08.30.08

SDI Solo Diving Course

Posted in 7. Courses at 9:04 am by scubagirl

This report is of my experience only and by reading this it does not qualify you to dive by yourself, and I am not in any way suggesting that you should dive independently or take the SDI Solo Dive course unless you want to (please contact your SDI Solo Dive Instructor)All through my PADI training the buddy system has been mandatory and imprinted into our brains. ‘if you don’t have a buddy … you don’t dive!’

Why I took the course
Over the last two years I have seen a few flaws in the buddy system:

- it has been quite rare that I have buddied someone with similar levels of diving or needs and wants when we are under the water
- the varying types of kit configuration confuses me no end during the buddy check
- I found that the Dom:Sub characteristics can exist outside of fetish clubs

A few events over the last two years had made me decide to do this SDI Solo course

First, (this is the main reason for the course, in my opinion) I realized that, like with anything, after you had done it for a while you get a little slack and lazy and I needed to relearn things about self preservation and making sure I knew how to get myself to the surface if anything negative happen to me while diving. This is the case if you have a buddy or not

Second, a few weeks ago my buddy called to cancel on me after I had reached the lake so I ended up going home and doing the vacuuming, because I had no-one to dive with

Third, I do a lot of traveling on liveaboards and I didn’t want to be buddied with someone who I was not suited …..
if they wanted to set their deep dive personal best, or
if they wanted to clock a world record in “time to fin around the wreck/ reef”, or
if I thought they were a danger to myself or themselves

On one trip I was the odd person on a boat full of couples and there was no buddy for me, I was at the mercy of the dive masters

Fourth, I have taken up photography and I didn’t want to p!55 off my buddy by making them wait while I took 15 pictures of the same shrimp
when all they were interested in were sharks

Fifth, I’m getting selfish in my old age and I don’t want to be ‘someone’s nursemaid, lifeguard and travel guide

The Course

After completing the paperwork we started to review the theory

Why do you want to take this course?
I answered this pretty much as above, and explained to my instructor, who I had met a few times before:
I am diver who is not interested in squeezing myself into a flooded tunnel for 7 hours or going down to 90 meters with 5 cylinders and a 2 hour deco time and will never dive doubles …. really, never! Not even twin 7s, no matter how comfy you tell me they are

All I wanted was to learn how to look after myself under water and use the ticket to dive the lake on a sunny Saturday when I had nothing planned and I had a couple of hours free or when I am on my trips overseas if the buddy I was assigned to did not work out

Personal requirements:
100 logged dives, over 18 years of age

Equipment requirements:
(this is not the complete list, please refer to your SDI Solo Diving Instructor) dsmb/ reel, redundancy air supply, cutting devices, lights, surface audible signaling device etc

Importance of:
(this is not the complete list, please refer to your SDI Solo Diving Instructor) control, overhead environments, dive planning, when not to solo dive, gas management, emergency situations etc

First dive:
we took a series of air consumption tests
Back in the class room we calculated my SAC at the various activities

Second dive:
navigation
Emergency situations
Gas switching
Buoyancy control
200 meter surface swim

Third dive:
I planned my dive to enter at the jetty at a specified time, navigate to five objects in the water to a maximum depth

I would release my DSMB at the fifth object, ascend to do my stop, ascend to the surface at an agreed dive time and surface swim back to the jetty

As soon as I entered the water I got this feeling of amazing independence and freedom. I looked around and there was no-one there, in fact I had the entire lake to myself, other than the swans
It was 6 degrees in the water and pouring with rain – so that may have had something to do with it – conditions were not ideal

I did not need to keep looking at someone to see if my buddy was still there, were they cold, did they want to get out, were they bored with swimming round and round the same little fishing boat that I found so fascinating

I could do what ever I wanted so long as I didn’t go into an overhead environment, kept to my depth limit and I came out of the water when I told the instructor that I would

Summary
I found this course really useful
I learned things that I had not known, there was re-enforcement/ revision of items that I had overlooked/ forgotten over the years and we discussed at length the risks associate with diving generally and independent diving

12.02.07

Intro to Freediving with NoTanx

Posted in 7. Courses at 4:48 pm by scubagirl

I’ve been talking about it for almost year and I’ve finally done it … a freediving course

The course took place at an LA Fitness gym in East London so it was a bit of a trek for me by car, train and tube
and for some reason my 42 minute train too almost sixty minutes

When I got to Twickenham we started going backward to move onto a different line, so I had to move the the seat opposit so that I was still facing forward :o)

After the intial introduction by Marcus Greatwood and Andy Laurie which included fruit juice and chocolate cake … mmmm
we started our lecture in what freediving is and the different types of freediving:

constant weight
static apnea (9 meters 06 seconds)
dynamic apnea
free immersion
variable weight (148 meters)
no limits (214 meters)

It turns out that Marcus Greatwood was the coach of Herbert ….. the World Record holder to 214 meters of the No Limits discipline

The lecture theatre was the workout studio, the type of place where I usually do Combat and Pump, so the air con was on full
I was so cold in there that we were all sat in outdoor coats, scarves and wooly hats

Then it was into the pool … the bit that I had been waiting for

We were told that the pool was very warm, of course I didn’t believe them so I took my 2mil lycra skin
It was freezing, everyone was cold … not just me
If I’d have known it would be this cold I would have taken my dry suit and my Typhoon heated vest (which probably would not have worked anyway!!!!!!!)

