Free-diving

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Freediver with monofin, ascending.

Freediving (or free-diving) is a form of underwater diving that relies on a diver's ability to hold his or her breath until resurfacing rather than on the use of a breathing apparatus such as scuba gear. Examples include breath-hold spear fishing, freedive photography, recreational breath-hold diving, apnea competitions, and to some degree, snorkeling. The activity that garners the most public attention is the extreme sport of competitive apnea in which competitors attempt to attain great depths, times, or distances on a single breath.

Contents

Overview [edit]

Freediving is a technique used with various aquatic activities. Examples of recognized freediving activities are (non-) competitive freediving, (non-) competitive spearfishing, freediving photography and mermaid shows. Less recognized examples of freediving include, but are not limited to, synchronised swimming, underwater rugby, underwater hockey, underwater hunting other than spearfishing, underwater target shooting and snorkeling. The discussion remains whether freediving is only a synonym for breath-hold diving or whether it describes a specific group of underwater activities. The term 'freediving' is often associated with competitive breath-hold diving or competitive apnoea.

Competitive freediving [edit]

Competitive freediving is currently governed by two world associations: AIDA International (International Association for Development of Apnea) and CMAS (World Underwater Federation). Most types of competitive freediving have in common that it is an individual sport based on the best individual achievement. An exception to this rule is the bi-annual World Championship for Teams, held by AIDA, where the combined score of the team members makes up the team's total points. There are currently nine disciplines used by official governing bodies and a dozen disciplines that are only practiced locally. In this article, the recognized disciplines of AIDA and CMAS will be described. All disciplines can be done by both men and women and, while done outdoors, no differences in the environment between records are recognized any longer. The disciplines of AIDA can be done both in competition and as a record attempt, with the exception of Variable Weight and No limits, which are both done solely as record attempts.

The following official disciplines are recognized by AIDA, CMAS, or both.

Pool disciplines [edit]

  • Static Apnea is timed breath holding and is usually attempted in a pool (AIDA).
  • Dynamic Apnea With Fins- This is underwater swimming in a pool for distance. For this discipline the athlete can choose whether to use bi-fins or the monofin (AIDA, CMAS).
  • Dynamic Apnea Without Fins- This is underwater swimming in a pool for distance without any swimming aids like fins (AIDA).

Depth disciplines [edit]

For all AIDA disciplines, the depth the athlete will attempt is announced before the dive. This is accepted practice for both competitions and record attempts.

  • Constant Weight Apnea. The athlete has to dive to the depth following a guide line that he or she is not allowed to actively use during the dive. The ‘Constant Weight’ (French: "poids constant") refers to the fact that the athlete is not allowed to drop any diving weights during the dive. Both bi-fins and monofin can be used during this discipline (AIDA).
  • Constant Weight Apnea Without Fins follows the identical rules as Constant Weight, except no swimming aids such as fins are allowed. This discipline is the youngest discipline within competitive freediving and is recognised by AIDA since 2003 (AIDA).
  • Free Immersion Apnea is a discipline in which the athlete uses the vertical guiderope to pull him or herself down to depth and back to the surface. It is known for its ease compared with the Constant Weight disciplines, while the athlete is still not allowed to release weights (AIDA).
  • Variable Weight Apnea is a record discipline that uses a weighted sled for descent. Athletes return to the surface by pulling themselves up along a line or swimming while using their fins (AIDA).
  • No-Limits Apnea is a record discipline that allows the athlete to use any means of breath-hold diving to depth and return to the surface as long as a guideline is used to measure the distance. Most divers use a weighted sled to dive down and use an inflatable bag to return to the surface (AIDA).
  • The Jump Blue also called "The Cube" is a discipline in which an athlete has to descend and swim as far as possible in a cubic form of 15 x 15 meters (CMAS).

Each organization has its own rules on recognizing an attempt. These can be found on the website from the respective organizations.

AIDA recognized world records [edit]

As of 2 May 2013 (2013-05-02) the AIDA recognized world records are:[1]

