I’ve been on this island for some time now. I’ve been diving almost everyday, so it’s pretty normal that I’ve encountered some issues while I was diving. Most problems are very minor and come across more as an annoyance than an actual problem, but there are some that can lead to worse problems if not handled quickly.
Sinuses and Ears
The most common and (in my opinion) most annoying issue a freediver encounters is problems with sinuses as well as their ears. In freediving, as you dive to deeper depths, your body goes under lots of pressure. Because most of the inside of our body is surrounded by liquid, our body can equalize and adapt on its own. However, there are a few pockets of air that must be equalized manually as you descend: sinuses (kinda), inner ear, lungs (kinda), and the mask (if you’re wearing one). The reason I said “kinda” for sinuses is because there really isn’t a way to equalize your sinuses is they’re backed up–which sucks. I’ve had 3 days so far where my sinuses just wouldn’t clear which prevents me from diving deeper than a few meters. The sensation feels like pressure behind your face increases until it gets so uncomfortable that it’s ready to burst–which can also happen if you ignore your body. The reason I said “kinda” for lungs is because our lungs are actually designed to compress under pressure to residual volume. To understand what I’m talking about, try doing a forceful exhale until you can’t blow out anymore air–at this point, your lungs have hit residual volume. This leaves only ears. As you dive deeper and deeper in freediving, the pressure in your inner ear increases and needs to be equalized in order to prevent your ear drums from bursting. If you want a better understanding of equalizing your ears, pinch your nose shut and gently blow against them. You should be able to hear a little pop or crackle sound in your ears. Some days your ears just don’t want to cooperate, and this leads mainly to frustration because, like the sinuses, there’s not a whole lot you can do to fix it.
Sambas and Blackouts
Sambas and blackouts are the more serious problems a freediver can encounter. A samba, or loss of motor control, occurs when your body gets hypoxic, or low on oxygen. When a diver is having a samba, the diver will surface and start the recovery breaths, although they may not be strong. The breaths may be shaky or incomplete, and this will usually be accompanied by uncontrollable shaking. When this happens, it’s very important to speak clearly and loudly to the diver telling them to breathe. Removing the mask and blowing strongly in their face can also help shock them into breathing again. Sambas last usually only a few seconds, however, if not addressed quickly it can progress into a blackout. I have actually had a samba before. After one of my longer dives swimming through the wreck, I surfaced and started having a small samba. After being told to breathe very strongly and having my masked removed as a precaution, I started breathing normally again. Blackouts can occur at the surface or in shallow water (typically the last 10m) and are also usually easy to bring someone back from. By simply removing the mask, blowing in their face strongly, and tapping their face while talking softly to them will usually bring them back right away. ***NOTE: The Number 1 safety rule in freediving is to never dive alone. All of these issues can be easily prevented as long as you are diving with a buddy. Diving alone without a safety diver can make these problems fatal. NEVER dive alone
Hopefully, this post clarified some of the issues freedivers can encounter, as well as how easily preventable these problems are. Freediving is not an extreme sport like skydiving or bungee jumping, and actually has more in common with yoga and meditation. Through freediving, one can discover that the limits you think you have on your body are set and controlled by your mind and that through proper training, you can train your mind to push your body to achieve superhuman feats.
Johnny on a Journey 