The term "Apnea" defines a sports competition where an athlete holds their breath, and their face is positioned below the surface of the water. Freediving is a method used in various underwater activities. Although in general, any underwater activity that involves breath-hold diving can be classified as part of freediving, some sports fit this classification better than others. Examples of activities recognized as freediving are (non-) competitive freediving, (non-) competitive spearfishing, and freediving photography. Less obvious examples of freediving include, but are not limited to, synchronized swimming, underwater rugby, underwater hockey, underwater target shooting, underwater fishing other than spearfishing, and snorkeling. The debate over whether freediving remains merely a synonym for breath-hold diving or describes a specific group of underwater activities is ongoing. Freediving is still most commonly associated with competitive breath-hold diving or competitive apnea.
History
Archaeologists claim that humans were earning their living by diving thousands of years ago. The first people famous for their freediving were the Haenyeo people of Korea. They gathered shellfish and sponges for sale. Ama divers from Japan began collecting pearls as early as 2,000 years ago. Underwater fish hunters also hold immense significance in the history of freediving development.
Competitive Freediving
Competitive freediving is currently regulated by various associations, one of which is CMAS. Most types of competitive freediving are individual sports based on personal best achievements. Currently, there are eleven disciplines within CMAS. Both men and women can compete in all disciplines. Disciplines can be conducted either as face-to-face competitions or as record attempts.
However, at present, only Dynamic Apnea with fins and Jump Blue apnea have officially approved championship rules, along with Constant Weight apnea for record attempts. Rules developed for championships in other disciplines will be approved in the near future.
A. Pool Disciplines
- Static Apnea - a competition where an athlete aims to perform the maximum possible duration of apnea, the length of which must equal or exceed the time previously declared by the athlete. The competition is held in a pool or open water.
- Dynamic Apnea with or without fins - a competition where an athlete aims to swim the maximum horizontal distance in a pool on a breath-hold, with or without fins. The competition can be held in a pool or open water using fins (bifins or monofin) or without them. When fins are used, they must be propelled solely by the muscle power of the athlete, without the use of any mechanism, even if the latter is activated by muscles.
- Speed-Endurance Apnea - a competition where an athlete aims to swim a fixed distance in the minimum possible time. The competition is held in a pool. The athlete swims the pool from end to end, with the opportunity to recover for the dive at the ends of the pool. Competitions are held using fins (bifins or monofin). Fins must be propelled solely by the muscle power of the athlete, without the use of any mechanism, even if the latter is activated by muscles. Typical distances for this discipline are 100 and 400 m, though competitions for other distances may also be organized.
B. Depth Disciplines
- Jump Blue - a competition where an athlete must cover the maximum distance in apnea around a square with a side of 15 (fifteen) meters, located at a depth of 10 (ten) meters. The event takes place in open water (sea or lake) using fins (bifins or monofin).
- Constant Weight with or without fins - a competition where an athlete must cover the vertical distance in apnea down to the declared depth without any changes in their weight throughout the entire performance, with or without fins. The competition takes place in open water (sea or lake), and the use of fins (bifins or monofin) or going without fins depends on the type of competition.
- Free Immersion - a competition where an athlete must swim the maximum vertical distance in apnea to the declared depth without using ballast or fins.
The competition takes place in open water (sea or lake), and the athlete is allowed to hold onto the guide rope. The use of any mechanism, even if the latter is activated by the athlete's muscles, is prohibited. - Variable Weight with or without fins - a competition where an athlete must cover the vertical distance in apnea to the declared depth with a guided ballast device and return back using their own strength.
The competition takes place in open water (sea or lake), and the use of fins is optional. - Skandalopetra - this is a discipline with deep historical roots. The name comes from the Greek words "scandali" (trigger) and "petra" (stone). This very stone is at the core of this discipline.
The athlete dives with the help of a stone (usually a marble slab) attached to a rope. Skandalopetra is a team competition: one athlete dives while the other waits at the surface. When the first athlete reaches the required depth, the second begins to pull them up.
Recreational Freediving
Freediving is also a recreational sport that provides a unique experience of calm, liberating relaxation. Many snorkelers are technically already freedivers if they practice breath-holding. It is crucial to emphasize the importance of training and supervision when using apnea here.
Like other water sports, freediving is associated with therapeutic benefits. Freedom in the underwater environment makes free immersion an idea of a personal and spiritual journey for many. Yoga is also used by many practicing freedivers to increase concentration, improve breathing, and enhance overall performance.
Physiology of Freediving
The human body possesses several types of adaptations for diving conditions, which stem from the mammalian dive reflex. These adaptations allow the human body to withstand depth and lack of oxygen much longer than would be possible without this reflex.
Types of adaptations of the human body underwater and under high pressure include:
Bradycardia: A drop in the heart rate.
Vasoconstriction: Blood vessels constrict. Blood flow is directed away from the limbs in favor of the heart, lungs, and brain.
Splenic contraction: The release of red blood cells carrying oxygen.
Blood shift: Blood plasma fills the blood vessels in the lungs and reduces the residual volume. Without this adaptation, human lungs would collapse, causing irreversible damage at depths of over 30 meters.
Training
Apnea training can take various forms and can take place on land.
One example is apnea walking. It consists of preparation - a short (usually 1 minute) ventilation, followed by a maximum breath-hold. Without breaking the breath-hold, participants begin to walk until it becomes necessary to take a breath. Athletes can walk up to 400 meters while training this way.
This form of training is good for accustoming muscles to working in anaerobic conditions and for tolerance to CO2 buildup. It is also easy to monitor progress here simply by measuring the distance traveled.
Before a performance-oriented dive, freedivers perform a certain hyperventilation, which leads to a decrease in CO2 levels in the lungs and blood. This delays the onset of respiratory center stimulation in the brain, thus postponing the warning signals about running out of air. Since oxygen levels in the blood do not increase with hyperventilation, this is highly dangerous and can lead to shallow water or deep water blackouts. Trained freedivers are well aware of this and dive only under strict supervision and the guarantee of immediate first aid. However, this is not enough to eliminate a blackout. All responsible freedivers use a buddy who accompanies them, monitoring the dive from the surface. Due to the nature of this sport, safety is an integral part of freediving, requiring participants to be skilled in rescue actions and resuscitation. Without proper training and supervision, freediving / apnea / is extremely dangerous.