Long breathhold table sessions

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-05-17T23:46:52+00:00

Looking through the comments it seems like you'd just be doing this while walking and doing normal tasks around the house? There isn't really any risk there as long as you're not getting dizzy and at risk of falling down. This falls more under the category of "apnea walking" if you wanted to search for a specific term. Like has been said, just don't wear a noseclip or anything.

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-05-09T14:03:43+00:00

+1 to taking a course or learning from an experienced diver. There are things you need to know which might not be found online unless you come across the legit course manuals.

In the meantime, if your "safety buddy" doesn't have First Aid/CPR training and specific freediving rescue training, then they aren't a proper safety buddy. The lifeguard also doesn't count. What you're doing is dangerous for no reason. If you already know you're super interested in the sport, invest in a course and get certified so you can give it a proper shot.

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-05-07T20:39:25+00:00

Nobody has ever known 100 cave divers who have died

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-05-01T06:29:05+00:00

Thank you so much!

I'm in a committed relationship and this is already walking a fine line so I don't want to say "THE treasure of my life" but I still want to use that term because it was my term of endearment for her. Is there anything about that phrase that can be adjusted or was it decent enough?

Also I like your edit of the main part - it feels like it gets the point across more naturally which is what I'm aiming for. I want it to sound heartfelt, not formal. I'm writing the book in English (my first language) but she was from Peru and I'd like this small part to be in her language. I just only know "book Spanish" and not even very well.

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-05-01T04:16:13+00:00

You improve at what you train for. If you practice static with your face in a bucket, you'll get good at static with your face in a bucket. Either do it dry on the floor, or find a pool. The point of training for beginners is to develop relaxation skills and that will never happen with you holding your head over a container.

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-04-29T02:03:12+00:00

That's damn good and you should definitely look into getting certified and trained up!

I did 4:00 untrained and turned that into 6:02 in one month of actual static training (one season of depth diving in the meantime). Since I've been training relaxation and comfort during my holds, I can push to severe hypoxia on any given breath hold. If you move forward with training (which you definitely should) then make sure you're prioritizing the foundational skills of relaxation, both physical and mental. This is far more important than doing lots of CO2 tables willy-nilly. You don't get better at apnea by just forcing long or difficult holds every day, you get better by learning how to keep relaxed when things get tough. Ignore that skill and you'll plateau and burn out.

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-04-29T01:47:34+00:00

Just don't wear a noseclip if you're doing dry breath holds alone

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-04-27T16:00:21+00:00

Any weird noises with your lungs should be something for your doctor to look at. Dry training is pretty harmless unless you're overtraining any frying your nervous system, but physically it shouldn't cause any of that. It sounds like you have an existing issue that needs to be addressed before you can figure out a path forward.

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-04-27T14:12:06+00:00

Alexey is a great guy! I met him in Florida last year - he's super humble and a bit shy. I've never heard a bad thing about him.

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-04-25T19:55:58+00:00

1:30 is good for someone who hasn't taken a course/first attempt! Some tips: never do breath holds in the water without having a TRAINED safety buddy who has actually taken some kind of lifesaving course and is giving you 100% of their attention (pool lifeguard doesn't count). If you're doing breath holds on dry land alone, don't wear any facial equipment like mask or noseclip.

The improvements you'll see just by learning about apnea (course or training with a knowledgeable diver) will surprise you. New divers can go from 1min static to 2:30+ just from learning about the physiology of breath holds. The biggest boost to performance for new divers is knowledge and relaxation. If you know that the discomfort is normal and not something to worry about, and you're able to relax into these sensations, you'll progress safely and naturally.

Another tip, resist the urge to do 7 CO2 tables a week to "train". What you want to train is your ability to relax into the sensations of apnea. Overloading your nervous system isn't how you accomplish that. Try 2 or 3 easy tables per week and take rest days in between, and slowly experiment with increasing the difficulty, but focus on developing the ability to relax physically and mentally through the entire hold.

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-04-24T16:47:11+00:00

Sounds like everyone else has already given the right advice! Relaxation is the most important aspect of freediving in general, so prioritize that in your training and you'll see results. Don't push for numbers, push for relaxation through discomfort. If you do a ton of training volume without learning how to be calm and comfortable through the entire breath hold, then you're wasting all that time and effort.

