smoking and spear fishing

[ryanberg57]

hey i was wondering how much smoking effects apnea.

[old dave]

No problem providing it's not you. If you do smoke do you have a ashtray on your float,also do you exhale smoke before you submerge

[Alison]

I always used to keep a packet of ciggies in a waterproof bag on my float, well I gave up last summer and my breath hold time went down

[old dave]

I often see people gasping!! for a cigg is that what you mean?the smoke must make the visibility hazy.

[DeepThought]

Fun fact:
When breathing, every ml. of air comes in touch with 300cm² of lung surface area.

Now rethink about inhaling that crap.

I don't really know how it affects freediving.
I guess:
1) Nicotin raises metabolism - bad.
2) Nicotin changes vasoconstriction properties - not sure of to the best or worst.
3) Smoking itself reduces VO2 max - also not sure if it's bad.
4) Reduces Lung tissue flexibility and thuss makes you more prone to lung squeeze at certain depths.
5) High level apnea reduces the body's immune system. Smoking reduces the respiratory immune system. Combine: you're more prone to catching illnesses.
6) Smoking increases mucus production (and an irritable caugh). You might have more problems equalizing.

Anyway, Nicotin is a stupid drug that does nothing to you but makes you dependable on it to feel good because it short circuits the pleasure centers in your brain and makes them work right only with it's presence.

Alison: Caffein is also detrimental to freediving yet when you detox you're doing worse than before (if you really have it bad). A better comparison would be 'breatholding before starting to smoke' and 'breatholding after starting to smoke'. And even then, the more you breathold the more you improve usually, so it's a hard to figure.
Think about it that way: do you think Martin, Mandy, Herbert, Tom, Eric etc. smokes?

EDIT: Forgot, many people say smoking increase CO2 tolerance, which is usually a + unless you can hold your breath till you BO.

EDIT NO.2: Smoking reduces your life expectancy, so it's more probable that you'll have less years to freedive/spearfish in.

[octopus]

I guess smokers are well adapted to live without fresh air...but could they last 8'20" without a fag?

[Huan]

I met an old spearfisherman in Croatia once, excellent spearfisherman and smoked strong Balkan fags like they were going out of style.
It didn't seem to affect him.

[old dave]

Must say in thirty years of Spearfishing i have not come across any smoked fish in the sea maybe the're all around north Wales.

Fished Fishguard area

[Alison]

OI!!!

[xiphiasgladiuse]

micheal
EDIT: Forgot, many people say smoking increase CO2 tolerance, which is usually a + unless you can hold your breath till you BO.

One of my friend smokes everyday,everynight and drinks cheap wine(1bottle is 3 dolars)
he dives around 30 meters to catch big octobus(because big ones always being in deep in winter)he catch a 9 kg octobus by hand in 27 and stayed 3:10 and sell them to cary on his life.we dived together if i were a camera i could make a copy for you i saw him at the bottom like he was in a war with the octobus.it covered him and he was trying to turn head to make it's power block.belive me 9 kg octobus head turn in the water like to bend an iron he is 30 years old and he diving for 20 years and also spearing huge fishes.he says i love deep i fell very well there and i love smoke. i say many times stop smoking stop drinking he do what he believes.i drink but not smoke but i am not as good as him.meanwhile smoking is harmfull i hate it.
why he does not black out if smoke makes BO?

[roy_nexus_6]

if you don't smoke, don't drink and don't have sex ...... you will die healthy ... well, MAYBE healthy.

[old dave]

all this BO! Better ask the girls which deodorant is best (trolley dollies )should know

[Murat]

no sex= being healthy ??? is that "monk" thing?

what is the relation

[Ntrik]

Speaking for myself I had to quit smoking after years as soon as I saw it was affecting my bottom time, overall spearing duration, and minimum intervals between dives. I was useless for about a year or so (violent coughing fits after dives, strong acid reflux) but recovered completely since. On the other hand I have seen heavy smokers that are amazing freedivers and spearos that light up as soon as they get on the boat but usually these people are in the water 2 times a week minimum for years.

[Pocoshower]

There is more info in this article Why Cigarette Smoking and Diving Don't Mix by Dr. Jim Caruso

I quit smoking years ago and feel better now.

Salud