Discipline Gender Distance [m] Time Name Date Place
Constant Weight Apnea (CWT) Men 126 - Alexey Molchanov 2012-11-20 Dean's Blue Hole, Long Island Bahamas
Constant Weight Apnea (CWT) Women 101 - Natalia Molchanova 2011-09-22 Kalamata, Greece
Constant Weight Apnea Without Fins (CNF) Men 101 - William Trubridge 2010-12-16 Dean's Blue Hole, Long Island Bahamas
Constant Weight Apnea Without Fins (CNF) Women 68 - Natalia Molchanova 2013-04-25 Blue Hole, Dahab, Egypt
Free Immersion Apnea (FIM) Men 121 - William Trubridge 2011-04-10 Dean's Blue Hole, Long Island Bahamas
Free Immersion Apnea (FIM) Women 88 - Natalia Molchanova 2011-09-24 Kalamata, Greece
Variable Weight Apnea (VWT) Men 142 - Herbert Nitsch 2009-12-07 Dean's Blue Hole, Long Island Bahamas
Variable Weight Apnea (VWT) Women 127 - Natalia Molchanova 2012-06-06 Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
No-Limits Apnea (NLT) Men 214 - Herbert Nitsch 2007-06-14 Spetses, Greece
No-Limits Apnea (NLT) Women 160 - Tanya Streeter 2002-08-17 Turks and Caicos
Static Apnea (STA) Men - 11 min 35 sec Stéphane Mifsud 2009-06-08 Hyères, Var, France
Static Apnea (STA) Women - 8 min 23 sec Natalia Molchanova 2009-08-21 Aarhus, Denmark
Dynamic Apnea With Fins (DYN) Men 273 - Goran Čolak 2011-10-15 Lignano, Italy
Dynamic Apnea With Fins (DYN) Women 225 - Natalia Molchanova 2010-04-25 Moscow, Russia
Dynamic Apnea Without Fins (DNF) Men 218 - Dave Mullins 2010-09-27 Naenae & Porirua, New Zealand
Dynamic Apnea Without Fins (DNF) Women 163 - Ilaria Bonin 2012-11-17 Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy

CMAS recognized world records [edit]

As of 9 May 2012 (2012-05-09), the CMAS recognized world records are:[2]

Discipline Gender Distance [m] Time Name/Country Date Place Status
Dynamic apnea with fins in Olympic pool (no salty water) Women 215.59 - Ilaria Bonin, Italy 2012-11-03 Antalya, Turkey Waiting approval
Static apnea Men - 10:05 Branco Petrovic, Serbia 2012-10-01 Antalya, Turkey Waiting approval
Static apnea Women - 07:30 Veronica Dittes, Austria 2012-10-01 Antalya, Turkey Waiting approval
Jump Blue apnea with fins (at sea) Women 168.69 - Ilaria Bonin, Italy 2012-10-31 Kemer, Antalya, Turkey Waiting approval
Jump Blue apnea with fins (at sea) Men 185 - Michele Giurgola, Italy 2012-10-31 Kemer, Antalya, Turkey Waiting approval
Jump Blue apnea with fins (at sea) Men 185 - Xaier Delpit, France 2012-10-31 Kemer, Antalya, Turkey Waiting approval
Variable weight apnea without fin (at sea) Men 81 - Devrim Cenk Ulusoy, Turkey 2012-09-26 Kas, Antalya, Turkey Waiting approval
Free immersion apnea without fin (at sea) Men 81 - Devrim Cenk Ulusoy, Turkey 2012-09-25 Kas, Antalya, Turkey Waiting approval
Constant Weight with fins (at sea) Men 93 - Homer Leuci, Italy 2012-09-15 Soverato, Italy Waiting approval
Variable weight apnea with fin (at sea) Men 131 - Homer Leuci. Italy 2012-09-11 Soverato, Italy Waiting approval
Constant Weight with fins (at sea) Women 70 - Sahika Ercumen, Turkey 2011-11-10 Dahab, Egypt Approved
Variable weight apnea without fin (at sea) Women 60 - Sahika Ercumen, Turkey 2011-11-10 Dahab, Egypt Approved
Constant Weight with fins (at no salty water) Men 70 - Michele Tomasi, Italy 2011-10-02 Trento, Italy Approved
Constant Weight with fins (at sea) Men 87 - Devrim Cenk Ulusoy, Turkey 2011-10-02 Kas/Antalya, Turkey Approved
Free immersion apnea without fin (at sea) Men 80 - Devrim Cenk Ulusoy, Turkey 2011-10-01 Kas/Antalya, Turkey Approved
Constant Weight with fins (at sea) Men 86 - Homer Leuci, Italy 2011-09-09 Calabria, Italy Approved
Jump Blue apnea with fins (at sea) Men 175.66 - Michele Fucarino, Italy 2011-09-04 Tenerife, Spain Approved
Jump Blue apnea with fins (at sea) Women 158.54 - Ilaria Bonin, Italy 2011-09-04 Tenerife/Spain Approved
Static apnea Men - 09:32 Branco Petrovic, Serbia 2011-09-02 Tenerife, Spain Approved
Static apnea Women - 06:38 Sophie Jacquin, France 2011-09-02 Tenerife, Spain Approved
Dynamic apnea with fins in Olympic pool (no salty water) Men 250 - Goran Colak, Croatia 2011-09-01 Tenerife, Spain Approved
Jump Blue apnea with fins (at sea) Men 171.45 - Alfredo Roen, Spain 2010-10-10 Tenerife, Spain Approved
Jump Blue apnea with fins (at sea) Women 144 - Monica Barbero, Italy 2010-10-10 Tenerife, Spain Approved
Dynamic apnea with fins in Olympic pool (no salty water) Men 248.52 - Goran Colak, Croatia 2010-09-13 Zagabria/Croatia Approved
Dynamic apnea with fins in Olympic pool (no salty water) Women 205.44 - Ilaria Bonin, Italy 2010-06-12 Lignano, Italy Approved
Constant Weight with fins (at sea) Men 84 - Homer Leuci, Italy 2009-10-04 Andora, Italy Approved
Constant Weight with fins (at sea) Men 83.1 - Devrim Cenk Ulusoy, Turkey 2008-10-26 Antalya, Turkey Approved
Jump Blue apnea with fins (at sea) Men 159.54 - Devrim Cenk Ulusoy, Turkey 2008-09-05 Antalya, Turkey Approved
Constant Weight with fins (at no salty water) Women 57 - Tanya Streeter, USA 1998-12-28 Ocala, Fl, USA Approved
Constant Weight with fins (at sea) Women 67 - Tanya Streeter, USA 1998-09-19 S.Maria Nevernese, Italy Approved
Constant Weight with fins (at no salty water) Men 55 - Eric Cherrier, France 1997-08-09 Lac De Sainte Croix Du Verdon Approved