Our first task was to swim a length under water - I guess they were looking to see that we were all comfortable putting our faces in the water and that no one was going to have a panic attack

Then we were given fins that almost as long as I am tall!
None of them fit me, of course, they were all too big so I wore the booty fins which I had brought with me

There were sixteen of us on the course
There was alot of standing around. If the class was small or the pool was larger I think we would have got more swim time

We were taught how to correctly breath ….. count of five in and ten out
Ten out !!!! after a count of five I was ready to breath in again
I really focused on this and after a while I was able to control my breathing and just about make the count of ten out before I felt like I was going to pass out

Between swims we had to hang off the side of the pool rest our arms on the side, eyes closed, head resting on our arms
Trying to focus on your breathing when you are that cold is very difficult, most of us were shivering when not on the move

After a few under water swims of 32 meters at a time (two lenghts of the 16 meter pool) preceded by the five in and ten out we moved onto relaxation
This time sitting on the steps we buddied up, eyes closed we did our five in - ten out following by three quick in and out breaths (blowing out the candles)
Then turn face down in the water and wait until your buddy turns you over

I remained face down for all of three seconds before I was asked to stop, so my Static Apnea personal best stands at three seconds
I’ll try to beat that one next time I go ;o)

During lunch we watch the record breaking attempt of Herbert … in No Limits to 214 meters

Back in the lecture theatre and we reviewed breath control … into the belly
I realised that I had only been using a third of my lung capacity while I breathe which is why I was having trouble acheiving the ten counts out

Half the class went into the pool and half the class stayed for the next lecture
In the lecture we reviewed black outs, loss of motor control, prevention, what to do if you see someone in trouble
There were a few of us who were scuba divers and we discussed freediving and scuba during the same trip and borrowing an octopus from a scuba diver while freediving

This afternoon session was very interesting

Back in the pool we did more breath control/ relaxation exercises and more swims under water keeping our heads as low in the water as possible

The intro course gave me a few credits toward the Aida 2 star ticket which I hope to complete in the next couple of months
…… then I can get my Tanya Streeter silver suit

The course was really good, I’m glad I did it and I’m looking forward to completing the next part of my course
and the challenge is to jump off a boat in the mddle of the ocean and not breath in because my brain thinks I’m on SCUBA ;o)

What is Freediving ….. ?

Posted in 7. Courses at 4:02 pm by scubagirl

  What is Freediving?  
“Sub-aquatic relaxation… Simply enjoying being underwater with little or no equipment.”
     MIG, NoTanx “Freediving is not about depth, [it] is about experiencing the sea. I hope that if I do my job well that people will come away with that. They will be intrigued by depth… astonished by depth but I hope they understand it is more about being there”
     Bob Talbot

“The art of moving from one place to another with fluidity allows you to see your environment differently. The quest’s goal is to become part of the environment in order to develop your mind and body”.
     Sébastien Foucan

“Try to use your mind more and not your muscles”
     Jaques Mayol

“It is truly an individual sport, as with surfing… ‘Only a Freediver knows the feeling!’”
     Andy, NoTanx

Although there are recognized competition disciplines, the vast majority of Freedivers prefer to concentrate on recreational diving.
Despite a lot of bad press with good training Freediving can be very safe.

Please use this website however you wish…. Never Dive Alone!

Freediving - NoTanx

Posted in 7. Courses at 3:54 pm by scubagirl

Freediving is to glide effortlessly into the deep totally letting the ocean take control of your body

nothing to think about except the moment a pure moment your heart slows as not even you lungs have to work

a stillness takes hold of you

NoTanx Club  
“What is important is the collective philosophy. We have tried to take what we had at the beginning and let it grow.”
Loic LefermeNoTanx is a NT Style Freediving club started in 1999. The founder members, Marcus Greatwood and Andy Laurie, are dedicated to the philosophy of Relaxation, Enjoyment and Inclusiveness. All activities are based around these principles yeilding incredible results. As well as trips and courses around the world, We run two training sessions a week in South London.

We are qualified AIDA instructors based in London, but will travel anywhere (if it sounds fun) contact us and we will sort something out. We never forget the point of freediving, that is to enjoy being underwater.

We always swim the final length together, as slowly as possible. After a good session this is the most beautiful feeling. Looking around to enjoy the sensation with 20 other apneists…..