Can we dive deeper?

Open Water Divers* are trained to dive to a maximum depth of 18 metres/60 feet. Can Open Water Divers dive deeper than 18 metres/60 feet? Frankly, yes. There are no scuba police out there to stop you (although some dive operations set depth limits and may have policies to deter divers from going beyond those limits).

How can I improve my free dive?

The key to advancing and lasting longer underwater is to get used to taking slow, deep breaths. Breathe in for five seconds, and then breathe out for 10-15 seconds. Make sure that you breathe out for much longer than you breathe in to avoid hyperventilating. When you have this breathing pattern down, record your pulse.

How do you equalize your ears underwater?

The key to safe equalizing is to get air to flow from the throat to the ears through the opening of the normally closed eustachian tubes. Most divers are taught to equalize by pinching their nose and blowing gently. This gentle pressure opens the eustachian tube and flows air gently to the middle ear.

Do free divers have to equalize?

Equalizing Our Mask When We Freedive. If you wear a mask when freediving then you will need to equalize the airspace within it. If you fail to equalize your mask, then the capillaries in your eyes will burst due to the negative pressure. To equalize the mask, simply exhale a small amount of air from your nose into it.

How can freedivers go so deep?

So how is it that freedivers are able to dive so deep and last so long without taking a breath? One reason is the diving reflex, an evolutionary adaptation that enables seals and dolphins to dive deep and stay underwater for extended periods by slowing and/or shutting down some physiological functions.

What are the odds of dying while scuba diving?

The average diver The average diver’s extra mortality is fairly low, ranging from 0.5 to 1.2 deaths per 100,000 dives. Table 1 aims to put the diving risk into perspective by comparing it with other activities. From these numbers, it seems that scuba diving is not a particularly dangerous sport – which is true!