Recreational freediving [edit]

Freediving is also a recreational activity, celebrated as a relaxing, liberating and unique experience significantly different from SCUBA diving. Many snorkelers freedive when they hold their breath and swim below the surface. SAFETY TIP: The common practice of letting the snorkel flood when submerging allows water to enter the airways, which are kept open by the snorkel's mouth piece, creating a risk of water entering the lungs. It is therefore recommended that the snorkel be removed from the mouth while under water.

Physiology of freediving [edit]

The human body has several adaptations under diving conditions,[3][4] which stem from the mammalian diving reflex. These adaptations enable the human body to endure depth and lack of oxygen far beyond what would be possible without the reflex.

The adaptations made by the human body while underwater and at high pressure include:[3][4]

  • Reflex bradycardia: Drop in heart rate.
  • Vasoconstriction: Blood vessels shrink; blood is directed away from the limbs and into the torso.
  • Splenic contraction: Releasing red blood cells carrying oxygen.
  • Blood shift: Blood plasma fills up blood vessels in the lung, which reduces residual volume. Without this adaptation, the human lung would shrink and wrap into its walls, causing permanent damage, at depths greater than 30 meters (98.4 feet).

Training [edit]

Training for freediving can take many forms and be done on the land.

One example is the apnea walk. This consists of a preparation "breathe-up", followed by a short (typically 1 minute) breath hold taken at rest. Without breaking the hold, the participant then initiates a walk for as far as they can, until it becomes necessary to breathe again. Athletes can do close to 400 meters in training this way.

This form of training is good for accustoming muscles to work under anaerobic conditions, and for tolerance to CO2 build-up in the circulation. It is also easy to gauge progress, as increasing distance can be measured.

Before competition attempt, freedivers perform preparation sequence, which usually consists of physical stretching, mental exercise and breath exercise. It may include sequention of variable length static apnea, special purging deep breaths, hyperventilation. Result of preparation sequence is slower metabolism, lower heart rate and breath rate, lower level of CO2 in bloodstream[5] and overall mental equilibrium. Failing ordinary warning signals or crossing mental barrier by strong will may lead to shallow water blackout or deep water blackout.[4][6] Trained freedivers are well aware of this and will only dive under strict and first aid competent supervision. However this does not eliminate the risk of deep or shallow water blackout. All safe freedivers have a 'buddy' who accompanies them, observing from within the water at the surface. Due to the nature of the sport, any practice of freediving must include strict adherence to safety measures as an integral part of the activity, and all participants must also be adept in rescue and resuscitation. Without proper training and supervision, freediving/apnea/breath-hold diving is extremely dangerous.

History [edit]

Main articles: Sponge diving and Ancient divers

Archaeological evidence suggests that people have been freediving since the 5th century BCE. The first known were the haenyeo in Korea who collected shells and sponges to sell to others. The Ama Divers from Japan began to collect pearls 2,000 years ago.[6][7] Both Plato and Homer mention the sponge as being used for bathing in ancient Greece and this may represent an early reference to commercial freediving to obtain them; the island of Kalymnos was a main centre of diving for sponges. By using weights of as much as 15 kilograms (33 lb) to speed the descent, breath-holding divers would descend to depths up to 30 metres (98 ft) for as long as 5 minutes to collect sponges.[8]

Spearfishing around the Mediterranean Sea was important for the historical background for the movement of the apnea sport.


