms, it is not inferior to carbon, but more durable. The most unsuccessful material of fins for freediving is thermoplastic. The flippers must have a backdrop.
Tube and mask
Our eyes are designed in such a way that we can see clearly objects in water only having an air space between the thickness and the eyes. This will help the mask. It must be chosen, guided by the following principles:
- Determine the volume of the mask suitable for yourself: this will help optimally use the air for its purge.
- Glass must be tempered.
- The suitability of the mask is just for you to check: fix it on your face without putting it on and draw in air with your nose. If the mask will hold when you release your hands - it is completely suitable for you. However, the comfort of use can be said only after immersion.
- Give preference to masks made of opaque materials: they will not glare in the lateral sun.
- People with myopia can use a mask with diopters.
- Choose the tube should be the simplest, without unnecessary bends, valves and long lengths. The most optimal one is anatomical, with a length of not more than 40 cm and a bright tip.
- It is strictly forbidden to dive in swimming goggles: pressure that occurs at a depth will damage the vessels in the eyes. The diver’s absence of a mask is a distress signal: do not remove it while in the water.
Other equipment
Also for freediving, you will need a belt with weights to establish the necessary buoyancy. What you should pay attention to this item of equipment - clasp. The belt should be easy to remove - it can save a life.
A computer watch for diving will show the depth, water temperature and your diving time. This is a required attribute for those who work on freediving records.
So that you can be found by rescuers or a dive bot with a strong current, you need a bright buoy. It is also necessary for divers to provide assistance in case of accidents. A cable is attached to it.
Underwater flashlight and knife. According to divers, the latter can be used once, but it will save a life. Divers often get entangled in algae and fishing nets.
Risks and injuries
People in a hurry to set their personal freediving record often endanger their lives and health. Due to mistakes, rush and fuss, you can get the following injuries:
- Decompression sickness. Freedivers rarely suffer from it, but it occurs with frequent dives to great depths. This disease is associated with the fact that bubbles form in the blood under the action of accumulated gases, which do not allow saturating the organs with food.
- Various barotrauma. They are obtained due to differences in pressure inside the human body and the thickness of the water.
- Loss of consciousness caused by hypoxia.
- Muscle failure due to incipient oxygen starvation. Freedivers call it "samba".