Team Sharkbait

This is a post by Jorg Jansen.

Who would even think I could say that about a freediving training? We just came back from a good freediving pool session together with Sanne and Guy and it has been over 6 years it felt this good to do some pool training again. I’m very happy with the freediving feeling I got back today.

I started with my usuals schedule and worked up my times for the static at 5 meters depth schedule I’ve been doing for a few weeks by now. However at the fifth set were I actually had to do 1:30, I forgot to look at my watch and when I looked I was already at 1:31, so then I thought it would be a good idea to finish of with the 6th set time at 1:40. However, because I didn’t have any contractions and felt so at ease I decided to stay down a little bit and in the end I came up at the 2 minute mark without any contractions. It was an amazing feeling, like I could go on forever.

Next was time for technique training in dynamic without fins. I noticed that I’m a little big negative at 5 meters and have to pull myself up from the bottom at every stroke. That’s probably why I have that strange little foot kick, to compensate from my feet touching the ground. Anyway, on the second attempt I felt so at ease that I did a little at the wall and pushed myself away. Just gliding and feeling. Still feeling perfectly relaxed. Not to spoil the relaxed feeling I decided to come up and try a little further next time. I really want to take it with small steps, even when I feel like this and could do much more.

Last was time for dynamic with fins. I put on the C4 fins from Sanne and decided to start with a glide and kick technique. Still not so sure about where to keep my hands I decided to put them aside my body, which feels more relaxed then in front of me. First lap felt really good again. I could relax while doing a dynamic! That has been a long time ago! So I decided to turn and change my technique to a normal hands in front bi fin kick. Halfway the pool I decided to stop and come up. Again to keep the relaxed feeling and not overdo it.

As I’m not in the pool for the results but for the feeling I was very happy with today’s training. Besides my training we tested out Sanne his new gopro camera, which he probably will blog about tomorrow and show some footage. Guy did something impressive as well in the pool, but as he tries to improve it next time, I’ll film it and put it up here as well for the next time. Next is outdoor freediving on Saturday in Panheel!

This is a post by Jorg Jansen.

I just finished a set of dry statics. Yes, you’ve read it right! Jorg did statics. It is amazing I know.

The weather was good and I wanted to write something for our website and thought; what the hell, I do some statics on bed. To be honest, I didn’t expect anything from it. With almost 30 degrees outside it is way to hot to do something like this.

All in all, it felt pretty okay. I lay myself down on bed and did a 2 minute breathing cycle. Very simple, just 10 seconds in and 10 seconds out. Immediately when I started I tried to relax myself. I told myself I would hold until 1 contraction and stop, so that I would be motivated enough for the next one. So after one contraction I looked at the watch and it said 2:17 and I was shocked. I really thought I was just passing 1:30 min. And it felt so easy.

Jessica Harms Painting

Time for another one! Again 2 minutes of breathing and go. Of course expectations were high if the first one felt so good, but I couldn’t relax anymore. I was already thinking about my maximum dry static of 3:35 from 2003, which was around 1 minute less then my best wet static. I even hated dry statics more then wet in that time. At the first contractions I stopped again and it was a time of 2:27.

Okay, one more to get over 2:30, otherwise I would be disappointed. And after 2 minutes of breathing and hold my breath again. This time I couldn’t resist watching a the stopwatch when I was thinking how far I was. 1:47 minutes was less then I expected, but then again it was only 43 seconds before  2:30. The problem is when I thinking like this it always goes wrong. So I had 3 whole contractions before reaching 2:30. 3 contractions is a lot for me!

That was enough for today. Recovering from my final breath hold I felt pretty good doing it again. So soon I couldn’t resist myself and do 1 more. Everything felt great during this one, but I said to myself I should stop at 2:40 and not push it for the first time. I still want to do this more! So at 2:40 a small breath and everything was okay again.

The wonderful thing: I want to do it again! But not today…

This is a post by Jorg Jansen.

