Is your cutie transfixed when you hold your breath? Mine is. Even if yours isn't, at least you have one.
I'm referring here to your cardiac QT interval. It's the period of time between the final 'wobble' of one heart beat, and the beginning of the next. A group of researchers at London's St Thomas's hospital are trying to find a link between this measurement and the mammalian dive reflex. Why?
Because some individuals that jump into cold water develop an arrythmia that can lead to sudden death.
The researchers needed to take ECG measurements of volunteers who were able to do something slightly unconventional while being monitored. Basically, plunging their heads into a basin of icy water, and keeping them there for as long as they could hold their breath for. The idea being to maximise the mammalian reflex for as long as possible.
The experiment hadn't worked too well with their sample group. This group consisting of medical students with an aversion to cold water and apnea. The 30 second samples they were getting were just too short - a good couple of minutes were required, but nothing in excess of four.
Enter the feediving community. This sounded straightforward enough, and a number of us volunteered.
There was an uncommon misconception. We assumed we could do our 'normal' thing - couple of minutes breathe-up, then head-down into the icy broth. The researchers on the other hand had a different expectation. Something along the lines of, "one deep breath and off you go". A breathe-up introduces physiological effects that skew the results.
Not being someone who likes to disappoint, I did things their way and managed to grimace my way through it. I was duly treated to "oohs" and "aahs" and, "didn't he do well?".
More importantly, the doctors had their first set of results over a time period that confirmed their predictions. They seemed pleased. My cutie was just as they'd imagined...
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Synchronicity
You can teach an old dog new tricks. However, an old dog can forget old tricks too.
One old trick of this old dog, was making sure he knew when official time was at freediving competitions. Even if my dive computer wasn't synchronised to the microsecond, I always knew how far adrift it was.
The Blue Hole, Dahab, late May 2009, where Linda Paganelli and Lotta Ericson have put together a small depth competition. A good opportunity to dust the winter cobwebs off the equipment, and see if I can tag a few metres onto my free immersion NR. Attempting to do just that was when the time discrepancy kicked off the chain reaction.
I knew I was a minute or so ahead of official time, but as I made the first pull downward, it later transpired that over 10 minutes had passed since my final warm-up. For my physiology, not good news. Having reached my target of 70 metres, as I ascended I would normally expect a gradual slide into the 'struggle phase'. But this time, at 35 metres or so, the urge to breathe hit me in the thorax like the punch of a prize heavyweight fighter.
In fact, this was something of a double-whammy. Psychologically, the seeds of discontent were planted, and an expectation of a surface 'event' came to be.
Added to that, I lost mental focus and instead of concentrating on long, firm pulls, my head was elsewhere. An air of vulnerability crept in, and my arm pulls were feeble and inefficient. All the while valuable seconds ticked by, and when I eventually surfaced, my dive time that should have been less than two minutes 30, was a few seconds short of three minutes.
Then someone turned out the lights.
Fast forward four weeks, and the next event is Martin Zajec's pool competition in Prague. This time I'm not there to set records ( not that any pool-based freediving records are in my grasp anyway ); I'm there to try out my newly-acquired monofin technique. And to enjoy the experience and hopefully find a ranking.
I never get too worked up about static, I just go the standard distance and keep a close eye on any warning signs. However, that shouldn't justify complacency, or mean I could disregard my golden rule of competing - don't make last-minute changes.
I did. It was the wetsuit. Nice new Orca triathlon suit, perfect for dynamic, so why not use it for static too? OK, the limb thicknesses are a bit thin and there's no hood, but I assumed it would be fine.
I shivered my way to five minutes 22 seconds, kicking and fighting for half of it. Not pleasant, and a good deal shorter than where I should have been. All for the sake of a kilo or so of the right sort of neoprene.
These weren't my only two mistakes, but the others weren't lapses of memory or judgement, just bad habits I had been carrying around for some time.
Last but not least, I was pleased to discover in Prague that at least someone else out there reads my ramblings ( good to meet you Trux ). So as well as an aide memoire for me, perhaps others will find this stuff useful too.
One old trick of this old dog, was making sure he knew when official time was at freediving competitions. Even if my dive computer wasn't synchronised to the microsecond, I always knew how far adrift it was.
The Blue Hole, Dahab, late May 2009, where Linda Paganelli and Lotta Ericson have put together a small depth competition. A good opportunity to dust the winter cobwebs off the equipment, and see if I can tag a few metres onto my free immersion NR. Attempting to do just that was when the time discrepancy kicked off the chain reaction.
I knew I was a minute or so ahead of official time, but as I made the first pull downward, it later transpired that over 10 minutes had passed since my final warm-up. For my physiology, not good news. Having reached my target of 70 metres, as I ascended I would normally expect a gradual slide into the 'struggle phase'. But this time, at 35 metres or so, the urge to breathe hit me in the thorax like the punch of a prize heavyweight fighter.
