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Free-diving refers to various aquatic activities that share the practice of breath-hold diving. Examples include breathhold Spearfishing , freedive photography, Apnea competitions and, to a degree, Snorkeling . The activity that garners the public's attention is '''Competitive Apnea''', considered an Extreme Sport , where Diver s attempt to reach great depths on a single breath and without direct assistance of Breathing Apparatus . DESCRIPTION Competitive free diving, often referred to as " Apnea ", is generally broken down into three categories; static, dynamic, and depth, with male and female records recognized in each category:
The depth category has four sub-sections:
Competitive free-diving featured heavily in the 1988 Luc Besson film ''Le Grand bleu'' ('' The Big Blue ''). PHYSIOLOGY OF FREE-DIVING The human body has several adaptations under diving conditions, which stem from Mammalian Diving Reflex . These adaptations enable the human body to endure depth and lack of oxygen far beyond what one would expect. One explanation for the presence of these adaptations is given by the Anthropologists' Aquatic Ape Theory . The adaptations made by the human body while underwater and at high pressure include:
TRAINING Training for free diving can take many forms, many of them out of water. One example, developed by Dennis Lee Bias of Chandler, Arizona, is the apnea walk. This consists of a preparation "breathe-up", followed by a short (typically 1 minute) breath hold taken at rest. Without breaking the hold, the participant then initiates a walk for as far as they can, until it becomes necessary to breathe again. This form of training is good for accustoming Muscle s to work under Anaerobic conditions, and for tolerance to CO2 build-up in the circulation. It is also easy to gauge progress, as increasing distance can be measured. Before diving, untrained free divers may Hyperventilate , resulting in a lower level of CO2 in their lungs and bloodstream. This postpones the start of stimulation to the breathing centre of the brain, and thus delays the warning signals of running out of air. As the oxygen level of the blood is not increased by hyperventilation, this is very dangerous and may result in drowning. (For more detail refer to the articles Shallow Water Blackout and Deep Water Blackout .) Trained freedivers are well aware of this and will limit their immediate pre-dive breathing, typically to a maximum of two or three breaths taken slowly and deeply so as to maximize oxygen saturation whilst not depressing blood CO2 levels. However this does not, of itself, eliminate the risk of deep or shallow water blackout and diving with a 'buddy' who remains observing at the surface is the standard practice. OFFICIAL WORLD RECORDS AS OF 2006-04-22 (AIDA) Constant Weight, women: Natalia Molchanova ( Russia ), -86 meter. Constant Weight, men: Martin Štìpánek ( Czech Republic ), -108 meter. Constant Weight, women, without fins: Natalia Molchanova ( Russia ), -55 meter. Constant Weight, men, without fins: Martin Štìpánek ( Czech Republic ), -80 meter. Static Apnea, women: Natalia Molchanova ( Russia ), 7m20s. Static Apnea, men: Tom Sietas ( Germany ), 8m58s. Dynamic Apnea, women: Natalia Molchanova ( Russia ), 178 meter. Dynamic Apnea, men: Tom Sietas ( Germany ), 212 meter. Dynamic Apnea, women, without fins: Natalia Molchanova ( Russia ), 131 meter. Dynamic Apnea, men, without fins: Tom Sietas ( Germany ), 180 meter. Variable Weight, women: Tanya Streeter ( USA ), -122 meter. Variable Weight, men: Martin Štìpánek ( Czech Republic ), -136 meter. No limit, women: Tanya Streeter ( USA ), -160 meter. No limit, men: Herbert Nitsch ( Austria ), -172 meter. Free Immersion, women: Natalia Molchanova ( Russia ), -78 meter. Free Immersion, men: Martin Štìpánek ( Czech Republic ), -106 meter Dynamic Apnea Static Weight,men: Dennis Lee Bias USA ),-182 meter SOME FAMOUS COMPETITIVE APNEA DIVERS
SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandler%2C_Arizona |
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