Now that I’m training again on regular basis, it’s time to set some new goals. The last time I set some goals for freediving training was in 2003 and my latest personal best that I really prepared for is also from that year. So it will be interesting to see how things will go if I start working on technique and performance again.

First of all, what are my old records?

A rare picture: Jorg doing static

Static: 4:35 minutes

It felt like shit and I promised myself afterwords that I would never do this again. At the moment I think I will stick to my promise. But who knows…

Dynamic without fins: ???

I don’t know what I’ve done maximum. But to be honest I don’t think I ever did more then the two laps in our old training pool which is 20 meters long. So I’ll set this at 40 meters. At least one record that I should break fairly easy in the coming weeks.

Dynamic with fins: ???

Again I don’t really know this one for sure either. I can’t remember ever doing 3 laps, which is 75 meter. So I’ll be happy when I do that, I see that as a new personal record.

Constant Weight without fins: 18 meters

Did some recreational stuff, but never to a serious depth. Maybe the deepest was the bottom of our old training lake: 18 meters. So lets try to do something a little bit deeper.

Jorg doing constant weight

Constant Weight: 32 meter

I probably some dives in Egypt around 35-40 meters, but that was just recreational, a little bit of free immersion at the start and going constant weight after a few meters. So that is not fair.

Free Immersion: 36 meter

This is probably one of my favorite disciplines. I just get so much lactic acid in my legs when I use them during freediving, that this one creates such an easy feel.

Variable Weight: 40 meters

Did this one I think in 2002 when I was with Loic Leferme. Felt amazing, would really love to do this more.

Using the sled is great fun!

No Limits: 50 meters

This dive was also done with Loic Leferme in Nice, but the year after. Again, great discipline to try out more.

Other records

The “record” I’m probably most proud of was the one when I was in Egypt during Umberto Pelizzari course in 2005. I was making photos of all the students and at one point Nanja van den Broek was making a no limits dive. I was already underwater hanging around 15 meters before she started. So she dropped down and I was making some photo’s and wanted to go up afterwards. But suddenly I already saw Nanja coming back up, so some more photos were made. When I finally came up Sanne came to me and told me I was down for a long time. I looked on my watch and I was under for 3:37 minutes. Didn’t even notice it.

That’s the way I like to set personal records. Without pushing, just being relaxed. That is probably the reason why I don’t like pool records as much as depth records. You always know how far you are. And with my absolute gruel against contractions, I always come up after 1 or 2 contractions.

In the coming weeks we will see where I can take this. But first things first: technique is on the program first, and afterwards I will try to increase the performance. We will see how it goes.

PS: Yes I know, they are old photos; I still have hair on my head on these.

This is a post by Sanne Buurma.

Today Jorg, Yugyug and me met up for a freediving session in Panheel. After we checked the weather was OK, we headed for the Bosmolenplas. Marieke also tagged along to go for a good run, whilst we were freediving. We changed into our suits after we discussed the freediving plan for today.

First up we did some warm-up freedives at the 10m buoy and we were amazed by the super visibility. You could see the platform at 10 meters deep, which doesn’t happen a lot as we recall.

We continued to the PADI-awareness object to see if the Pike was at his usual spot. Unfortunately he wasn’t there, but we spotted some perches around the object.

Next up on our list was the sunken boat, after a small search for the boat we found it and descended to it. It’s a nice object to freedive around, also because there were 3 or more big perches around the boat. Jorg suggested going in the boat, I went down and into the boat. When I turned around inside the boat, I looked out of the window and a perch was observing me. A strange sight, but yet a fun thing to do.

