Tips to relax when im doing my breath up

Coil the float line. It's so habitual for me that by the time I'm done coiling 80ft of line my breathing is normalized and I'm just about ready to take a few deeper breaths and dive again.

If you have an urge to breath then surface, don't force yourself. You should feel relaxed and not have an immediate need to breath. If that's not the case then you're pushing yourself beyond what you're ready for.

It's mostly ok down there until a big shark or in your case an Orca bites a leg off

It comes with time. You go diving again and again and nothing happens and you eventually get tired of worrying and start relaxing. That's the only way I know. But I heard said that if you take a freediving course, it will immediately give you the confidence to dive 60ft+. And once you're fully immersed in the zen of freediving (and by this I mean purposeless diving) you can even ride orcas as well as other interesting marine animals.

:atongue:

Dan pointed out probably the biggest thing, that the best thing for becoming more comfortable in the water is spending time diving. I imagine you guys are getting out at least a few times a month, in which case you are inevitably going to be progressing. It may not be happening as fast as you would like but dont let that deter you. That said, how confident are you in your dive technique? There are a few things that are huge in relation to breathhold. For example how much energy are you expelling in your duck dive, with good form and proper weighting it shouldnt be winding you. Bigger thing: when you descend are you staying vertical with your head tucked until you are ready to plane out or are you going down at a 45* angle looking all over? Your form while descending makes the difference between a nice long aspetto at the bottom or turning around half way to the bottom feeling all shameful of your performance. Also, a natural kick cycle conserves energy and oxygen. If you are kicking too hard before you begin to sink you are bound to run out of air quick. You mentioned you are happy with your out-of-the-water breathhold but keep in mind that doesnt really translate to the water. On a positive note your breathhold in the water is aided by that mammalian dive reflex they write about which sends your body into O2 conservation mode. You will recognize this when your form is right and you are relaxed. Its great you have a dive buddy who is confident and do your best to watch his dives from start to finish. Ask him to watch you and tell you what he notices. It sounds silly but little things make all the difference in how your dive is going to go. I get frusturated with myself all the time when I see pictures or videos of myself and think how much better I could be diving.

A lot of freedivers will tell you about different exercises(3 seconds inhale, 6 seconds exhale, etc.), but I've noticed that my best dives happen when my mind and body is "totally relaxed", regardless of whether or not I've done those exercises. I feel that freediving is a predominantly mental activity, but ofcourse you cannot ignore physical effects.

Bad viz can sometimes severely cut my bottom times, mainly because I get nervous. And sometimes I extend my breathhold by just imagining that a fish of a lifetime is gonna swim by. It's strange... sometimes what works for one person might not work for anyone else.

Like Dan said, experience is everything. You can't buy it. Clear your head of negative thoughts, I don't like to dive in murky water because I can't stop thinking about my previous shark close calls.

I just enjoy my surroundings while my body is completely relaxed. These videos helped me since I never had someone to teach me how to freedive/spearfish. Watch the videos of Giorgio Dapiran like this one.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WXctZDObl5c

^Wow!
That's some incredible diving!
Thanks for sharing!

Good diving indeed. Just wish I could understand what was being said

Fatty, I would guess the main reason you don't have long, extended dive times is you're DIVING IN ALASKA !!. :laughing:

My dive times in the bitter winters of Belize are definitely shorter than when I'm wearing just a 1.5 mm or better, just pants and a lycra in the summer. I think just the restriction and added effort of moving in a thick wetsuit burns more oxygen and ….just keeping warm there requires more energy.

Also, how long do you stay in that cold water? I don't' really get warmed up for over an hour or more. When I get into this relaxed state and start peeing a LOT in my wetsuit, that's when I do my best dives. But it takes a while to get there.

My hat is off to you even attempting to dive where you are. I shiver thinking about it. Just be patient. Eat a lot of pasta….be a marine mammal.

:thumbsup5:

You guys never go home empty handed.

Sounds crazy but sometimes when on bottom i sing some song that is relaxing in my head to extend my dive time. Anything to distract you from being uncomfortable and to calm jumpy nerves.