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 A new training organization pushes the limits of competative breath-hold diving. by Darryl Leniuk Imagine diving to the limits of recreational scuba using only a mask, snorkel and fins. You travel through the water like a dolphin. Unimpeded by the bulk of heavy dive gear, you move with speed and agility. Silent, you approach marine life closer than you ever thought possible. You swim through large schools of fish and are accepted by them. Without the noise of bubbles, you take in the sounds of the reef. Sounds you've not heard before. You're at one with the sea.It's that feeling of tranquilitythat attracts people to the sport offreediving. Essentially just an advanced form of snorkeling, breath-hold diving has been practised for thousands of years as a means of sustenance. As a competitive sport, it's been around since the 1950s. In the early days competitors used various forms of weighted apparatus and lift bags to get as deep as they could. Competition was fierce and each diver claimed his technique was superior. Today little has changed. Several organizations exist representing many different styles of freediving. To the uninitiated, it's all very confusing. Although many disciplines are recognized, in competition only three events are typically held: a constant ballast dive, a dynamic apnea (breath-hold) and a static apnea. On a constant ballast dive, the competitor descends and ascends on his or her own power. Using only mask, snorkel and fins, the diver uses a weighted line as a reference but not for assistance. This is regarded as the purest form of the sport-and the most difficult. For every meter the diver descends, one point is awarded. The world record in this event is 267 feet (81m). The dynamic apnea is a horizontal swim done underwater in a pool. One point is awarded for each two meters the diver travels. The record in this event is 558 feet (170m). For the final event, static apnea, the competitor performs a breath-hold while lying face down on the surface. For every six seconds of apnea, one point is awarded. The world record in this event is a staggering 7 minutes 35 seconds. The competitor with the greatest total score wins. The 'no-limits' event-the weighted sled made famous by renowned freediver Francisco 'Pipin' Ferreras-is only used in world records and is all about depth. The diver, while seated in an upright position, drops rapidly down a line. At the end of his descent, he pulls a release and a balloon propels him to the surface. The record using this apparatus is 538 feet(163m) and is held by Pipin. At the forefront of freedive training today is Kirk Krack, a Vancouverite who spent many years working as a scuba instructor in the Cayman Islands. With short black hair and a lean sinewy build, he has the appearance of a personal trainer-but you won't find him working in any gym. In 1998 he coached Tanya Streeter to two world records-a no-limits dive to 370 feet (112.8m) and constant ballast dive to 175 feet (53.4m) in the women's category. In that same year Krack began coaching fellow dive instructor, Brett LeMaster. "When I started working with Brett, he couldn't get below 150 feet (45m)," Krack recalls. After 15 months of training, LeMaster broke the world record with a descent to 267 feet (81m). That dive, in the constant ballast category, is regarded as one of the most challenging freedives ever made. Like many disciples of the sport, Krack found his way in through scuba diving. While in the Cayman's, he worked as a deep support diver and dive safety supervisor for Pipin. As he began working with Pipin, he learned the techniques freedivers use. "I was absolutely amazed. I could safely dive deeper and longer than I ever thought possible." Under his leadership, Team Canada placed second overall in the world championships in Nice, France last year. Things are going to be harder this year, however. Says Krack, "All the big guns are going to be out. It's going to be very competitive, and we've got a lot to do, but I think we can place in the top three." The world championships will be in Ibiza, Spain from October 1st-7th. In February of 2000, Krack and LeMaster teamed up again. This time no records were broken. The pair formed Performance Freediving, a training organization dedicated to instructing people in the sport of freediving. "We found more and more people wanted to get into the sport, but proper training and education were hard to find," says Krack. "Our program focuses on the three major disciplines: constant ballast, static and dynamic apnea." The four-day clinics cover everything from exercise to equipment and safety. Participants get out what they put in. Since many of the training techniques are new, the curriculum is constantly being updated and revised. "We learn as much from them, as they do from us," says Krack. At the end of the program students have the knowledge they need to safely train and compete in freediving competitions and can expect to perform a constant ballast dive to 50-80 feet (15-25m) and a static breath-hold of three to four-and-a-half minutes. The combination of cardiovascular training and meditation makes the sport unique. Students are taught complex breathing and relaxation techniques. While some freedivers practise yoga and other Eastern philosophies, Krack's approach is more pragmatic. "We took away the ritualistic, and focused on the scientific. We looked at the techniques we had to develop. We took the psychology and stripped it down to its core. Freediving is very much a mental process-focus, visualization, and meditation are the components we work on. We're constantly changing and adapting, improving our materials and the safety of the sport." And safety is something that's taken very seriously. On an ascent from a deep breath-hold dive, the rapid decrease in oxygen partial pressure in a diver's lungs can cause him to lose consciousness. Shallow water blackout is the bane of freedivers and has claimed many lives. "We're very up front about safety," says Krack. "This is a sport, where if you challenge yourself, you will blackout. Buddy- diving techniques and problem management are key components of the training." Krack has recently begun running clinics at Simon Fraser University in conjunction with Dr. Andrew Blaber and Dr. Erik Seedhouse at the School of Kinesiology. The scientists are testing participants as they progress through a training program. They hope to unlock the secrets of the mammalian dive reflex-the evolutionary ability that humans share with all marine mammals that allows us to slow our heart rates and alter our circulation on deep breath-hold dives. "Right now medicine can explain what's happening down to 60 meters," says Seedhouse. "Beyond that, we have no explanation. It seems freedivers may have a lot more in common with dolphins than just feeling like one." |