Now we faced the question of swimming all the way to the 22m deep buoy or just swim to the 35m buoy, which in distance now was closer, because we were at the boat’s location. So we set out to swim there. Jorg was up first and did a nice 20m freedive FIM style. Next up I went down CWT style to the same depth and after my dive I buddied Yugyug, who did a 18m CWT dive in our cold dutch waters

The second round Jorg headed down FIM style to 25 meters and yanked the rope on his way back up. Always reminds me of a float which gets pulled down by a fish, but a big fish in this case AFter that I prepared to go for a deeper freedive also FIM style, but eyes closed for most of the dive. It was somewhere around 16 meters where the rope goes over in a thinner rope, where I started my free fall. All felt good and I made a turn and headed for the surface again. Somewhere around 10 meters depth you could get tangled in the ropes, so I opened my eyes for that part, when I spotted a free floating camera and no Jorg attached. I grabbed my camera and soon after I saw Jorg, just as amazed as I was Great dive and after re-counting the statistics it must have been around 30 meters depth. After that Yugyug made another freedive to 20 meters and resurfaced with a smile on his face.

Last but not least we went back to the 10m buoy to make a swim to the lake-entrance from that buoy. As we’ve done this quite a few times, Jorg still manages to turn up 20 meters to the right no where near the lake-entrance, “But next time I’ll get it”, he said. All in all a super outdoor freediving session, making us all excited for more freediving.

We also shot a lot of movie footage, but I’ll edit that later into a small movie clip and put it up on Youtube.

This is a post by Sanne Buurma.

Today we had a freediving session in the Tongelreep in Eindhoven again, where Kostas,Jorg and me were present. Jorg did his static at depth schedule followed by some test with DNF and DYN. Jorg is also into trying the kick-glide technique with the bi-fins, but until now he says that the normal bi-fins stroke seems to keep him more balanced and not all that bored waiting to make a new kick while gliding .

His static at depth now has an end time of 1 minute 40 seconds, which makes me very keen on seeing Jorg do more schedules again. Hes really putting in the effort and it seems that he’s regaining confidence.

After Jorg’s schedule, Kostas and I were up next to the static at depth challenge. As this is a first timer for Kostas and it’s been a while for me, we set out to do a schedule from 1 minute, 1 minute 10 seconds, 1 minute 20 seconds and a max of 2 minutes to see how that felt. For both me and Kostas it was a nice experience where we were quite relaxed. For myself I can conclude that I was already very cold before even starting the schedule, but I think Jorg and Kostas agree that the water today was slightly colder than usual.

After the static’s Jorg spotted a DNF for me and he noted that my scissor-like movement seems to have disappeared over time. This makes me very happy and now I know the extra training I put into this, has paid off. Kostas did 2 DYN runs after that and still needs to figure a proper speed and fin setup to get the most efficiency from the fins.

I compiled a short movie clip from our freediving training session, check it out:

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Na8diBmQY2o

This is a post by Sanne Buurma.

Last year’s Bizzy Blue hole competition was a successful event for me. I’ve set new personal bests on 3 depth disciplines; -40m in CWT, -35m in CNF & 33m in FIM. Marieke made some excellent footage of these freedives and I found some time to combine the footage with the results from my D3 freediving watch.

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8PMNyn5IDg

These are the statistics from the different dives (keep in mind that the data shown below is from my own watch not the competition watch. The competition watch is attached to the wrist reaching for the tag.)

CNF – Dynamic No Fins
Dive time: 1 minute 33 seconds
Max depth: 36 meters
Announced depth: 35 meters
Judge: White card

FIM – Free Immersion
Dive time: 1 minute 16 seconds
Max depth: 32,6 meters
Competition depth: 33 meters
Judged: White card

CWT – Constant Weight
Dive time: 1 minute 16 seconds
Max depth: 39,3 meters
Competition depth: 40 meters
Judged: White card

This is a post by Sanne Buurma.

Cressi Superocchio

Freediving material is all about the right equipment for the best experience. As for freediving masks, there is a wide variety of masks available. What do you want to look out for and how did we come to our choice of freediving mask.

