Non Spearfisherman Question

Sorry, after seeing all the posts and various freediving/spearfishing vids, I had to ask.

How long (on average) do most divers hold there breath for?

I watched Ocean Hunters on TV, and it looks like an amazing sport. My asthma is under control, but it still makes me second guess trying. I suppose the best way to learn is to start in lakes, stay shallow and work my way up.

Any and all comments are appreciated.

Have a good day,

Omar

breath holds vary by individual and definitely no two dives are the same. you could get spooked or you could be really relaxed. i know guys who will dive a 1 minute / 50 ft breath hold one day and then the following week struggle for a 45 second hold at 30 feet. also body comfort and water temps have a lot to do with how good a dive will be.

It all depends on conditions and level of stress on one's body and mind that particular day.

If you have athsma be sure to take it easy. Often people with athsma will not be able to get scuba certified unless waived by a physician (really rare). but for freediving in shallow and snorkeling it might be possible.

above all, know your limits and leave room for error.

lots of people can dive deep but might be more comfortable diving shallower yet get more bottom time.

i have dove 70-75 feet but prefer depths of around 30-35 feet which also gives me good bottom time to look and attract fish.

Locally shallow diving is good. I have shot more fish in less than 20 feet of water than out deep. for things to grow and live happy they need light, dive too deep in a bad vis area and day sometimes you wont see anything.

my favorite type of spearfishing is spearing big olive rockfish from the surface.

John,

thanks for the insight. I am actually scuba certified. After seeing videos of people moving around so freely without all the extra gear, freediving seemed very appealing. I'll try some scuba hunting for a while and see how it goes.

I am very envious though.

Thanks again,

Omar

Just give it a try and see what happens.  Abalone can be found quite shallow, and the most fun I've had spearfishing was chasing greenlings and perch around in 8' deep sand channels with a pole spear.  Lots of fish, lots of colorful sea life to watch...  Freediving in deeper water you're mainly looking at grey/green murk with maybe a few kelp stalks and mid-water rockies between dives.  If you freedive in carmel bay you're almost guranteed some horseplay with a harbor seal begging for a handout.

If you can breathe up and hold your breath for 60s sitting in your chair then you'll probably be able to work up to a reasonable level of capability freediving. 

Freedivers also use fins that power us like a sports car compared to scuba fins, so you could try scuba diving with a pair of longblades and see what that does for your acceleration and max speed.  I find that I swim circles around everyone else when I wear them, but I also run out of air sooner - I think I get better mileage out of my air though....

Great Idea.

I just bought a book online that should help me get started ( as far as where to go as a beginner) . Also, going through all the old posts in this section is a great way to learn. In fact, that's been the biggest help. I've also been looking at spearfishing.com. They have a lot of good info, they are just not local enough to answer some of my questions. If anybody has other websites they find useful, please pass them on.

Thanks again,

Omar

I guess most people stay between 30 secs to 1 minute. Over that, you are really pushing yourself and risk a Shallow Water Blackout. No stupid fish or abalone or lobster is worth paying your life for it. The sport's fatality/accident rate is shaped like a U, the newbies and the most seasoned divers are at the most risk.

I just tried to hold my breath for 30 seconds, sitting in my chair. Not as easy as it sounds. I will definitely be starting off slow. I am going to start doing some breathhold exercises to help get in shape..hope I don't pass out on my bike 

there are breathing exercises and such but even if you jus tstay at the surface, on a good day you'll see the bottom. shallow also has a lot of life. talk to david laird at my old place of work "Wallins Dive Center" in san carlos and he'll tell you more about it. he has a freedive class as well thats nice. He is real patient and loves to teach.

go at your own pace, whats good for one may not be for another.

some days i love just snorkeling and seeing whats below. lots of times fish come right up to you too.

Thanks John,

Funny thing is, I was planning on going there and Aquan on Sat. I'll ask for your friend.

Much appreciated,

Omar

Omar, Aquan has good stuff but for freediving Wallins is the expert. David Laird is the man you want.

Enjoy!

A long time ago I once held my breath for 2 minutes 15 seconds while watching a TV show where some magician/stuntman was escaping from a watery-grave type situation - that was pushing it, and it was just sitting there on a couch.  I've always had a large lung capacity - ran cross country...etc., but my ab dives average only around 25 seconds.  I generally have pretty quick recovery time and used to stay in the water for 3 hours covering a lot of ground.  So the individual dives don't have to be that long.  I'm uncomfortable going over 25' - not enough bottom time.  And what others have said here is true:  shallow water holds many of the best experiences - big abs included.   

Brandi is a pro - that means she's in a different category.  We were diving out of a powerboat along the Lost Coast a few years back and I got in the boat to warm up my hands.  I timed her and she went right around a minute - that was an hour or more into diving cold water with ab gear...  Everyone's different.  Don't limit yourself by comparing to others - start in tidepools and work your way out to where you feel comfortable.

Freedivers also use fins that power us like a sports car compared to scuba fins, so you could try scuba diving with a pair of longblades and see what that does for your acceleration and max speed. 

Huh, I've been free diving with the big black clunky scuba fins; do you think a new pair for free diving would be a good investment? What make and model would you recomend?

my ab dives average only around 25 seconds. 

Glad you pointed this out Abking, I was thinking the same type of thing myself.
Heh, the day I dove with Brandi I felt like a real noob. She seemed to be down forever and I couldn't even get to the bottom. Then again we were in 30 feet of water with 2 feet of visibility and I hadn't dove for years; a bit spooky. Once I got down to Ft. Bragg and could see the bottom it all came back to me and I was able to get 3 abs and spear a couple fish each time I went out.

i think for freediving, longfins are essential and help you move more fluidly thorugh the water. the long blades allow for long finstrokes as opposed to scuba fins which are more effective for short flutter type kicks. i have used longblades for scuba and they work. i prefer to keep scuba fins to scuba and longfins for freediving because of ease of use. its a lot easier to use scuba fins when you or beach diving with scuba gear because of the shortened length, for local waters, the open heel and strap. for freediving the longfins help you use each kick more effectively and since you dont have to move all that weight involved with scuba diving, you end up with a real effective propulsion system and no buckles to get hung up when you get a set with a closed foot pocket.

when i used to abalone dive at 25' with scuba fins i kicked like hell to start my dive and propel myself down, i estimate around 15 kicks. with longer freediving fins i can sail down 45 feet and when properly weighted i can kick maybe 10 times to get down there.

i use generic scuba fins for scuba and omer bat fins for freediving:

Length of my dives after warmed-up = ~45 seconds. In warm, clear water ~one minute. Comfort level is the key. This past year I took a breath hold class and did 3:30 hanging on the side of the pool; I wouldn't dream of approaching that diving. I have some breathing exercises from that class I'll try to dig out and post.
A big problem I have is that I have to take tons of decongestants for my ears to equalize (maybe); this goes directly counter to relaxation breath-hold techniques such as slowing your heart rate.

I've been a swimmer/ water polo/ surfer all my lfe so I think my breath control is pretty good. But even still you should make sure not to push yourself too far no matter how good you think you are. In surfing big waves, holding your breath isn't just important but necessary. We all try to get our breath control down and work on it all the time and sometimes we push too far. A local surfer, Jay Moriarity, lost his life pushing a little too hard during training.

It's a pretty trippy thing because you're just trying to relax as much as possible and not think about air but there is always that voice in the back of your head that says "time for air." It's good to know your limts and push yourself but just not too much. 2 min now is pretty basic for me but if I am gonna push it further I make sure not to be too deep. Can't wait to try out spearfishing soon!!!!

Z