Category Archives: Freediving Blog

It’s working.

Blackfish

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peer pressure or activism whatever you want to call it.

The first Ocean documentary that really impacted me was Sharkwater. Rob’s cinematography is stunning but the storyline starts to take on a  life of its own when he tags along with Paul Watson from Sea Shepard. You can watch it on the link above on youtube. Sharks are here since the dinosaurs and now we are wiping them out for their fins. Thankfully this is beginning to change.

The next one to really have an impact was The Cove about the slaughter of Dolphins in Taji, the abusement parks of Dolphinariums etc. It got huge coverage in the freediving community as not only do we feel a connection to dolphins in particular but also they used freeedivers to get some of the footage from the Cove.  The slaughter still goes on and not just in Japan.

Blackfish seems to have hit the ball out of the park. Since it’s release Seaworld’s stock has plummeted, popularity for the show is waning and major musicians that were booked to play there are canceling. It is having an impact. It is changing and it’s picking up speed. Orca’s are such an intriguing creature, I ‘d love to try to swim with one in the wild. On a separate show about them they have recorded behaviour that shows an unrelated Orca looking after/feeding what can only be described as a disabled Orca. Wild animals, we have always been told depend on survival of the fittest but not so with Orca’s in this case.  Small wonder then the size of their brain given to emotions is far larger in relative terms than our own.

You may have time over the days off at Christmas so when you have got your well deserved fill of “Its a wonderful Life” and overdosed on “Elf” for a while, please take the time to watch some or all of the films above. They are entertaining in their own right but with a message that’s as clear as can be. See cetaceans in the wild if you are lucky, end captivity of these majestic creatures and encourage others to help make that happen.

I’ll leave you with this great passage from Douglas Adams.

For instance, on the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much—the wheel, New York, wars and so on—whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man—for precisely the same reasons.”

Saving Private Ryan.

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It’s an epic film.

I usually cry (wait boys don’t cry) get a lump in my throat at two points in the film.

The opening scene where Ryan is literally struck down with grief as he visits the graveyard. That emotions are actually that strong, that not only can they stop you in your tracks but actually cut the legs out from under you. The action scenes and story takes over after this. The last scene then is the next one, where he is back at the graveyard and asks his wife ” tell me I’ve lived a good life”. This post obviously isn’t about the film but about a “good” life. The definition of that is up to you.

Yesterday the world lost someone who had truly lived a good life by any which way you measure it. Mandela showed us the power of forgiveness. He didn’t tell or try to instruct us, but lived and showed us so many lessons. His book is a hard read but a rewarding one. Talk about seeing change in your lifetime. Imagine the contrast of living/existing for so long in that cell, going on to lead your country and in essence lead the world.

It’s kind of hard for any of us to compare ourselves to someone like that and try to hold a candle to them but I don’t think that matters. The old cliche of, if you make a difference in just one person’s life it’s worth it, holds true. I suppose cliches always have some truth in them. I used to use them all the time but now I avoid them like the plague.

A short time ago the freediving world lost a brother in an incident during a competition. It was the first time a competitor lost their life in an AIDA run competition. You can read about it here with a good article by Sara. Lung squeezes are nothing new in deep freediving but probably have not being taken seriously enough. The speed at which people progress is phenomenal but worrying at the same time The freediving world is a small community that straddles the Oceans so while I had never met Nick I knew people who had. Their updates on FB etc allowed us a little glimpse of the guy and like so many others in this sport I know I would have liked the guy. At the end of the day he was a brother lost to the sea. The competitive push of many people is so strong  and sometimes it can lead to very dangerous places.

It’s a fine line between living the life and losing the life but surely still better than just existing, just waiting till its over, the last sorrowful breath. Why not plan or better still do something today to make it beyond “good”.

 

 

Inspirational!

Gleniff Horseshoe, waiting for Gandalf.

 

 

So this will be old hat to some of you. Went to see my sister in law complete the Dublin city marathon a few weeks back.