I think that if you narrow it down, a freediver will choose a mask and go by this mask for a long time. A good example of this is that I met Jorg in the end of 2003 and cressi superocchio was his choice, today he’s still using that same type of freediving mask (he actually bought this mask in 1998 and is using it as his primary mask since 11 years, the same one!). Although you might have different masks for different applications, your experience is improved by choosing a freediving mask of your liking. In the process of making a choice, every freediver has different reasons to choose a mask over another. Our choices were based on and influenced by the parameters; comfort, volume, material & durability. Ultimately these parameters also lead to a good freediving experience, which is the base for our choice.

Read more…

This is a post by Jorg Jansen.

Today was pool training again. The second real one since I started getting seriously funny again in the pool. Guy, Sanne and I went in for an hour of training & playing and it was a good one again.

In the pool I did the same schedule as last time. First starting with some statics at 5 meter, working it up from 40 seconds to 1:30. Again it felt pretty good, so I’m comfortably upping every static with 10 seconds for the next, hoping to end with an easy 1:40 at depth. My longest dive ever at depth was around 3:40 minutes at around 15 meters, when I forgot about time taking photographs in Egypt in 2005, so hopefully I can continue to grow. I would be already be very happy with an easy 2 minute static at 5 meters depth in a few months.

Next it was time for 2 dynamic without fins over the 5 meter deep bottom. First one felt good, but by trying to limit the number of strokes to 4 over 25 meters, I put too much energy in the stroke. The way back I did 5 strokes and it felt much better. So next time I will start with increasing the distance slowly while watching good technique.

Last in the schedule was dynamic with fins. Again to try out technique. First lap was a very slow move with my trusted Cressi Gara 2000 fins. Felt good on the legs, but it was just too slow and the fins went all the way. Next I did a faster and normal kick. But after doing only 25 meters I felt lactic acid in my legs big time. Then Sanne suggested that I would try the C4′s in the pool, because with the slow kick they would move correctly in the water. He was right. With the same slow kick I did in the first lap, I reached the speed from the second lap, without the lactic acid. And as a last test I tried some kick and glide laps and that felt even better, so will be trying this out more next time.

That was it about my training for this time. Again, still very motivated and it just felt great again. Also watching Sanne and Guy train and do their thing is fun to watch. Guy is walking on the floor of the pool at 5 meters depth with a weight in his arms doing 50 meters. Very fun too watch and a great workout. Sanne is becoming the master bubble maker and that is always a fun thing to watch.

Can’t wait for the next pool session! But first we go outdoors again on Saturday with Sanne and Guy, if the weather is okay.

As you may have noticed this website and Shark Freediving have been offline for some hours. This was due to the fact that we changed from our server in the USA to a new one in the Netherlands. This should speed up the website for our Dutch and European readers a lot, where the most of our readers come from. At the same time the speed overseas shouldn’t really drop down due to some technical arrangements with the server. Let us know if you notice a speed increase or decrease. At the same time if you find some other faults or errors, leave a comment as well.

Due to all the work that went into this work, the start of the free freediving lessons have also moved some days ahead. The first few lessons were ready, but instead of simply putting one big piece of text online, we want to present it properly to you, in a way that will benefit you most. We promise it will be something special! Just wait for a few more days.

Balance between Comfort & Warmth

The need for a freediving suit is highly recommended where ever you go , for sure when you’re freediving the dutch waters. But what kind of freediving suit do you want, as there are so many different out there. For me goes without saying that a suit can make a freedive or totally ruin it…

When I first got into freediving me and my buddy got a scuba diving suit from about 7mm thick, the one with a zipper pushing up against my chin. The hood, arm and ankle seams were far from tight, so water came in immediately as we entered the water. Even though our motivation to check out the underwater world was high, the experience was far from relaxed or comfortable. But back then we didn’t know any better…

Now, a few years in with more experience with different suits, I like to share my findings. The whole deal with a proper suit is that it’s totally dependable on the freediver who wears it. Every freediver has other boundaries when it comes to cold and warm, but by explaining my own findings when choosing a suit might make your search a bit easier…

