4:00
Friday, March 23rd, 2007… minutes… without air.
I’ve recently (as in four weeks ago) started a freediving course. Freediving is basically an advanced form of snorkelling… only, imagine ditching the snorkel and doing dives to depths of 30 metres/100 feet. No breathing device. Just you, your limits, and the loving water (I have to imagine it as “loving”. If the ocean ever wanted to take you, it could do it in as little as ten feet of water).
So far, we’ve been practicing in a pool — fin technique, proper breathing, and static apnea.
Static apnea. Hold your breath. Now do it face down in water (so you can’t cheat… you big cheater! Just kidding… there is a reason for the water. Look up “mammalian reflex”).
My personal best so far is 4 minutes. And the final minutes always feel like an eternity when your lungs are burning and it would be so easy to lift your head out of the water.
There was a great quote from “The Guardian” about knowing your limits. I’ll have to track it down later.
In the end, most of what I’m learning is about my personal limits. Understanding just how far I can push myself. How much I can better myself.
I can’t think of any better reason to do this than that.