In fact, this was something of a double-whammy. Psychologically, the seeds of discontent were planted, and an expectation of a surface 'event' came to be.
Added to that, I lost mental focus and instead of concentrating on long, firm pulls, my head was elsewhere. An air of vulnerability crept in, and my arm pulls were feeble and inefficient. All the while valuable seconds ticked by, and when I eventually surfaced, my dive time that should have been less than two minutes 30, was a few seconds short of three minutes.
Then someone turned out the lights.
Fast forward four weeks, and the next event is Martin Zajec's pool competition in Prague. This time I'm not there to set records ( not that any pool-based freediving records are in my grasp anyway ); I'm there to try out my newly-acquired monofin technique. And to enjoy the experience and hopefully find a ranking.
I never get too worked up about static, I just go the standard distance and keep a close eye on any warning signs. However, that shouldn't justify complacency, or mean I could disregard my golden rule of competing - don't make last-minute changes.
I did. It was the wetsuit. Nice new Orca triathlon suit, perfect for dynamic, so why not use it for static too? OK, the limb thicknesses are a bit thin and there's no hood, but I assumed it would be fine.
I shivered my way to five minutes 22 seconds, kicking and fighting for half of it. Not pleasant, and a good deal shorter than where I should have been. All for the sake of a kilo or so of the right sort of neoprene.
These weren't my only two mistakes, but the others weren't lapses of memory or judgement, just bad habits I had been carrying around for some time.
Last but not least, I was pleased to discover in Prague that at least someone else out there reads my ramblings ( good to meet you Trux ). So as well as an aide memoire for me, perhaps others will find this stuff useful too.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Good Directions
Time for a stake to be driven firmly into the ground. Something to indicate that 'Beyond The Big Blue' has returned, albeit with a different ( yet more relevant ) web address. All the old content has been migrated across, as I didn't want to lose some of the useful reference material.
Something of a renaissance, but with an altered slant. No longer being Press Officer of the BFA, my finger isn't quite so much on the pulse of freediving news. My new challenge is to write something that is useful for me, of interest to others, and that branches out....well, beyond the big blue!
Something of a renaissance, but with an altered slant. No longer being Press Officer of the BFA, my finger isn't quite so much on the pulse of freediving news. My new challenge is to write something that is useful for me, of interest to others, and that branches out....well, beyond the big blue!
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Martin Harris, 24th March 1966 - 4th October 1996
 |
| From Beyond The Big Blue |
Twelve years have passed since we lost my younger brother Martin. He's the one on the right, above. Some time ago, I wrote a tribute for him, which show some of his furniture designs. Tonight, Laura and I will light a candle for him.
This blog had to go offline for a while, for legal reasons. Some inappropriate comments made by others had caused offence to someone whose name I am now not allowed to mention. So from now on, I will be moderating all comments, which means they won't appear until I have reviewed them.
I might have a dark, even warped sense of humour sometimes, and I can be quite critical about some issues. Yes, at times BTBB can be a one-man crusade against certain establishment practises, such as inaccurate media reporting. But I don't use my blog as a weapon against individuals. So if something appears on this blog, and you don't like it, then simply send me a mail. It's a whole lot less hassle than instructing a team of lawyers. For everyone.
Monday, August 04, 2008
Truth Defying Acts
Harry Houdini, one of the greatest illusionists of all time, can't compete with the press of today:
How Guy Pearce learned to stop hating himself and found the magic touch
Seems like a reasonable account doesn't it? Producers, safety men and insurance agents, panicking because Guy Pearce is being filmed on the set of 'Death Defying Acts' performing an underwater stunt. I don't think he ended up there by accident though, do you? And how many film sets do insurance agents actually attend while shooting is in-progress?? ( In my limited experience, I've never seen one, but if I'm wrong then please feel free to comment. )
Anyway, I won't argue that particular point. It just doesn't sound quite right, especially when I know the next sentence in the 'interview' definitely isn't. I have it on very good authority, that the free-diving record holders they refer to, was actually one individual, not many. As for the weeks of training...well, Guy was left with some 'homework' to do after his one day of training, but the afore-mentioned freediver wasn't involved in any follow up. Nor need he have been. The one accurate part of the story is that Guy was able to hold his breath for 3 minutes, after just a few hours training.
Which brings me around quite nicely to the point of this mini-rant. Why make something up, when the truth is more sensational. Try replacing, "... their 39-year-old Australian star has been training with free-diving record holders for weeks now, and that he can hold his breath for nearly three minutes" with, "...their 39-year-old Australian star has been trained over just a few hours by a freediving record holder, and is now able to hold his breath for nearly three minutes".
I can only suppose that journalists have to practise their art of illusion, and probably more so than Guy Pearce or Harry Houdini ever did.
