How long can you hold your breath?

OK so no one is going to suck pure Os and get 15 plus minutes but what is considered average bottom time?  Or more to my point, how long does one need hold their breath to successfully spearfish?

A minute around here gives you a pretty decent shot.  There's guys that can do much more, but if you can do 45 - 60 seconds, you'll get fish.

A little cardio goes a long way in this department.

-Brian G

i used to do about a minute at 30 feet or so but im currently being treated for TB and my breathhold is 30 seconds down about 10 feet. its bad. after treatment i hope to get back on track again. doctor said i have to take it easy on my lungs. oh well, too bad for now.

im currently being treated for TB

D@mn, that sucks. Any good story behind that or just in the wrong place at the wrong time...?

i used to do about a minute at 30 feet or so but im currently being treated for TB and my breathhold is 30 seconds down about 10 feet. its bad. after treatment i hope to get back on track again. doctor said i have to take it easy on my lungs. oh well, too bad for now.

john, that friggin sucks.  I'm sorry to here that.

I hear doing yoga helps....

Did any of you catch the Oprah special recently when David Blaine held his breath under water (in a clear sphere filled with water) for ... GET THIS ... 17 minutes, 4 seconds.  Un-fricken-real!!!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/30/david-blaine-breaks-breat_n_99407.html

That's got to kill a few brain cells.

-Allen

So, next we'll see ab hunters all packin' O2 bottles to hyperventilate with so they can pull a "Blaine-style" breath hold?

 Blaines feat is still interesting but I'd think the co2 build up would be tough, even with constant exhales. I wonder what sort of damage that stunt did to him, if any.

Blaine is a freak.

I don't time myself or push my limits.  I stay down as long as I'm comfortable then return to the surface.  I haven't swam the pool in a while, last time I dove I was doing between 30-40 sec at 40 ft.  Shallower dives seemed alot longer.   

Blaine is a freak. 

Agreed  .

I stay down as long as I'm comfortable then return to the surface 

This seems to be the best mindset. If it ain't fun, why do it?

I usually do about 30 seconds at 20'.  Working out does help a lot and I could probably improve that.  Resting in a chair I can hold my breath over 2 minutes without much fuss.

25-30 seconds is enough time to get a fish.  I don't stay down as long as I used to, and 30 - 40 feet is way too deep for me.  You guys are animals doing depths like that.  Dedicated divers and athletes can use relaxation techniques and get lots out of it in terms of bottom time and overall comfort.

David Blaine is out there.  I want to levitate too - now that I'm working with video maybe I'll get that one down!   

I'm not sure how long I can hold my breath but I can swim 50-100 meters underwater in a pool pretty comfortably. Many years of swimming and water polo stretched my lungs out pretty good. It probably works out to about 1.5-2 minutes or so. That's doing some relaxation tech. and using a very cruising stroke.

And Blaine.. dude's a magician. A VERY good one. Saw a few of his tricks busted and they were super clever. The levitation one is the simplest/easiest/most impressive of all. It's all angles. Just check out how he has to position himself perfectly in front of people before he does it.

Z

I haven't been able to get much depth but I do usually get about 40 seconds or so before I feel like I have to come up.  Of course everything is different from day to day and depending on all of the other variables.

When I first started thinking about diving I ran across some apnea tables which are said to help.  I tried them a few times at first and still use them every once in a while. But now I mostly try to get in a bit more exercise rather, biking and running.  Does anyone else  here use them?

If you use the tables or any other form of tools to practice your breath hold make sure you're sitting down somewhere safe and/or have a spotter just in case you push yourself a bit too far.