 

 

I was literally bowled over. Spectating at Mile 16 or thereabouts near Terenure so the runners were well in the thick of it. So, so many personal battles going on in front of you, you can see the pain, frustration and every so often joy on the faces as they pass. You only get a fleeting glance as they whizz pass. So many running vests emblazoned with their own name, their own charity or in memory of someone close to them. They pass in the hundreds and thousands. The encouragement from the crowd is infectious and it’s no time before you are shouting out the name of some one you never met nor will see again or calling out their county if sporting their county colours. Hopefully you’ve added something to their thoughts, taken their mind off the pain even if only briefly.

The other thing that struck me was the shapes and sizes of all the competitors. There were a good percentage that to my mind didn’t look like they were runners but were on course for a sub 4 hour run. Goes to show what i know and the old chestnut of not making assumptions based on appearances. You never see the passion, drive and commitment that precedes all that of course. No one just decides to run a marathon. I have written before about my own running exploits and I suppose a marathon is the ultimate run of runs, then you read about ultra marathons and well, where does it stop really? I’d love to think about doing one, just once but the fear of injuries, training schedules and failure is daunting. Then you go see one and it’s “oh ok time to get my shit together”

January is fast approaching and so all the gyms and pools all over the world will be inundated with new years resolutions only to be finished by mid February. But good health is for life and not just for Christmas so maybe start before the maddening crowd get in.

The main things is to do something active, run, swim cycle, surf whatever, anything to get the heart racing, the muscles tired and the brain concentrating on healthy physical stress instead of man made modern pace of life crap stress. It’s such a good buzz for body, mind and soul. Especially if you can get out into nature while you are doing it.

As the famous running shoe company logo said, “Just get it done”. I think.

Do you really need to breathe?

 

 

Head in the kelp

Head in the kelp

Ouch that smack across the face hurt and the words “of course, don’t be stupid” were none too pleasant either.

I am not suggesting that we don’t need to breathe indefinitely. Just asking a question. As freedivers we do stop breathing for an unusual period of time when compared to non freedivers.

 

 

If you averaged it out over a lifetime it would probably add up to quite a lot. One exercise or training tool is the CO2 table which essentially has you decreasing your rest period between breath holds. One great experience I had involved an extreme version of that, for me at least. I remember calculating afterwards at some stage that over the last 15 minutes of time I had really only been breathing for two minutes when you add it all up, all the recovery breaks, or something like that. It wasn’t a proper table but still a bit of a mind job.

Breath holding is weird, I’ll be the first to admit it but it’s also amazing how the same people who call it weird continue to ask other questions about it, so it’s also curious to many.  All I can say is it’s good. It feels good, it seems good. It relaxes me, makes me feel at peace, one with the Universe and the Ocean. All tranquil and hippy. A lot of people need to smoke stuff to get that feeling.

It does kill some brain cells, let’s be clear. DAN has done some fantastic research on it.  Now brain cells die all the time and I usually mange to cause a massacre via my old friend whiskey at weekends in “Shoot the Crows”  an infamous spot in Sligo town if you ever visit. So I am not overly concerned by that but it’s good to be aware of it.

When you do stop breathing the initial response is panic, but that goes away and after a while a really deep mellow buzz comes along. Breathing and not breathing (apnea) is used in meditation and Yoga  so there has to be something in it. I think when we stop or arrest that primordial urge we take control of our lives, even if only for a few seconds or a few minutes. Literally take control of our life.

Or so we think, because eventually the superior intelligence that is the great unknown and at the same time the super familiar will take over. The body kicks in, the subconscious takes control, our diaphragm contracts like a hiccup and we lose that intense relaxation. We are brought back to earth, back to ordinary life, our body makes us breathe. If we still struggle and resist for too long  it says fine, watch this and you black out. A bit extreme but you didn’t do what your body was telling you to do so what were you expecting? You need to listen more man. After a short period it forgives you, you breathe again and it gives you back your consciousness.

For me the benefits have far outweighed any possible/potential side effects.

But you can always stop breathing again, rinse and repeat.

 

 

You are God.

Sunset

 

In every sense of the word, Every experience I have had since birth you gave to me.

 

 

Each person I have met, every experience shared, given or enjoyed, you provided.

