Freediving

September-October 2010

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September-October 2010

Freediving

FREEDIVING
MIND, BODY AND SOUL
By Craig Barnett Photos Courtesy of FreedivingUAE and Fred Buyle

Gulf countries once relied on it economically; today individuals practice it as a holistic method of personal improvement. Welcome to the freediving renaissance.

On July 10th the most important freediving lm since Big Blue

premiered in Hollywood to rave reviews and a subsequent clutch of awards. In The Greater Meaning of Water the makers tell the story of an athlete who journeys to his inner-most and the oceans depths, using freediving as relief from a chronic lung disease. The lm portrays how a natural and potentially transformative sport actually improves the health and well being of the lead character. In shunning the advice of Hollywood producers to up the danger and drama by killing or critically injuring a character, The Greater Meaning of Water is the ultimate feel good lm report spectators. For participators in the sport, this feel good factor is multiplied many times over. Here in the Middle East many individuals are discovering the physical, mental and spiritual benets of breathold immersion. Some liken the sport to practising a martial art, as it improves lung capa-

city and promotes deeper levels of awareness, perception, discipline and control over your body. An exhilarating non-adrenaline sport may sound like an oxymoron, but the breathing exercises and relaxing techniques used during training and pre-dive actually have meditative qualities while quickly achieving previously unimaginable immersion times and depths provides a burst of overwhelming satisfaction. Anyone can freedive, Adel Abu Haliqa of FreedivingUAE told us. In fact, anyone who has held their breath underwater has already freedived. But by learning simple techniques through basic training, individuals can discover a whole new dimension - both within themselves and the oceans that surround us. Within a very short period of time, a beginner can discover their latent freediving abilities, and soon be gliding silently through the oceans deep in a state of total relaxation, erasing a weeks stress with each descent. Without mechanical aids restricting movement or creating intrusive noise, the sense of freedom is tangible as novices typically quickly achieve 45-second dives of 30m. Think underwater yoga with the benets of observing breathtaking marine life thrown in! Somewhat surprisingly, our body is designed to instinctively deal with sustained periods of holding our breath and depth its called the Mammalian Dive Reex. In physiological terms the body automatically optimises respiration, conserving oxygen by restricting blood ow to our extremities through slowing down the heart rate. Some freedivers actually report slowing their heart rate by as much as 50 percent and on the surface the breath-hold world record is an incredible eleven minutes. In terms of depths, the world record is in excess of 200m confounding scientists who once believed that if man descended beyond 30m his lungs would collapse. It has since been discovered that our bodies operate a blood shift mechanism: when lung volume is reduced at depth our blood shifts into vessels around the lungs to compensate.

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Freediving

CONTACTS : FREEDIVINGUAE WEB: WWW.FREEDIVINGUAE.COM APPROXIMATE COSTS: DISCOVER FREEDIVING COURSE COSTS AED 800/ $220 (USD) AIDA 1-STAR COSTS AED 800/ $220 (USD) AIDA 2-STAR COSTS AED 2315/ $630

As when learning any new sport, taking qualied instruction and coaching from the start eliminates bad habits and reduces the risk of serious injury or possibly fatal accidents. In the UAE, National Freedive Record Holder Adel Abu Haliqa partners with Alex Boulting to run the AIDA approved FreedivingUAE club, both are fully qualied and insured instructors and host regular freediving courses, clinics and symposiums presented by world renowned athletes. Wed recommend the AIDA 1-Star course for a complete beginner, and AIDA 2-Star for someone who is generally condent in water (such as good swimmers and/or SCUBA divers), explains Abu Haliqa. There is also a Discover Freediving Course for those who arent 100 percent sure about getting into the sport, its a bit of a test drive. The courses all involve knowledge development through theory classes, as well as practical practice in the pool. The AIDA 2-Star course takes the student through to open water for vertical diving into the sea - if the student meets the requirement to pass the course theyll be diving to a depth of 16m (20m max) and hold their breath for 2 minutes. During the course students learn about predive breathing techniques, relaxation, the last surface breath and the appropriate recovery breaths to take on resurfacing. Youd think inhaling and exhaling is a natural instinctive function, until you discover how breathe all over again!

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September-October 2010

Freediving

FREEDIVING ACTIVITIES
Freediving can be enjoyed in a variety of ways and for leisure activities or competitive events. Here are some examples:
SPEARFISHING: popular in the Middle East, divers use a spring-loaded harpoon to hunt sh underwater. SNORKELLING:

One of the simplest and fun diving activities that most have enjoyed but a little training and additional know how can turn the usual splash around on the surface into a full bore freediving adventure.

CONSTANT WEIGHT:

this discipline involves descending and ascending without the use of a rope or changing of ballast. The without ns version is considered the most physically challenging of AIDAs competitive formats.
FREE IMMERSION: using a vertical guide rope, the diver can pull themselves along during the descent and ascent. Its the middle ground in diculty terms between Constant Weight and Variable Weight in competitive terms.

Discover and re-discovery is very much a theme in freediving, evident from Abu Haliqas response to what the sport means to him. It is an excellent medium for developing myself physically and makes it easier for me to choose a healthy lifestyle. But its also an opportunity to develop emotionally and a way to nd myself. Modern life is pretty hectic and its dicult to nd those few precious moments to be alone with yourself or more appropriately within yourself. Freediving brings me face to face with my inner self, providing me more of those precious moments. Freediving is full of delicious juxtapositions, and while the self-development, self-awareness, self-discipline and personal development all gure highly, it is also a very sociable sport. Freedivers rely on each other for safety; so placing your life in anothers hands develops mutual respect, trust and a special bond. To promote the social networking aspect of the sport, FreedivingUAE organise regular excursions for training and pleasure to Khorfakkan on the UAEs eastern seaboard. Theyre a great opportunity experiencing freediving in a safe, professional environment, to develop one's freediving skills in a friendly atmosphere and making new friends who share the same passion of the Blue, enthuses Abu Haliqa. If you want our advice? Take a deep breath and dive in, it could just change your life.

Discover another dimension and live life in 3D. Freediving is as close to flying as man can achieve unaided. NO LIMITS: As the name suggests, there are no restrictions on how a diver descends or ascends. The sole goal is to get down as deep as possible on the guide rope. A weighted sled is usually used for the descent and an inatable bag for an accelerated return journey to the surface. STATIC APNEA: Usually conducted in shallow water, this simple remain immersed as long as possible format is popular in competition. Each year Fazza (HH Sheikh Hamdan) holds an international competition in Dubai with big prizes. VARIABLE WEIGHT: Using a weight (usually a sled attached to the guideline) the diver makes an accelerated descent, then returns to the surface under their own power.

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