|
 January 23. 2012
Freediving Secret - The Silver Bullet
by Errol Putigna
We hear and read about these freedivers diving incredible depths and having spectacular breath-holds. We often ask ourselves, “How do they do it?” “Are they super-human?” Some “perhaps” are but the majorities are normal human beings with an innate aquatic ability that can be easily tapped into by proper instruction and guidance.
We often look for the “silver bullet”, the “secret” on how we can improve our diving ability. I recently gave my brother a FII Level 1 class for Christmas and got him to take the class. He is an emergency medicine doctor, practicing in Orlando, has 5 kids and a real knack for learning, especially when it comes to the human body. He has dabbled in freediving since he was a kid, just like me. We would go with our father spear fishing and plenty of diving to the bottom of the pool to fetch keys. He enjoys the water very much so. When I took my first FII class, he was the first one I called and told about my 5:00 breath-hold. I was super excited and he was in disbelief. To be honest, I couldn’t believe it myself.
 He has been tormented with a problem in one of his ears and has complained about having trouble equalizing for quite some time. He was very skeptical that he would do well in the class but I assured him it was not about doing “well” in the class or chasing numbers. It was about learning to freedive safely and putting it all together.
He took the weekend off and came down to Jupiter, FL to take the class. He seemed pretty attentive and obviously knew the science behind what we were teaching. I love teaching physicians and/or anyone in the medical profession because they know the science but never put two and two together to see that it really can be done. After the academic portion of the class, we headed to the pool, did our safety and freediving skills and proceeded to the static apnea portion of the class. He did his series of breath ups and finished with a 3:00 breath-hold (the limit of the Level 1 class). He was fired up, but his real concern was the open-water portion and his equalization. I told him not to worry, just do as he had been taught and everything should work out.
 We got to the ocean and it was a bit bumpy. We started with all the skills taught in the academic and confined water portion and started reaching deeper depths. Most of the students were blowing past the personal bests, including my brother. He ended up reaching 66ft 3 times (depth limit of the class). For the next 3 days, he was calling me super excited about his accomplishments. He said, “I don’t know what I did different from before”. I told him, “There is no silver bullet or one thing you did differently. It’s all the little things you did and put together that allowed you do to what you did”.
I often get asked advice about freediving. It’s not about the one thing that makes it work. It’s about putting the puzzle together and making all the pieces fit to make it all work. Perhaps this is what we could call the “Silver Bullet”. That’s what freediving is about. Dive safe!
Errol Putigna
|
|
 January 11. 2012
Girls - Get Freediving!
by Niki Roderick
I n the United States, freediving is still looked upon primarily as Spearfishing - a man’s sport. Where as in Europe the ladies have been reaping the benefits of this recreational sport for centuries! So, why is
this?
 Now, I have no desire to convert you all to fish killers, rather I would like to open the door to what freediving means to me and thousands of others. Freediving in its simplest form is mastering the art of breath control and movement underwater; it is interacting in the underwater realm in the most natural way possible. And, as a pleasant side effect, we keep fit, healthy, and eat pretty much whatever we want.
If you browse through all the top workout trends of 2010-2011, you will find a common thread: Interval Training. Whether spinning your way to smaller derriere or Tracy Anderson’ing your way to Paltrowesk thighs. They are all utilizing the rapid and effective results of Interval Training. What most don’t realize is that freediving is pure Interval Training. So, why don’t we consider our weekend freediving as serious IT? Because it didn’t feel like a workout, in fact, it was relaxing! Spinning and other interval training methods are classed as hard-core, sweat-till-you-drop; I want to die kind of workouts. I call these my ‘1 Hit Wonders’, in other words, I went hard, went home and never came back (although really wanted too). I salute all you women out there that love sweating in a tiny room with 30 others listening to thumping house music. You deserve those legs! I'll take the easy option.
 Freediving is a girl’s best friend. It specifically targets key problem areas for women (without a personal trainer), plus it calms the mind, de-stresses the skin all the while growing us long, lean muscles. Freediving forces us to master the art of both mind and body control, something we all need to lead happy, balanced lives. The key to getting and maintaining a healthy body is finding a sport or activity that you love…and it’ helps if it doesn’t feel like a workout ;-) Freediving offers women an easy, complete workout that defines fun and your derriere - no soundtrack needed.
|
|
|
 December 6. 2011
Are You Ready for Winter?
by Mark Lozano
As winter approaches the sea conditions start to become less than ideal or desirable. What do we do then? FII Headquarters has started a wonderful winter training program, which we look forward to debuting here on the west coast next winter. However there are other options to winter if you cant make it to south Florida. Sitting around and gaining twenty pounds from all of the holiday food is not an option. No matter where you are there are ways to stay active. Personally I choose to head to altitude, where I teach snowboarding at Bear Mountain Resort in southern California. With winter storms slamming the west coast rather frequently during the winter, the opportunities for getting into the water are limited, therefore I chose to increase my hemoglobin percentage instead. There are other options however, surfing is a great way to stay wet during the cold months, however the surf is much larger than during the summer months, and should only be approached if you are comfortable with what you are going to be getting yourself into.
