Freediving: a dangerous path to Nirvana
Trip Start
Nov 15, 2006
1
Trip End
Ongoing
Where I stayed
beachside cabana
Malapascua, Visayas, Philippines
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Starting out, I taught myself how to freedive simply because I wanted to see how deep I could dive. My initial mistake, which is very common for rookie freedivers, was to try and go down too fast; this had the negative effects of keeping my body tense and also depleting valuable oxygen...it was difficult to get to 25 feet. Eventually, I learned to relax and go down slowly; my depth jumped down to 45 feet almost immediately upon trying the new technique. Another secret that will help, when you first start, is the initial transition from floating on the surface to being vertical underwater and beginning the dive. When you're about to go down, gently pull your knees in towards your chest, turn your torso and head down towards the bottom of the pool, ocean, or lake and push your legs straight up in the air (your fins should be completely out of the water); this movement will drive you down about eight feet with the least amount of effort and get you into a relaxed position as soon as possible.
After a few months, I began freediving with a friend from the British Virgin Island of Tortola. While swimming off the coast of St. John, U.S.V.I., he taught me a few secrets. First, while descending, keep your eyes closed. At first, I thought this would cause me some disorientation, but, after trying it a few times, I realized that the only effect it had was to relax my entire body; after trying this new technique, my depth jumped down to 75 feet. Second, when you are down as far as you can dive and about to come back up to the surface, your mask actually holds a little bit of air that you can suck in through your nose. Most of you will say this is cheating because its supposed to be a one breath dive, but when you're down at a hundred feet and you get rattled by something, and you need that little bit of extra air, you're not going to be caring whether the freedive is "pure" or not.
If you are new to the sport of freediving or a seasoned SCUBA diver that wants to try something different, increase your comfort underwater, or even build a new skill that will give you the confidence to SCUBA more efficiently, then put some fins and a mask on and dive deep. You'll love the freedom that this sport offers. Start out practicing in a local pool by swimming back and forth from wall to wall under water. My last and final tip is; concentrate on relaxing, swim fluidly, and try not to smile underwater because it will flood your mask with water (just kidding, smile all you want, you can clear your mask later)!
www.world-joblist.com
One of the greatest experiences in my life occurred while freediving a shipwreck near the Island of Malapascua in the Philippines. The bottom depth was 93 feet, however, the sunken ship rose up to around 60 feet and would be my guide in the murky soup of the Pacific Ocean. After some warm-up dives, that allowed me to get my blood pumping and practice equalizing my ears (it's necessary to equalize the pressure, so during the descent, they won't hurt), I was ready to dive to the bottom and "grab some sand". Resurfacing with something like sand or a shell is a clear indication to the other divers on the boat that you were actually successful in reaching the bottom.
As I approached and passed the eerie shadow of the ill-fated ferry, eventually my goal began to come into view. Trying to subdue my excitement, I continued down until it was almost within reach. At about 85 feet, suddenly, there was a loud explosion which caused me to lose some of the air I desperately needed to safely return to the surface. I stopped and looked over towards the SCUBA divers who were hovering above the shipwreck, thinking that maybe one of them had knocked something loose on their tank and, with the force of the escaping gas, was being shot around as if strapped to a torpedo. All seemed well in their direction and, puzzled, I ascended to the surface.
Upon regaining my breath, I asked one of the deckhands what had happened. He pointed over to some locals in small rafts and exclaimed that they were dynamite fishing! I couldn't believe it. The thought that they were using dynamite to scoop up the fish was why so few were left around these parts of the Philippines and why the coral was all broken and dead.
It was difficult to regroup for another deep dive so I decided to simply go down and play. After relaxing, I went back down to where the SCUBA divers were hanging out, about 65 feet, and got into a Buddha position, crossing my legs and holding my fins for stabilization, while I floated motionless in the water. My heart rate dropped as I relaxed more and more until a feeling of calmness pervaded my entire being. The feeling of the "breath" of the ocean pulsed through my body. I began to imagine that I was completely alone, separate from the physical realities of our world. I closed my eyes. My mind was devoid of all thoughts and yet as expansive as the Universe itself...I had reached Nirvana.
I've only experienced this mental state of "being one with the Universe" two times in my life. It's a difficult feeling to describe, hence the seemingly unintelligible suggestions of guidance, in obtaining this mental and spiritual state, we so often read from monks and other enlightened people. When I think about those moments, I can still relive the experience, although it's a very subtle feeling of peace and not fully pervasive throughout my being. And then the thoughts of the present invade my mind again and the feeling dissipates, but when it does, I'm always left with a big smile.
www.world-joblist.com
