FREEDIVING
The Secret, Silent World
By Pepe Arcos
Leave your bubbles behind and trust your biology, and enter another universe while never leaving this planet
Imagine a vivid, natural and deep connection with the water and its inhabitants; diving on a single breath holds the key to entering another world
YOU MIGHT THINK that diving on a single breath sounds unnatural and weird but, in practice, the experience is actually the opposite. Freedivers will tell you that it is the most natural way to be in the ocean. Sometimes they even talk about it creating a deeper connection with the natural world, as well as with our own human nature.
It is quite often that scuba divers see freedivers as a bunch of crazies that can hold their breath forever and go deeper than you can with a tank. But freedivers know that it’s simply about physical and mental preparation, and that everybody can learn to do it without being some sort of gifted superhero.
ONE LAST BREATH, AND A SLIDE INTO THE WATER…
Freedivers tell us about freefalling, gliding, blending with the sea. Their movements follow a graceful rhythm, through which the freedom they so often describe becomes visible to the observers around them.
Before a dive on a single breath, the mind has to calm down, allowing thoughts to pass by, to focus only on the slow, deep breath up. This technique also slows down the heart rate, making you feel like you are entering a meditative state.
Movements are slow and the world around, the noises of your buddies, the sounds of the ocean, the birds, the wind, all become just echoes in your mind while all attention is focused on relaxation. At this stage, the body feels absolutely relaxed with no tension in any part of it; everything is just breathing and rhythm.
After a big final breath, the dive starts. Descending through the water column, other bodily adaptations kick in automatically to compensate for the changing pressure, and prepare the body to enter an “economical mode” in order to waste the minimum amount of energy and consume as little O2 as possible.
It is well established that the brain uses more energy than any other human organ, accounting for up to 20 percent of the body’s total usage, and this is the reason why relaxation is so important. No thoughts, just feelings, and a focus on becoming one with the ocean – that is the freediver’s mantra.
A LONG TRIP INTO THE WILD AND UNKNOWN
When freedivers aim for depth, they train extremely hard to prepare their bodies to go as deep as 128 metres; a very long trip into the wild and unknown ocean, a kingdom of darkness and extreme conditions. Only a few freedivers in the world can even think about crossing the 100-metre barrier and entering that solo journey, freefalling into the abyss. The pressure down there is enormous and equalising is complicated.
Some freedivers tell stories of dives that totally change their lives. There are almost no bigger challenges on land that expose us to such extremely radical conditions in less than a minute and a half. And then the way back from the depths is even more difficult – for it is that moment when the body seeks oxygen that defines the whole challenge.
There is always an aura of mysticism around this sport. It has been described as an addictive activity but without adrenaline, and a peaceful way to get to know ourselves and overcome our mental and physical barriers.
But the most rewarding part comes when exploration overtakes the pursuit of athletic performance. As ocean-lovers (like other water enthusiasts), freedivers talk about the incredibly exciting interactions they have with wild animals: Freediving into schools of fish with total liberation of movement, surrounded by hundreds or thousands of creatures is a once-in-alifetime experience.
Flying underwater, following and being followed by big fish, is often described as a life-changing event. Entering the realm of these fantastic creatures in the most vulnerable way that we can to do it, by just diving on a breathhold, makes these animals feel curious about us and rarely scared. Slow and silent movements help us to approach and interact with Nature in a similar language and it makes us, humans, feel like real, respectful explorers.
Freedivers’ hearts are full of enduring memories, like diving with humpback whales, entering an ocean full of the songs that they sing, a sound that is everpresent even if the whales can’t be seen.
There is always an aura of mysticism around this sport. It has been described as an addictive activity but without adrenaline, and a peaceful way to get to know ourselves
Not having a scuba tank keeps you more aware of your surroundings and just diving down to 15 metres and feeling the whales’ songs vibrate through your body is a hugely emotional experience.
Once, a famous female Russian freediver was trying to dive with belugas in icy waters so she followed a very specific training regime for adapting her body to these extreme cold water conditions. After she and her team were ready, once underwater the belugas didn’t get too close to her, behaving quite shyly. After trying to get a closer encounter with these magical animals, she decided to go one day without the wetsuit, exposing herself to a big risk of hypothermia. That day was different: After she jumped in the water, somehow, the belugas perceived her fragility and came directly to her, in a way that she could only describe as protective… She considers this as one of the most beautiful and incredible moments in her life, and one that couldn’t have been possible diving in any other way.
Exploring the oceans just by holding our breath opens our mind in a way that allows us to feel part of Nature. It is a communion that, as freedivers, we can’t feel out of the water, or while interacting with other humans.
So some people think we are weird, and a bit radical, but we have experienced a secret, silent dimension, and a pure connection with the water and its wildlife – and we wouldn’t have it any other way.