 A great way to prepare yourself for the large swells produced by the northern hemisphere is to try out the new Waterman Survival course! Already I have received reports of amazing results. After the completion of the last course two of the graduates headed down to Todos Santos, a popular big wave spot in Baja, Mexico. While there they encountered twenty foot plus surf, one reported taking a bad wipeout and having to dive under twelve foot plus white wash and was held down for quite sometime. He let me know that because of the training he, "handled it like a boss!"
On the other hand, if neither of those options suits you and you insist on being in the ocean, one could head south and visit Chile or perhaps New Zealand or Australia, heck even South Africa! If exploring those regions doesn't cut it, there is always the FII favorite: The big island of Hawaii.
For those of us that cannot take the time to head away from home, your CO2 and O2 tables have probably been sitting and collecting dust since the third week after Level 2 when you gave up on them. Theres no better time than the present to start your tolerance training again, and do not forget the exercises that were introduced to you as well. If you did not know, FII released a stretching DVD last year, could make a great stocking stuffer, or gift to yourself. As we know, stretching is a vital part of freediving training.
There are endless options to shoo away the winter blues, think about what it is that you want to do and go for it. Until next time, dive safe and stay warm!
Mark Lozano |
|
 October 28. 2011
It's Contagious
by Mark Wallerstein
The popularity of freediving is continuously growing and at a rather fast rate. It seems like more and more people are trying to find a buddy to be a safety on a float rather than throwing on a tank and going for a “regular” dive. To me, this is amazing. What gets an even bigger smile on my face is the fact that the people looking to go out are not just looking to spearfish anymore. I am seeing people interested in freediving for the marine interaction, training, or simply for a relaxing day. This means one thing and one thing only, the word is spreading.
 Freediving is expanding into entire new markets. It was only a week ago that I was helping represent FII at surf expo. In only a period of three days freediving went from the odd cousin sitting in the corner to the new guy at the party where everyone wants to get to know you. Towards the end of the show surfers were coming over to us not only interested in our new Waterman Survival courses (see forums for more information) but also to simply give freediving a chance. They saw the benefits of understanding how to hold your breath if one was to be knocked off a wave and pulled under.
When I talk to people about the benefits of freediving I will often go quickly past the spear fishing aspect. I always start with safety issues because; when people get the freediving itch they can’t help but try even if they haven’t had proper training from a certified instructor, and move onto the health benefits or the marine interaction. It seems to draw in a larger crowd. It shows people that freediving is not only holding your breath and shooting a fish. Freediving has become a lifestyle and a lifestyle improvement. The shear fact that you learn how to breathe properly through a certified class is a step in health improvement. It is also unknown to many that the marine interaction is infinitely better while freediving compared to scuba diving. When freediving, the fish are curious about what you are and will come over to you. They start to feel that you are part of their natural environment and that there is no threat (unless of course you have spear guns, then you’re just a hungry part of the environment).
Above all else I feel the best way to share freediving is to actually have the experiences. I talk about the feeling of floating through the water on a single breath of air watching the sky slowly move past above me, I talk about the relaxation and the feeling of all the tension in my body drifting away with the current. So to all the readers out there, I urge you to do the same. Talk to your friends about your experiences and help those who are interested sign up for a course to become a safer diver. Who knows, maybe they can be that buddy on a day when you’re looking for a relaxing dive through the beautiful water. |
|
February 21. 2012
I fell in love with the sport six months ago after watching the documentary “Freediver” with Tanya Streeter. Having grown up on the California coast, the ocean was dear to me; watching her dive with sea lions, dolphins, sharks, blue whales, so far beneath the surface, so at home in this aquatic world, I was enraptured at the thought. It was so amazing to see this tall, blonde, eloquent female setting world records in a male-dominated sport. I was inspired. Enamored. Obsessed. I wanted to know what it was like to be fearless at depth, to explore a world that was not my own. 
Not only were the romantic notions of being some kind of mermaid appealing to me, but the athletic side of the dive was alluring as well. Being a classically trained dancer I have trained my body to ignore discomfort, set new goals, push myself to my limit and beyond... all things that are imperative to progressing in the dive. I’m only four months in, but I feel I have the heart, the mind, and the body for the sport. I can’t wait to see what this new world has in store for me. 