Freediving in fiction [edit]

  • The Pearl by John Steinbeck (1947) is a novel about a poor pearl diver, Kino, who finds the 'Pearl of Heaven', which is exceptionally valuable, changing his life for ever. The novel explores themes of man's nature as well as greed and evil.
  • In Ian Fleming's (1964) James Bond novel You Only Live Twice, the character Kissy Suzuki is an ama diver. This connection was also mentioned in the film version.
  • Man from Atlantis was a 1970s TV series which featured a superhero with the ability to breathe underwater and freedive in his own special way.
  • The Big Blue (1988) is a romantic film about two world-class freedivers, a heavily fictionalized depiction of the rivalry of freedivers Jacques Mayol and Enzo Maiorca.
  • Ocean Men (2001) is a documentary film about the art and science of freediving, featuring two of its most outstanding exponents: Francisco "Pipín" Ferreras and Umberto Pelizzari.
  • In the movie Phoenix Blue (2001), protagonist Rick is a musician who freedives competitively.
  • The children's novel The Dolphins of Laurentum by Caroline Lawrence (2003), which takes place in ancient Rome, describes the applications of freediving (sponge and pearl diving), and its hazards, as one of the principal characters, as well as the main antagonist, try to beat each other to a sunken treasure.
  • The Freediver (2004) is a film about a talented female freediver who is discovered and brought to an island, where she is trained by an ambitious scientist to break a freediving world record currently held by an American woman.
  • In the film Into the Blue (2005) starring Jessica Alba, a group of divers find themselves in deep trouble with a drug lord after they come upon the illicit cargo of a sunken airplane in the Caribbean. Jessica Alba is an accomplished freediver, and did much of the underwater work; some other stunts were performed by Mehgan Heaney-Grier.
  • In Greg Iles' novel Blood Memory (2005), the main character Cat Ferry is an odontologist and a freediver.
  • H2O: Just Add Water Series 3 added a freediver (Will Benjamin played by Luke Mitchell) as a regular. Freediving is featured in some episodes.
  • The Greater Meaning of Water (2010) is an independent film about competitive constant weight freediving, focusing on the 'zen' of freediving.
  • In the Canadian television series Corner Gas, the character Karen Pelly (Tara Spencer-Nairn) competed in static apnea, ranking fifth in Canada with a personal best of over six minutes.

See also [edit]

Portal icon Underwater diving portal

References [edit]

  1. ^ AIDA International. "World Records". Retrieved 2013-05-02. 
  2. ^ Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques. "Apnoea Records". Retrieved 2013-04-05. 
  3. ^ a b Brubakk, A. O.; T. S. Neuman (2003). Bennett and Elliott's physiology and medicine of diving, 5th Rev ed. United States: Saunders Ltd. p. 800. ISBN 0-7020-2571-2. 
  4. ^ a b c Lindholm P, Pollock NW, Lundgren CEG (2006). Breath-hold diving. Proceedings of the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society/Divers Alert Network 2006 June 20–21 Workshop.. Durham, NC, United States: Divers Alert Network. ISBN 978-1-930536-36-4. Retrieved 2008-04-30. 
  5. ^ Neal W. Pollock, Richard D. Vann, Edward D. Thalmann and Claus EG Lundgren. (1997). "Oxygen-Enhanced Breath-hold Diving, Phase I: Hyperventilation and Carbon Dioxide Elimination". In: EJ Maney, Jr and CH Ellis, Jr (Eds.) Diving for Science...1997. Proceedings of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (17th Annual Scientific Diving Symposium). Retrieved 2009-04-16. 
  6. ^ a b Lundgren, Claus EG; Ferrigno, Massimo (eds). (1985). Physiology of Breath-hold Diving. 31st Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society Workshop. UHMS Publication Number 72(WS-BH)4-15-87. Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society. Retrieved 2009-04-16. 
  7. ^ Rahn, H.; Yokoyama, T. (1965). Physiology of Breath-Hold Diving and the Ama of Japan.. United States: National Academy of Sciences - National Research Council. p. 369. ISBN 0-309-01341-0. Retrieved 2009-04-16. 
  8. ^ Sandra Hendrikse and André Merks (12 May 2009). "Diving the Skafandro suit". Diving Heritage. Retrieved 2009-10-16. 

Further reading [edit]

External links [edit]

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