Cayman 2004 -
Freediving World Record Event
Day 7 - Sunday's no day of rest for this team!
 Although most of the locals are heading off in their Sunday finest, our Sunday finest has us looking like the Silver Surfer from the comic books. We meet Danny and Marnie at Public Beach at 12:30pm after picking up Doc at the Hyatt. We ask where he slept last night. His response is between 11,000 and 13,500 foot altitude :>)
Doc's using a hypoxic training tent to help increase his hematocrit and thereby his blood oxygen storing capacity. Along with this you gain an increase in capillary beds and possibly even 23DPG benefits. Basically this unit simulates altitude training, where you train at sea level and sleep at altitude. This training is best done by working hard at sea level where there's lots of available O2. This aids your ability to work and train harder and then at night when the body is repairing itself, you suppress that ability by lowering the partial pressure of oxygen, PPO2. This is done either by decreasing atmospheric pressure (think of sherpas in the Himalayas) or by decreasing the O2 percentage below normoxic or 21% O2.
Doc's motive for this is to enhance his spear fishing, as his boxer-like build with hands like 10lb hammers is a very different physique than that desirable for freediving. Nonetheless he's getting good results and is very happy with it. What it would do for athletes like Mandy and Martin is another story and one we haven't had the opportunity to test. These units are quite portable and basically form a tent that fits around your bed. While you sleep a redundant generating unit is calibrating the air inside. Please note, Mandy and Martin won't try this unit while we're here as they need all the recovery time they can get for their dives.
On the slow boat ride out to the wall we take the time to set up the line with predetermined knots where Doc, then Mandy and lastly Martin will be targeting. The plan is for Doc to do his free immersion, then for Mandy to dive 56m constant ballast, then for Martin to dive 83m constant ballast. We agree that we'll start in this order and stagger ourselves using competition timing as we'll have to work this way come record event day. Our safety scuba divers will be reaching depths of 100m+, then ascending to support Mandy's 80m and then Doc's dive. The bottom time for these scuba divers will easily be 30 minutes and, considering the first target is 100m, not an easy dive. That is, if we're synchronized with few delays ... sounds more like competition timing. It is, except this competition has only three competitors.
Doc and I get in the water first. I help coach him through a warm-up pattern that will hopefully become close to his ideal pattern and one that over the next three weeks will help develop compensatory changes. Pretty soon Doc is in his last countdown before his target dive while Mandy is just arriving at the line. A couple of minutes later Doc finishes a solid dive and then Mandy pulls onto the line to start her 5 minute facial immersion. Today the water is incredible. While hanging at 10m I can see the light attached to the bottom plate at 46m. Looking into this deep dark blue, warm mother ocean, the light rays dance 360 degrees and splay themselves outward as if all originates from my eyes. A couple of free immersion dives and one negative later I'm starting Mandy's seven minute countdown.
The previous night we had reviewed the video of Mandy's mono-fin technique to help her adapt. Remember, this is her first real time using a mono-fin outside the pool and she needs to work on less knee and more bum. Zero plus 12 seconds and she's off. Immediately I can see her entry and dolphin kick look 300% better than the day before. As I time and breathe-up on the surface, I hold onto the line to see if I can feel her touch bottom. Soon I leave to meet her at 25m and as I get there about 20m below me I see the Silver Surfer on her way up. The kick looks good, but occasionally a lot of knee bobs in and then I see her consciously correct it. We meet at 25m, the eyes look great, a small smile and a wink from her. No contractions are visible, and the technique's good for the moment. At 15m she drops her arms, a little early but there's an adjustment time to knowing where you are in this water column. Soon we break the surface with pink lips and all. Proper recovery breathing and a great 57.6m in 1:42. Mandy has a small sinus issue that is a little slow but anticipated as she forgot to take her Nasonex this morning. All in all a great training dive. Next is Martin and as I look over he is already starting his facial immersion.
Martin's target today is 83m. This is going to be his third constant ballast target training dive of the year. So far the right ear's been an issue, but seems like it might be getting better. Quickly we're at the seven minute countdown after the warm-up and zero plus seven Martin is on his way. Around 4m down his hand is to his nose, and the body corkscrews as he isn't used to this position (me, this is just a regular day at the office). He compensates wildly until around 10m he's got his ears figured out and hands are both quickly overhead. At zero plus one minute I start my decent to 25m and get there with about 15 seconds before I see Silver Surfer II ascending from depth. Everything looks strong. His kick looks great with his fin(s) :>) He breaks the surface, six recovery breaths, looks at the computer and what do I hear, "Damn, I hung off my lanyard at the bottom and my gauge reads 83m". Wasn't that what he was supposed to do? Yes, but by handing off the lanyard he should have been around 85.6m, so we think his Stinger may be a little off. Anyway, 83m in 2:47 is a great dive minus the sinus, corkscrewing and the gauge accuracy question.
Soon we're hauling the line onto the boat and heading for shore. Danny informs me that weather might be coming in and tomorrow should be OK, but we may end up working out of South Sound the next couple of days after. This will be a welcome location and we're going to plan for some shallow reef dives afterwards. The swim through and the Stag horn coral there are phenomenal.
After we get back to the beach we drive to Sunset house for a quick bite and then off to our abodes for a rest. Rest for some and emails for me, work doesn't stop because you're in the islands! Three hours later it's meal number three and Yoshi Sushi is dishing up some of the best I've tasted in a while. Ten o'clock is lights out for the champions while Tony and I cut footage, compose this log, get pictures together and prep the counterbalance for the continuation of training tomorrow.
Tomorrow's another day with Doc going to 25m free immersion, Mandy to 60-63m free immersion (still to decide how she feels) and Martin to 87m constant ballast.
Don't change your dial!
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