Freediving Safety

By Walter Steyn (16/1/2005)

Freediving should always be done with a competent buddy for safety. It is even more critical when performing apnea or competition style freediving - diving for depth, breatholds or dynamics in the pool. With any type of freediving there is a risk if you hold your breath too long that you can lose consciousness which is called a blackout. The main thing in a blackout situation is to get the persons airway out of the water as soon as possible. In most cases the diver will then come to and start breathing on their own within 5-10 seconds. Without a buddy to help the diver will not be so lucky if the airway remains underwater. A summary of the main points :-


- NEVER dive alone, always dive with a buddy
- If your buddy does black-out, get their airway out of the water immediately
- Remove their mask, support the head
- Say their name, encourage them to breathe
- If they don't come to and start breathing within 20 seconds their larynx may be shut,
use 1-2 effective breaths of mouth to mouth resuscitation to re-open the airway.
- After a BO the diver should cease diving for the day and seek medical attention.

Blackout rescue

The brain needs oxygen to stay conscious. If a diver stays too long underwater the oxygen level gets too low then the brain simply shuts down.This is commonly refered to as SWB - Shallow Water Blackout. A more acurate term would be Hypoxic blackout or just blackout (BO). A buddy must stay alert and watch out for signs of blackout. These include the diver releasing air, loss of direction, going limp not moving, erratic movement/seizures, failing to resond to a signal and eyes rollling back. The main thing in a BO situation is to get the person's airway out of the water immediately. If a diver suffers a blackout underwater the safety diver should bring the diver up whilst lightly supporting the head and closing the jaw. This further protects the airway to prevent water getting into the lungs. You can support the body by clamping the forearms down onto the divers chest. See photo on the left - Blackout rescue.

On reaching the surface you need to support the persons head, remove their mask, blow across the face & eyes, talk to them, say their name and encourage them to breathe. We have sensors around the eyes, so removing the mask and blowing air across the eyes & face is a stimulation for the body to breathe When someone blacks out you shouldn't shake them, slap them in the face or shout at them. The brain has shutdown, and is waiting for a safe moment, ie being in air and not water, to start breathing again. Shouting, getting slapped in the face may feel less safe so doesn't help the person coming round. In any case it doesn't make the person feel good when they regain consciousness. In a BO the first thing to go and the last thing to come back is your vision, the hearing is the last thing to go, so you can usually hear someone before you see them. Also saying the persons name like "Ok Dave, breathe now" can encourage them to come to. A bit like when someone is sleeping, they will still repsond to their own name.

On the Surface
Be aware that in a bad black-out, particularly if it occurred underwater, the persons Larynx may close shut as a safety mechanism. While this prevents water getting into the lungs, it may stop the person from being able to take a breath on the surface. This takes positive pressure to over come, ie mouth to mouth resuscitation. You can actually feel it "pop" open. In most cases it usually only takes a single breath and the person should recover. But you must make sure the breath gets in. After a BO, if the person does not start breathing on their own within 20 seconds, start mouth to mouth resuscitation. Doing a first aid course is a good idea to learn how to do this. If the diver has gotten water into the lungs it's very important to seek medical attention. Sea water in the lungs can cause fluid buildup and lead to secondary drowning.
Diving on a line

For depth diving the safety diver follows the diver up the last 10m. See photo on top of page. This is the danger zone of when a blackout is most likely to occur. Even when diver is up the buddy must keep watching the diver since it is still possible to blackout several seconds after surfacing. Compettitive freedivers use a rope or line when training for deep diving. This usually consits of a float on the surface with the line tied on and a weight on the end of a line. See photo left. The diver follows the line all the way down and up. This makes sure that the safety diver knows exactly where the diver comes up. It also gives the diver the option of pulling themselves up by rope in case they cramp up or loose a fin. In competitions the diver also wears a lanyard attached to the wrist or belt with a short leash and carabiner which clips onto the line. This ensures the diver doesn't lose the rope in bad vis or with a current. For static breatholds in a pool, safety divers use a tapping system to check on the diver. The safety diver taps the diver on the shoulder at set intervals. The diver must give an ok signal back or the safety diver will pull them out of the water.

 

 

Freediving can be a potentially dangerous sport if done without proper instruction and use of correct buddy procedures. For safety it is essential that all freediving must be done with a competent buddy. The content on this site should not be used as instruction, it is only there for general information on the sport of freediving. No written information is a substitute for formal training. If you are interested in taking up freediving it is strongly suggested to do a freediving course or learn from an experienced freediver. The reader assumes all responsibility and risk for the use of the materials on this site. Remember to always dive with a buddy.