Every lesson I have learned or stupidly ignored, you taught me.

Each sensual experience, each dizzying high, every taste of ecstasy, you showed me. C.

Every connection with the vital force of the Universe, you were the conductor.

Each caress of the Ocean, you were the feeling.

Every encounter with marine animals big and small, you were the glint in their eye that stopped my heart.

Each wave I ever surfed, you provided the pulsing swell.

Every cold, clear, starlit night, you were the shooting star that made me gasp.

Each golden Sunset that made me stop in awe, you painted.

Every friend I hold dear, you planted.

Wake up, you are God.

Thank you. Mahalo.

 

Reasons to be cheerful,

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Many of us are attracted to the sea or the Ocean or just a body of water. It’s evident in the property prices near the Sea, it’s evident in any map of any country, people given the option will live close to the coast rather than in the midlands.

 

 

 

Problems seem smaller when you stare out at the vast infinity of the Ocean,  all the issues of this terrestrial existence melt away when you are on, under or just beside water but in particular the Ocean. If you are reading this blog chances are you have some kind of affinity with the liquid element too. No matter where I go, if there’s water nearby my fins come too. Even if conditions are bad I’ll still dive in just cross it off the list. I am with child to dive somewhere in the Pacific, maybe less so The Arctic and Antarctica but under ice somewhere at some stage has to be on the cards.

Some people take this one step further and abandon the land, maybe not altogether but they do sail off into the wild blue yonder on a regular basis. This isn’t just to travel but a way of life. A way of seeing the world and seeing yourself from another plane. The real you we are all so afraid of seeing. I am sure you might feel like Robinson Crusoe until you find out thousands of people do this all the time. There are thousands that have either retired, dropped out or decided that this is the path of life for them. “A tourist doesn’t know where they have been and a traveller doesn’t know where he’s going”. Paul Theurox.

We evolved from water so it’s only natural that once used to it, we feel right at home peaceful and connected. Our bodies if not our minds remember the ancient reflex that helps us stay down longer and deeper. Living on the West coast of an Island in the Atlantic you can’t helped but be moved by it, whether by the sunsets, the calm, the peace, the solitude or conversely the omnipotent raging power that sweeps all before it.The Ocean is a vast, vast beautiful thing and I hope and pray it’s still in good enough condition for future generations to enjoy down the road.

The film Blackfish aired on CNN recently and the storm of protest against cetacean captivity is building momentum year on year. Go see it and be moved. It’s hard to think what an individual can do against the tidal wave of problems and pollution that we seem intent on inducing into Oceans that provide the vast majority of oxygen we breath on this spinning little ball of ours. But you can, you don’t have to start a movement, you don’t have to throw stones through the windows of dolphinariums (but don’t let me stop you). Just pick up a single piece of litter from the beach and bring it home.

1. You will feel better about yourself.

2. The Ocean will thank you for it in some way shape or form.

3. Someone might see you and be inspired to do the same.

Reasons to be cheerful 1,2,3.

 

Wanderer

 

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Sterling Hayden, Wanderer.

“To what avail the plough or sail, or love, or life- if freedom fail?

Freedom. Freedom to what? Escape, run, wander turning your back on a cowed society that stutters, staggers and stagnates every man for himself and fuck you Jack I’ve got mine?

To be truly challenging, a voyage like life, must rest on a firm foundation of financial unrest. Otherwise you are doomed to a routine traverse, the kind known to yachtsmen, who play with their boats at sea – “cruising” it is called. Voyaging belongs to sea men, and to the wanderers of the world who cannot or will not fit in.

Little has been said or written about the ways a man may blast himself free. Why? I don’t know, unless the answer lies in our diseased values…Men are enmeshed in the cancerous discipline of “security,” and in the worship of security we fling our lives beneath the wheels of routine – and before we know it our lives are gone.

The years thunder by. The dreams of youth grow dim where they lie caked in dust on the shelves of patience. Before we know it, the tomb is sealed.

Dedication to the sea is the symbol of migration and movement and wandering. It is the barbaric place and it stands opposed to society and it is a constant symbol in all of literature, too.”