How Guy Pearce learned to stop hating himself and found the magic touch
Seems like a reasonable account doesn't it? Producers, safety men and insurance agents, panicking because Guy Pearce is being filmed on the set of 'Death Defying Acts' performing an underwater stunt. I don't think he ended up there by accident though, do you? And how many film sets do insurance agents actually attend while shooting is in-progress?? ( In my limited experience, I've never seen one, but if I'm wrong then please feel free to comment. )
Anyway, I won't argue that particular point. It just doesn't sound quite right, especially when I know the next sentence in the 'interview' definitely isn't. I have it on very good authority, that the free-diving record holders they refer to, was actually one individual, not many. As for the weeks of training...well, Guy was left with some 'homework' to do after his one day of training, but the afore-mentioned freediver wasn't involved in any follow up. Nor need he have been. The one accurate part of the story is that Guy was able to hold his breath for 3 minutes, after just a few hours training.
Which brings me around quite nicely to the point of this mini-rant. Why make something up, when the truth is more sensational. Try replacing, "... their 39-year-old Australian star has been training with free-diving record holders for weeks now, and that he can hold his breath for nearly three minutes" with, "...their 39-year-old Australian star has been trained over just a few hours by a freediving record holder, and is now able to hold his breath for nearly three minutes".
I can only suppose that journalists have to practise their art of illusion, and probably more so than Guy Pearce or Harry Houdini ever did.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Whatever is Wrong With You?
Fancy a quick sherbert? How about a Double Dip?? A fortnight ago, quite a few of us had that in mind. Those strange people who frequent cold murky quarries, not breathing for minutes at a time. Whatever is wrong with them? Seeking plastic tags, seeking blue glass? Or seeking each other??
I could give you a blow-by-blow account. Who went down, who went up. Those who saw their dinner on a plate, but couldn't quite reach it. ( We all saw the light though, not one surfaced in darkness. ) And what would it all mean?
Years ago, freediving was a dark art,shrouded in mystery. Some of us wanted to change all that, and we did. Through teaching, through the internet, through the media. Now there is something of a renaissance going on. Qualification levels in the UK at an all-time high, and training facilities struggling to meet demand.
So now, I'm not going to say too much about Double Dip. I wouldn't want to say nothing. I'm extremely grateful to everyone who made it happen – Sam, Laura, the AIDA judges, Angels, safety divers, timekeeper, photographers, staff at the National Diving and Activities Centre, coaches, helpers, and athletes. I don't think anyone who took part didn't contribute in some way. Every year it seems to get better. But as to what actually happened? Best way to find out is book up for next year.
Well done to Alan Barber. He's the man who can swim underwater for 186 metres with nothing more than a full breath of air ( unlike some of us who can't resist unnaturally pressurising our lungs with just a few centilitres more ). 18 months of freediving and two very respectable records under his weightbelt now. More to come, I say.
Two years ago a group of us had a play around underwater in Makadi Bay, Egypt. Matt Kitchen filmed us, and kindly passed the video footage on to me to do something with. So now I've edited and entered it into a competition being run by my favourite prog-rock outfit, Marillion. If you watch it, then it puts me one step closer to winning. So please do. I'd like to dedicate it to my friends Ben and Penny Noble.
Whatever is wrong with you?
I could give you a blow-by-blow account. Who went down, who went up. Those who saw their dinner on a plate, but couldn't quite reach it. ( We all saw the light though, not one surfaced in darkness. ) And what would it all mean?
Years ago, freediving was a dark art,shrouded in mystery. Some of us wanted to change all that, and we did. Through teaching, through the internet, through the media. Now there is something of a renaissance going on. Qualification levels in the UK at an all-time high, and training facilities struggling to meet demand.
So now, I'm not going to say too much about Double Dip. I wouldn't want to say nothing. I'm extremely grateful to everyone who made it happen – Sam, Laura, the AIDA judges, Angels, safety divers, timekeeper, photographers, staff at the National Diving and Activities Centre, coaches, helpers, and athletes. I don't think anyone who took part didn't contribute in some way. Every year it seems to get better. But as to what actually happened? Best way to find out is book up for next year.
Well done to Alan Barber. He's the man who can swim underwater for 186 metres with nothing more than a full breath of air ( unlike some of us who can't resist unnaturally pressurising our lungs with just a few centilitres more ). 18 months of freediving and two very respectable records under his weightbelt now. More to come, I say.
Two years ago a group of us had a play around underwater in Makadi Bay, Egypt. Matt Kitchen filmed us, and kindly passed the video footage on to me to do something with. So now I've edited and entered it into a competition being run by my favourite prog-rock outfit, Marillion. If you watch it, then it puts me one step closer to winning. So please do. I'd like to dedicate it to my friends Ben and Penny Noble.
Whatever is wrong with you?
