Extreme Sport of the Week: Freediving (Competitive Apnea)

First, watch this.  Be as inspired as I was:

Freediving Video   (Link courtesy of Ken)

This serene, beautiful sport is freediving, also known as "competitive apnea."  Apnea means "lack of breathing," a term you most often hear in reference to "sleep apnea."  Freediving refers to underwater diving without an external breathing apparatus.  It sounds crazy, and dangerous, but that may also be what makes it so great. :)

(from saspotato's flickr photostream)

The sport is fairly new.  AIDA International, the record- and rule-keeping organization for Freediving, was founded in 1992.  There are a variety of types of freediving, depending on whether you're trying to swim a long distance underwater, dive a long distance underwater, use fins and weights, or just hold your breath for as long as possible.

Not all dives are directly downward, as in the movie.  Freediving is often practiced "recreationally" for underwater photography or spear-fishing.  Also, the freedives that don't focus on diving distance frequently occur in a pool.

 © 2007 Jean-Marc Kuffer / CC BY 2.0

When I was a kid, I heard somewhere that after a minute or two without air, you pass out.  After four minutes, you die.  It was probably a guess that the nearest adult made up when I asked, but it seemed credible enough, and it's a rule I've held in the back of my head since then.  Turns out, the world record for breath-holding ("static apnea") is currently 11 minutes, 35 seconds.  11:35.  The record-holder (for about one year now) is a French guy named Stéphane Mifsud.  His lung capacity is apparently 10.5 liters, compared with the standard 6 liters.  And if you let someone hyperventilate on pure oxygen for up to 30 minutes beforehand, the record shoots up to 20:10, a record set this last April by a Danish man named Stig Åvall Severinsen.

(from jayhem's flickr photostream)

As with many extreme sports, freediving walks the ambiguous line between "safe enough that I'm tempted to try it" and "too dangerous; wait 10 years and check back."  There is a certain peace achieved just by sitting on the bottom of a pool for a few seconds; surely this would be amplified at the bottom of the ocean... but I'll take a rain check for now.  Frankly, freediving in an ocean seems like it'd take a lot more training, endurance, and pain than certain other extreme sports (like, oh, speed flying).

Still, I am fascinated.  If you are also fascinated and like stats, check out the AIDA International website, particularly the "Records" section!

(from jayhem's flickr photostream)