Carpe Diem I guess.

 

At times I’m struck dumb!!

Smacht Diver

Smacht Diver

 

 

Hard to believe of me for anyone that knows me. I’m not usually short of a word or six and once I have a few drinks in I can’t shut up and the volume increases,it goes to eleven. But its happened on more than a few occasions that I am stuck for words. Once you interact with the people I suppose its bound to happen and when it does, it strikes me dumb. Maybe not at the specific time. I may not always show it simply because I am not always aware of the enormity of the situation at that time.

 

 

The thing is fear. Blessed am I who lives near the Ocean and gets to spend my life diving in it, surfing on it or just admiring its wonder and beauty from the shore as the Sun sets on it. I love it with a passion and while I respect it to an almost religious degree, I rarely fear it.

Every so often I have a student come along with the fear of water, or if not water then open water. The vast expanse of the Ocean and the fear of being out of your depth several times over. If you can’t see the bottom it can feel like you are floating over an abyss. An endless pit of nothingness. Sometimes these people are part of a group of students and sometimes they are on a one to one course. Sometimes people come to me admitting they fear water and want help with that but sometimes they don’t announce it until the end of the course or as we are about to leave the shore. You can often tell someones ability in how they move in water during a pool session but not always. A person can be super confident in the pool and super nervous in open water.

These thoughts don’t always come to me at the time but usually I can spot them. I reassure the student and some of my confidence passes over to them and we go on our merry way. We do our dives, our skills and enjoy the liquid element. We may have a brief chat about it afterwards or we may not. Its only later the facts strike me or sometimes they are brought about by something completely unexpected.

I had one student who as part of a business group was down doing a discovery day. He had forgone the pool element for personal reasons and went straight to open water. As we had a large group I had a boat instead of the usual shore dive. At the end of the day he confessed to me that he didn’t think we would ever get him in the boat, then didn’t think we would get him out of it and never mind getting over to the dive line. The picture above is of him returning from a 4m dive. While I was happy with the result that day I really didn’t think more about it.

As a follow on to that course, a year or so later about 150 people were gathered to hear some speakers etc and the audience was asked to contribute events that had made a lasting difference in their lives. After a few had gone I recognised the voice of the student who I had chatted to briefly beforehand. He told the crowd that at his age not that many things were life changing events but the day freediving was. He admitted that he had never been deeper than his knees and that the memory of him conquering this fear of deep water led him to say “If I can do that after all these years of it holding me back then I’m ready for anything”. Needless to say I was stunned but happily surprised that something I was a part of had had such a profound affect on someone.

The lesson here isn’t about freediving but about the human spirit and the ability after so long, to still be able to stand up and say I’m going for it. To kick back the fear that was holding you back, grab it by the scruff of the neck and go for it. It’s not always apparent to me at the time but when I do see it or recall it, it makes me contrite, humbled, inspired and privileged to witness it.

You really should play with yourself more!

Jans photo of me

 

 

Photo thanks to Jan Ploeg

 

 

 

 

As adults we really should play with ourselves more.

That’s a headline and a half right there. For those of you giggling down the back, I am deadly serious. On the freedive courses we use play a lot. Obviously there are serious bits about safety, technique and we tend not to play with them. But we should always play with and play in water. Despite what you were told when you were growing up. The proviso being when its safe to do so.

We learn when we play. One of my favourite things to do in water is play superman. We do this by pushing off the wall underwater. At mid-glide you perform a roll of 180 degrees so that you are now upside down in the pool under water. Just like Robin Williams you get a different perspective. But its much more than that. Yes you may see and feel the water differently. Yes you may pop up and break the surface and yes you may misjudge it and hit you head off the pool floor. (common) But you keep playing and like learning to walk as a baby after you fall down so many times eventually you get the hang of it. Eventually you are streamlined, sleek and move with the water. Now you can literally do anything. You have just added another dimension to your movement. As terrestrial beings we can only move forward, backwards or side to side. As aquatic beings we can now add up and down to that. We can roll, pirouette, spin, tumble and above all play. The body learns and use makes master. Try this with fins and without. You must either use a nose clip or a mask and yes you will get strange looks from other pool users but if you are not getting strange looks from people on a regular basis maybe you are not living life to the fullest.