Layer thickness

2,5mm Smooth skin & Open Cell

You can vary the thickness of your suit ranging from 1mm to 10mm suits. The determinant factor is the types of water temperature you want to use the suit for. So ask yourself: “Am I going to use it in a sea, a lake or a swimming pool?”. Also keep in mind that the temperature of these can also vary throughout the season or location, which make it hard to go by only one freediving suit to do the job. When you’re selecting your first ever suit, choose it for the situation you’ll be in for 90% of the time. In my case I started out with a 5mm suit for both pool and lakes here in the Netherlands, but nowadays I prefer a 2,5mm for the pool competitions and a 6,5mm for the outdoor sessions. This change has to do with how comfortable I feel in those situations. Going to the seas in Egypt, Dominican Republic or other remote locations, I’d go by either 2,5mm for warmer waters and 5mm when I’m early in the season.

Surface types
Different sets of surface types are available for freediving suits, ranging from lining, smooth skin to open cell structure surfaces. The choice here also depends on what you’re going to use the suit for, or in which conditions or surroundings you’re using the suit. The first freediving suit I ever had, was an Elios with smooth skin on the outside and the inside featured open cell structure. In between I bought another similar type of suit, but this one was 2,5mm thick and from a slightly better neoprene. The last one I bought is a 6,5 mm, but now with lining on the inside and smooth skin on the outside.

Inside: Lining or Open cell?

Inside: Open Cell structure

At first I wasn’t very keen on the whole lining principle, but now since I tested one and eventually own a freediving suit with lining on the inside, I can say it’s just as comfortable as an open cell structure, but with less of a hassle to get into. Because an open cell structure will “suck” itself onto your skin with only a thin layer of water in between, you’ll have to keep in mind that by changing into this suit, you’ll need to have a bottle with soap water to prepare your suit before you put it on. Never the less an open cell structure on the inside is also very comfortable.

Outside: Smooth skin or Lining?

Inside: Lining | Outside: Smoothskin

I’m the type of freediver that likes the outside to be smooth skin, this sololy to the fact that a smooth skin surface will dry fast when you’re at or above the water surface. On the other hand lining on the outside will better protect your suit from tearing when putting it on or swimming in rocky underwater areas.

Tailor made or standard size
Until now I’ve been a lucky guy, where I’d be able to send my body measurement over to the suit maker and they’d suggest one of their standard sized suits to go with. Only my 2,5mm suit I have is a tailor made suit, which fits very nice.

The only reason why I should consider going with a tailor made suit is the fact, that a tighter fit will improve the ability of the suit to keep the water from coming in and keep the water from flowing through your suit, thus keeping you warm for a longer period of time. A standard sized one will be cheaper than a tailor made suit. So if a standard size is within your options, then my suggestion would be to try one from a fellow freediver with the same body measurements, to see if you’re able to go with the standard sized one.  Otherwise the tailor made is the best alternative.

Comfort & Warmth
The most important thing you want to achieve by selecting your suit, is a balance between comfort and warmth. Although a thick suit may make you feel like a Michelin-man, if you really need the thickness in terms of not getting cold, this is a concession you might have to make. Believe me when I say that a very comfortable suit, like my 2,5mm, just didn’t do the trick for me in terms of staying warm whilst freediving outdoors at Panheel. This makes a freedive not only uncomfortable, but even dangerous. It’s all about the best experience and finding a balance between the different parameters is a very personal choice.

Concludig
By selecting the proper combination from the points described above, you should be able to find a suit that is a balance between comfort and warmth. Furthermore it must be functional and practical as well, because you’re going to be freediving with it for about a year or two. Making the selections is a process where you’ll have to decide for yourself what you like and where you want to use your suit. These are all personal decissions, so I hope this article will aid you into selecting the right freediving suit for you.

PS. I haven’t discussed the different types of material, because this differs so much, I’d be writing a whole new page. Plus the different manufacterers feature enough information about the materials on their websites.