Monday, April 28, 2008
Small fish, big pond
It is beyond the Big Blue to understand the neglect it must feel right now. Dusted off after months of lying on the shelf. Competitions have come and gone, freediving records set, and other tid-bits of freediving trivia all left lying by the wayside. Unfortunately the author has been away, then on his return spent rather a lot of time photo and video editing. Probably too much. ( Well, definitely too much spent on the highly-addictive flickr site).
Even now I am only making a placeholder - a promise of things to come, once the season gets into full swing. In the meantime I am making emergency use of this journal, for the purposes I originally set it up; to record training and photographic knowledge for future reference. This entry falls firmly into the category of 'underwater photography'. On our trip to Kenya a few weeks ago, my underwater rig hit it's most problematic patch ever. Shutter locking up and strobe refusing to fire being frequent offenders. To my surprise triumph over adversity came into play, and I actually recorded one or two reasonable shots. The misfiring strobe was a worsening issue though, and needed sorting.
So on the hottest day to-date, of 2008, I took myself off to those nice people at Cameras Underwater, next to Embankment Station. Within minutes, the culprit was identified as the flash sync cable. Forty quid to replace that didn't hurt quite as much as a new strobe would have done. Discussion then turned to upgrade, as the back of my mind has been housing the thought of submerging an EOS400D at some stage. Out popped a book of underwater images, all taken with a recent compact digital ( and most without strobe ). The difference in quality between those images and the equivalent on SLR, I really don't think would have been appreciable. Recent compacts have superior lenses, reduced shutter lag, and nice big LCD screens. As long as you have the option to manually set the white balance, then you can think about putting it into a housing. I don't know why I have overlooked this in the past. My expensive set of filters not only reduce the light hitting the chip, but they are only effective at quite shallow depths. Seasoned pro's like Matt Kitchen have been advocating MWB on video for some time, but I suppose I'd assumed it would be fiddly for stills and not worth the effort. All the while having to do fiddly edits in Photoshop trying to correct the cyan colour cast.
The second part of the magic recipe, is to attach a decent wet-mount wide-angle lens. Now this I know will not work with my trusty Olys, as the built-in lens is too wide itself, and vignetting / distortion becomes a problem. But at least I now have a 2 stage plan - try out MWB on the existing rig, and make sure I'm happy with the replaced fibre-optic cable. As a slot-in upgrade in a year or so, see what latest compacts are on the market, and add one of these plus housing to my strobe / arm assembly. Oh yes, and make an investment in a decent WA lens. It's the way forward, I'm sure.
Next month, expect the usual mix of freediving news and gossip. In particular, there should be some news about Harry Houdini. Stay tuned.
Even now I am only making a placeholder - a promise of things to come, once the season gets into full swing. In the meantime I am making emergency use of this journal, for the purposes I originally set it up; to record training and photographic knowledge for future reference. This entry falls firmly into the category of 'underwater photography'. On our trip to Kenya a few weeks ago, my underwater rig hit it's most problematic patch ever. Shutter locking up and strobe refusing to fire being frequent offenders. To my surprise triumph over adversity came into play, and I actually recorded one or two reasonable shots. The misfiring strobe was a worsening issue though, and needed sorting.
So on the hottest day to-date, of 2008, I took myself off to those nice people at Cameras Underwater, next to Embankment Station. Within minutes, the culprit was identified as the flash sync cable. Forty quid to replace that didn't hurt quite as much as a new strobe would have done. Discussion then turned to upgrade, as the back of my mind has been housing the thought of submerging an EOS400D at some stage. Out popped a book of underwater images, all taken with a recent compact digital ( and most without strobe ). The difference in quality between those images and the equivalent on SLR, I really don't think would have been appreciable. Recent compacts have superior lenses, reduced shutter lag, and nice big LCD screens. As long as you have the option to manually set the white balance, then you can think about putting it into a housing. I don't know why I have overlooked this in the past. My expensive set of filters not only reduce the light hitting the chip, but they are only effective at quite shallow depths. Seasoned pro's like Matt Kitchen have been advocating MWB on video for some time, but I suppose I'd assumed it would be fiddly for stills and not worth the effort. All the while having to do fiddly edits in Photoshop trying to correct the cyan colour cast.
The second part of the magic recipe, is to attach a decent wet-mount wide-angle lens. Now this I know will not work with my trusty Olys, as the built-in lens is too wide itself, and vignetting / distortion becomes a problem. But at least I now have a 2 stage plan - try out MWB on the existing rig, and make sure I'm happy with the replaced fibre-optic cable. As a slot-in upgrade in a year or so, see what latest compacts are on the market, and add one of these plus housing to my strobe / arm assembly. Oh yes, and make an investment in a decent WA lens. It's the way forward, I'm sure.
Next month, expect the usual mix of freediving news and gossip. In particular, there should be some news about Harry Houdini. Stay tuned.
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