Why can freedivers go so deep?

So how is it that freedivers are able to dive so deep and last so long without taking a breath? One reason is the diving reflex

diving reflex

The diving reflex, also known as the diving response and mammalian diving reflex, is a set of physiological responses to immersion that overrides the basic homeostatic reflexes, and is found in all air-breathing vertebrates studied to date.

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Diving reflex - Wikipedia

, an evolutionary adaptation that enables seals and dolphins to dive deep and stay underwater for extended periods by slowing and/or shutting down some physiological functions.

How deep can a freediver go?

Free divers swim to extreme depths underwater (the current record is 214m) without any breathing apparatus. Champions can hold their breath for extraordinary amounts of time – the record for women is nine minutes, and men 11.

How do freedivers not get crushed?

Scuba divers and free divers rely on equalising to prevent damaging their bodies. They compensate for static water pressure by adding equal gas pressure into their air spaces as the atmospheric pressure of the depth they are diving in. This prevents their air spaces from collapsing under pressure.

Why do freedivers lungs not collapse?

The more flexibility the diaphragm has to move upwards, filling the empty space that the lungs leave when they shrink in size, the less pressure a freediver feels, and the more protection the lungs have against lung squeezes.

Why do freedivers not get the bends?

Decompression sickness (DCS) after freediving is very rare. Freedivers simply do not on-gas enough nitrogen to provoke DCS. Thus, very few cases of DCS in freedivers have ever been reported, and these have involved repeated deep dives in a short time frame.

"This is why I free dive": A journey into the deep | William Trubridge | TEDxChristchurch

Do freedivers have brain damage?

Here, we debunk the most common misconceptions, all corroborated by the most up-to-date scientific research. A scientific review concluded there was no evidence of brain damage resulting from competitive freediving.

Why are freedivers so skinny?

Like many have experienced, freediving can make you skinny quite fast. Going through high levels of hypoxia while diving to extreme depths burns a lot of calories.

What's the longest a free diver can hold their breath?

How long can an average person hold their breath? Most people without any training can hold their breath for about 30 seconds without gasping for air. But free divers who swim without the aids of snorkels or scuba gear can actually hold their breath for more than 10 minutes.

How long can the average freediver hold their breath?

Most healthy individuals can last for up to two minutes without taking a breath. However, a little practice can increase this amount of time. Aleix Segura, a freediver from Spain, held his breath underwater for an incredible 24 minutes 3 seconds.

Do free divers have to decompress?

A diver who only breathes gas at atmospheric pressure when free-diving or snorkelling will not usually need to decompress but it is possible to get decompression sickness, or taravana, from repetitive deep free-diving with short surface intervals.

Can you fart while diving?

Farting is possible while scuba diving but not advisable because: Diving wetsuits are very expensive and the explosive force of an underwater fart will rip a hole in your wetsuit. An underwater fart will shoot you up to the surface like a missile which can cause decompression sickness.

What is the deepest dive ever made?

The world's deepest dive on open circuit scuba stands at 332.35m (1,090ft). It was undertaken by Ahmed Gabr in Dahab in the Red Sea on 18/19 September 2014 after nearly a decade of preparation. The descent took only 15 minutes while the ascent lasted 13 hours 35 minutes.

At what depth will water crush you?

Human beings can withstand 3 to 4 atmospheres of pressure, or 43.5 to 58 psi. Water weighs 64 pounds per cubic foot, or one atmosphere per 33 feet of depth, and presses in from all sides. The ocean's pressure can indeed crush you.

How do freedivers sink?

To sink in freediving, your lungs must be emptied to achieve neutral buoyancy or the level at which you are no longer buoyant enough to float. It can be achieved by carrying or attaching weights to your body, leading down a rope, and swimming downward, which is referred to as free falling.

How do you drown free diving?

If the brain used more oxygen than is available in the blood supply, the cerebral oxygen partial pressure may drop below the level required to sustain consciousness. This type of blackout is likely to occur early in the dive.

How long can a Navy SEAL hold their breath?

Navy SEALs can hold their breath underwater for two to three minutes or more. Breath-holding drills are typically used to condition a swimmer or diver and to build confidence when going through high-surf conditions at night, said Brandon Webb, a former Navy SEAL and best-selling author of the book “Among Heroes.”

How long can Tom Cruise hold his breath?

Cruise reportedly trained to hold his breath for six minutes during filming for a “Mission: Impossible” movie a few years ago. According to an interview published this week in The Guardian, Winslet talked more about her previously reported seven-minute, 14-second static breath-hold: “God, it's just wonderful.

How do free divers deal with pressure?

The most common equalization technique that Scuba divers and people new to freediving use are the Valsalva maneuver. You simply pinch your nose and create pressure from your diaphragm by trying to exhale through your nostrils against your pinched nose. If you try this you will usually feel inflation in the ears.

At what depth do you start sinking?

Most humans hit negative buoyancy around 30 feet down.

What happens if you don't equalize when diving?

However, if a diver does not equalize early or often enough, the pressure differential can force the soft tissues together, closing the ends of the tubes. Forcing air against these soft tissues just locks them shut. No air gets to the middle ears, which do not equalize, so barotrauma results.

How do free divers train their lungs?

Some freedivers like to perform the inhalation and exhalation stretches together: Inhale stretch, exhale stretch, deeper inhale stretch, deeper exhale stretch and so on. If at any time you get a tickle or cough lighten up on how much you are exhaling.

Is free diving good for your lungs?

With the help of constant training and specialized stretching exercises, freedivers increase their lung capacity and elasticity while developing their respiratory muscles. The lungs start to work better. The whole body benefits from more efficient breathing. Dyspnea is reduced and inflammation in the body is reduced.

Do free divers live longer?

The more we move our body and have a full and free range of movement, the longer we live and the healthier we are. The increased fitness and flexibility that you have when you learn to freedive is a massive benefit to anyone looking to live a fit and active life.

Why do freedivers wear weights?

Freedivers wear lead weights to offset the positive buoyancy of their bodies and their wetsuits. To freedive comfortably, we use enough weight to help us descend to the point our lungs and wetsuit compress to the point we achieve buoyancy.