The last thing we do is blow bubble rings like in the picture above. The dolphin is optional and never in a pool guys, that aint cool. So to blow a perfect bubble ring takes a little practice. Neck weight is good or a small weight belt and hold it beyond your head. Lie down on the pool floor. You may need to start with an exhale or not full longs to stay down. Wait and let the bubbles from you, the mask etc disperse and the water column settle. Take your time. Wait for a second between attempts. Keep practicing. Yeah its a neat trick and looks nice but it also ends up with you on the bottom of the pool with empty lungs so go shallow and play a bit.

Both of these playful acts do something other than make you feel like you are 8 years old again which in and of itself is no bad thing. It builds up what the master calls Aquaticity. If you ever watch Umberto dive just for fun you can see the way he moves isn’t diving, isn’t swimming. Its more like a dance, a flirtatious movement with the water where both elements, body and water really become one.  It’s beautiful to watch and even more beautiful to emulate. So go play.

 

Describing the why?

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After the first two questions every freediver gets asked, how long can you hold your breath? And how deep can you go? The next question is usually why?

It’s not an easy question to answer but in another way it’s simple. Why indeed? It’s not exactly the adrenaline junkie high of wing suit flying or free climbing but I think all these extreme sports have a common thread. Part of it is certainly the possibility to connect with nature and experience the beauty of marine life and seascape. To swim with large creatures like dolphins, mantas, sharks and whales is a reward in itself and one I have been privileged to experience.

But the bigger part I think is connectedness, the feeling of really living, of being more alive in that moment than in many years of life before this. I think this connectedness is universal but is always seen or felt in endeavors of this type or in nature. The climber at the top of the peak, the kayaker at the end of the rapids, the wing suit flyer or base jumper when they finally deploy the chute and we all breath a sigh of relief. These are extreme examples but I only use them to illustrate the point. You probably get the same feeling when looking at an ice clear star studded night sky or sunsets that could only be painted in colours available to an almighty higher intelligence, like the ones we get on the west coast of Ireland here.

When not looking at the beauty around me or if diving deep just on a line in blue water, I usually close my eyes. So, diving blind may not sound appealing but it’s incredibly relaxing once you get into it. The hangs I sometimes do at depth are intense but in a really subtle way. It’s usually a slow descent using my arms to pull down to about 10 metres or so. Then I turn round and hold on to the rope. At this point I should be neutrally buoyant, so not rising or falling. With my head now right way round I wrap my arms around the line and close my eyes. When I am very relaxed my head falls to one side. I can feel my heart rate getting slower, slower and slower. The pressure at this depth is there but not uncomfortable, just a gentle squeeze. It’s as if the whole world is gone or doesn’t exist. Trance like, dream like, there is nothing else involved in that space. Just me and the universe. I am part of it and it also is an equal part of me. If I do slowly open my eyes at any point all I see is the melancholy green of my beloved Atlantic or the intense vivd Blue of the Red sea if in Egypt. But mostly they stay closed. Its incredibly difficult to put the sensation into words. You can feel a great bright white light of energy, but you don’t see anything. You feel energised to bursting point with life but, also relaxed. Think of the film Avatar when they connect with the earths energy force. That’s it, that’s the connectedness, a brief glimpse of the “meaning of life” for the junkie without having it explained. The mystery still remains. Like a dream you knew you had and it was good but you only remember fleeting parts of it.

After a few minutes of this bliss the body’s signals take over and just can’t be ignored any longer. Contractions of the diaphragm are becoming stronger and the urge to breathe is becoming overwhelming, but a big part doesn’t want to go back. A big part wants to stay there. Surrounded by this serenity who would want to leave it? As Jacque Mayol says in the Big Blue “you have to have a good reason to come back up”. Fortunately I have several good reasons to come back up.

Not least is the desire to take that first breath again and prepare to go back down. That’s the why.