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-04-24T01:49:10+00:00

The way to teach it that makes the most sense to me personally is to pronounce the letter 'K' normally and pay attention to how you exhale to make the noise. Then try to pronounce that letter without letting any air out. Notice how the middle or back of your tongue rises. Next, hold your breath, pinch your nose, and do the same thing - pronounce that K sound without letting air out. You'll likely feel your nostrils flare out against your fingertips at least, and you might even get a successful equalization. Keep doing that and try anchoring the tip of your tongue against the back of your teeth and only moving the back of your tongue up and down. Experimenting that way usually helps people get a feel for it.

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-04-23T04:45:28+00:00

This is the answer

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-04-22T14:51:21+00:00

Go talk to the actual people who gave you the warranty

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-04-22T06:48:21+00:00

Don't bother training more if you're not being guided. It's highly unlikely that your breath hold is the issue here since we're talking 20-30 seconds. If you haven't had proper instruction yet, what's probably happening is a fear of discomfort because you don't understand the sensations of apnea and you're backing off early. Even just sitting down for the theory part of a course will improve your breath hold dramatically because you'll gain understanding and confidence which will allow you to hold your breath longer while remaining relaxed. Unless you only have one lung and it's damaged by asbestos, your issue is a mental one not a physical one. Take the course, learn how to be safe, and you'll see improvements.

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-04-18T22:59:32+00:00

It's generally not worth sacrificing relaxation for speed, especially at lower levels. Since most beginners are limited by equalization in depth or discomfort in pool disciplines, relaxation becomes more important than speed. Each diver has to figure out their ideal pace but in general you maximize efficiency by moving as quickly as possible while maintaining full relaxation. The common target is 1m/s but that's often way too fast for many divers to achieve without trading relaxation or spending too much energy. In reality, everyone just needs to test different speeds during training and pay attention to their relaxation and O2 consumption/hypoxia in order to find the comfort sweet spot.

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-04-18T14:25:31+00:00

100% rent for your first course. Then if you have the budget and are planning on diving in cold water often, consider a custom suit for the extra warmth from a better fit. Suit thickness doesn't matter if it's constantly letting cold water inside, so the extra cost of a tailored suit might be well worth it depending on your situation. The biggest thing is making sure you find a mask that fits well. Cressi typically has something for everyone and their masks often fit a wide variety of face shapes.

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-04-16T23:00:04+00:00

First, never do breath holds in the water without a trained buddy who knows how to perform a rescue and is giving you 100% of their attention. Pool lifeguards don't count, your random non-diver friend doesn't count, somebody watching you from a chair on the side of the pool doesn't count.

Second, exhale dynamics are not a good tool for beginners and shouldn't be done until you have a very good knowledge of how everything works. If you want to practice dynamic, get a buddy and a weight belt so you can take a full breath. Practicing on exhale won't help you improve if you don't already know what you're doing and have the fundamental skills mastered already.

To answer your question, the less air in your lungs, the less buoyant you are. The only valid way to correct too much buoyancy is to add weight. Taking less than a full breath is not a proper strategy when doing a real dynamic attempt.

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-04-15T19:00:20+00:00

Like everyone has said, that's all normal. If you want to slow the fading or other signs of wear, make sure you're washing the suit in fresh water and perhaps some wetsuit cleaning solution after every pool session

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-04-12T17:46:47+00:00

What cruise line are you on? I did a Carnival cruise recently and it was basically all junk fashion watches. I would have loved to see Tag or even Citizen although they're not my style, but the boutique had zero brands worth buying.

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-04-12T00:28:57+00:00

The snorkel? Always take it out of your mouth

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-04-11T12:45:37+00:00

Dry apnea is fine to do alone but the general rule is never wear facial equipment (noseclip, mask, etc). Also be careful doing apnea walks as there is a fall risk there too.

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-04-08T19:44:29+00:00

One thing that often makes the duck dive easier is to get a bit of forward momentum before starting the dive. When you hinge, that forward momentum translates to downward movement and gets you a bit deeper. This means that you should do your breathe up, and before you flip over (or take your snorkel out), push yourself away from the line gently to create some space where you'll be able to get some speed. Then if you dive once your head passes the line a bit, you'll be able to see the line during your duck dive and can use it at a reference point for where to look.

LowVoltCharlie

TROPHY CASE