how deep with a mouthful

trullalla · #1 July 22nd, 2005

hi all,

i was doing some experiments the last days, and got to some interesting depths in a mouthful of air. i was wondering how deep can other people go on a single mouthful (starting form the surface), and with which mask they do it.

thanks for replies.

linda

Alun · #2 July 22nd, 2005

hi Linda

i think it depends on how much mask squeeze you are willing to accept. personally i don't like to let my mask squeeze much at all. i've done about 20m with the Sphera from the surface. it mostly depends on how much air you can get into your mouth. you can get extra air into your throat if you look up.

trullalla · #3 July 23rd, 2005

hi alun,

well, i can get down to 30 with the sphera and the pressure is not so bad.
the thing is that i did 24 with a mouthful, with the minima (i usually equalize it at 10 the first time). i usually do 15+ with a reverse pack. now i was wondering: is this average? to me seems a lot. could that depend on the size of the sinuses? or do i have such a big mouth (like some funny guy suggested!)?
what are the other guys doing?
would be nice to know.

are you going to come in october then? i'm going to buy a long long rope just for the occasion!

linda

Alun · #4 July 23rd, 2005

hi Linda,

that's very good! much better than average i would say. it sounds like you should be able to equalize very deep. i don't think i'll be able to head over there this year, but maybe next year!
alun

trullalla · #5 July 25th, 2005

alun,

i think i misunderstood something you said: when you wrote you do 20 with the sphera, you mean in a mouthful, or that you go to 20 without equalizing the mask?
when i said i do 30 with the sphera i meant i can go to 30 without equalizing it, but that is not in a mouthful. i did 24 in a mouthful, but with the minima.

hey, what am i doing now with a 92 mt rope if you don't come???

anybody else have some numbers to offer about my original question?

cheers

linda

Alun · #6 July 25th, 2005

hi Linda

i mean i've been to 20m with one mouthfull from the surface. i probably equalise the mask once or twice on the way down. i could never go to 20m without equalising the Sphera... i could maybe get to 6-7m before it gets uncomfortable... i don't like to let my mask squeeze. i try to equalise it fully if at all possible.

30m without equalising the mask is very deep. i'm wondering whether you have air coming through your tear ducts. i heard that Herbert Nitsch gets this. for some people if you equalise quite hard air comes through into your mask, so it equalises or partially equalises without you having to release the nose. maybe you could test this out... put your head under water without a mask, and equalise. ask Roland if he can see any air coming out from near your eyes...

i think you'll need the 92m rope yourself before too long!

alun

efattah · #7 July 25th, 2005

For me, I have done 40m without equalizing the sphera, or 30.5m with one mouthful from the surface, also not equalizing the sphera. I don't have air coming out of my tearducts because if I did, then air bubbles would enter my fluid goggles, which doesn't happen.

cp1204 · #8 July 26th, 2005

Is it a big problem to equalize early? Air you use for equalisation isn't wasted! When you equalize on 10m mark there is mask_internal_volume*2 liters of air in mask. I use it on my way back to surface - air under mask begin to expand and you can breath it again! There is sufficient amount of O2 and not too much CO2 there because it's about 10-20 seconds when you equalize first. My 2 cents: equalize when you want to- the air isn't wasted anyway.
[edit] Sorry. English is not my native language, as you may have noticed. By equalisation here i mean equalizing water pressure and pressure of air under mask, not in middle ear.[/edit]

trullalla · #9 July 29th, 2005

hi all,

eric, thanks for the reply. have you tried to see how deep you can get in a mouthful with the goggles? that should be the same depth you do with the sphera then.

alun,
i've been thinking about it, and experimenting a bit more, and now i have the doubt that i actually equalize the sphera without noticing it. the sphera nose is much stiffer than in the minima and so maybe i'm not pinching it properly and some air is escaping. and maybe i don't notice it because it's just a tiny bit at a time.
the thing is that i'm not very used to the sphera (i like the minima much better, more confortable and soft) and only today for the first time i could equal my pb using the sphera! before that my deepest dives where with minima, and every time i dived with sphera i run out of air a lot earlier.

cheers,
linda

Alun · #10 July 29th, 2005

Linda
you should get yourself a pair of fluid goggles! i tried them a couple of times in Dahab and the water stung my eyes quite badly but had i persisted then i think i would have got used to it. filling them with saline is better but it can be very tricky.
goggles could potentially add 10m or more to your maximum equalisation depth. it doesnt sound like you really need them now but they may give you a boost as you go even deeper. next time i visit Dahab i'll do my best to use goggles instead of my mask, so that equalisation becomes less of an issue.

immerlustig · #11 July 30th, 2005

and i wonder if anyone ever tried cw without a mask at all.

roland

trullalla · #12 July 30th, 2005

hey alun, fluid goggles would be nice, but i just invested a bit of money for my new rubbery wetsuit, and for seb course, so i don't see it happening soon!
but today i was experimenting again, and i got very close to my pb with no packing at all, and still had air to spare. the descent was much more relaxing due to less buoyancy, and i couldn't notice any difference in the ascent.
so for the moment i'm happy enough!
p.s. did you know we will have a comp here in november?
cheers,
linda

pat fish · #13 July 31st, 2005

Hi Linda and Roland

During the Coupe des Calanques in Marseille there were some athletes diving CW without mask. Like Joe who did a solid 48m CW dive on just a nose clip. Check out this picture:

cc_d1_042.jpg

warm greetings to Dahab
Pat

efattah · #14 July 31st, 2005

Brett LeMaster did his 81m WR in CW with no mask, just a nose clip.

However this is a risky method. On his first attempt he crashed into the scuba diver at the bottom (no lanyard) and wasted so much energy that he had a bad blackout on the ascent.

Alun · #15 July 31st, 2005

i think Roland meant with no mask, goggles or noseclip...

i'm sure someone must have dived deep this way. i dont know of anyone myself though. i'd like to try it out next time i'm in Dahab (wet equalisation). i think going down would be easy enough, but coming up might be tricky!

Roland, Linda... when are you leaving Dahab this winter? sometime Nov? Dec? there's a reasonable chance i could head over sometime in late Nov/ early Dec.

DeeperBlue