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Freediving Part 2 – Hyperventilation

Posted by in Nugget from Alastair

In Part 1 I briefly explained that the urge to breathe is regulated by a build up of CO2 sensed by the body, rather than an actual lack of oxygen (that the body cannot directly determine). In this post I look at an example of the complex interactions that occur within the body during apnea and what happens if you try to disturb the balance. One of the ways in which a freediver is able to hold his breath for an apparently impossible time (the current record is over 10…read more

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Freediving Part 1

Posted by in Nugget from Alastair

In 2001 I moved to a coastal town in Northern Italy and was instantly captivated by the mystery and majesty of the neoprene clad freedivers that frequent the rocky shoreline in search of the tranquility, beauty and fish that await below the surface. A quick internet search clarified that I was in one of the historical epicenters of the sport, and the waters around Portofino had been used for decades for record attempts. Altavista also brought Luc Besson’s 1988 epic The Big Blue to my attention, and I was instantly…read more

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