We were goofing around after practice the other day and decided to see who could swim the farthest underwater. We both went well over 50 meters (the underwater turn was a killer). I opted for dolphin kicking a ways and then switched to the underwater breastroke. I’m not sure which technique is better for distance as opposed to speed. Anyone out there ever make a full 100m underwater? Oh yeah, this can be dangerous because a lot of people pass out. So if you make an attempt, be sure someone is on deck watching you. Perhaps some of you dorks could even put on your competitions suits and monofins and see if it improves your performance. You guys kill me with all your equipment.
At the start he only needed two strokes per lap with no dolphin kick.
I wonder why he wore a wetsuit. It seems to me that the floatation would hinder.
Quite impressive.
I did 75 yards underwater a couple of decades ago. It wasn't easy.
You need to be very relaxed before starting. It helps to have a neckweight to neutralize the positive buoyancy from your lungs. Normally varies between 2-5kg depending on your size, suit and amount of extra air in your lungs. The neckweight also gives you momentum when you push from the walls and glide until you decelerate significantly.
in eleuthera, there is a coral formation called the tunnel... yes, you guessed it. its a tunnel that is +/- 60 feet long and is about 30' below the surface. diameter is about 5' and lionfish hang out near the roof of the tunnel.
after dropping to the entrance and timing myself a few times to be sure that i would have enough air to swim through, i went for it. yes i was wearing fins.
so, to answer the question: How far can you go underwater without a breath?
i'm pretty sure i can go all the way to the emergency room with a little practice!
... When I coached DIII for a couple years, I had a very tough time getting some swimmers to buy into underwater sets...but it's usually just 25's, not max stuff. People are concerned about pushing it to their limit sometimes. I would get irritated when college kids wouldn't kick a 25 under water. I mean a 25, come on! Coaching can be very rewarding, but I prefer to be competing.
I guess that I would have endured considerable ridicule from you had you been my coach because I have been working my SDK studiously for months and I have yet to complete a 25. About 15 or 16 yds is my best effort so far. Slow flutter kick I am quite sure I can do a 25 no problem, but SDK is a different matter entirely. It seems to guzzle O2.
quite impressive
He did a great job with efficiency, streamlining, & conservation of energy through proper pacing
How much time did it take him to cover that distance?
YouTube - Dave Mullins 218 DNF World Record 27 Sept 2010.MOD
According to some study, holding breath for too long can not only cause sudden death, but also damage to the brain.
If death occurred, the brain would have been damaged :D
In the late 50's the Japanese used to swim the 100m LC breaststroke with only one breath on the turn. This is at top speed and they set the WR that way. That's why the rules were changed as swimmers were passing out trying it.
Many swimmers have died trying underwater practice, do not do it! Do not deprive your brain of oxygen!
There was a study once on hypoxic training. A college team had two groups of swimmers, one trained for three months with regular breathing and the other group incorporated hypoxic sets. They were tested before and after the test for VO2 max, etc. At the end, there was no difference between the sets other than the hypoxic group got better at doing it. Both sets improved their times equally.
I guess that I would have endured considerable ridicule from you had you been my coach because I have been working my SDK studiously for months and I have yet to complete a 25. About 15 or 16 yds is my best effort so far. Slow flutter kick I am quite sure I can do a 25 no problem, but SDK is a different matter entirely. It seems to guzzle O2.
Well, ridicule isn't part of my vocabulary :) I always try to stay positive, even if I'm steaming internally. Good luck with the training though, I hope it gets easier for you.
