Big chat with final year, mechanical engineering student Duncan Henderson who has spent way too long geeking out on spearguns – you’ll see what I mean. We chat shaft length, diameter preferences, rubber diameter (the force triangle) along with common speargun issues. Duncan also relives three terrible poo stories and a memorable Yellowtail Kingfish. Enjoy!
28-day Freediving Transformation. Want to increase your bottom time? Want to lower your comfortable operating depth? Ā Want to increase your breath hold? In 4 weeks you can transform your physiology to improve your performance as a freediver. Ā Learn the proven strategies competitive freedivers use to strengthen their performance.
Equalization Masterclass. Ā If you are freediver who struggles to equalize your ears in the 15-30 ft range this course is the answer. 14 videos discuss every equalizing problem and coach you through the difficulty. Say goodbye to Valsalva and hello to Frenzal and make equalizing easy.
Tuesday Ted Talks Freediving. 19 one hour live Instagram episodes where I discuss a variety of freediving topics and answer peoples question live on Instagram.
Free online courses ā How to take a 20-30% bigger breath and how to make the mammalian dive reflex work for you. www.FreedivingSafety.comĀ ā Free online safety resource.
Since I started freediving and spearfishing I have always watched the videos of people diving deep in awe. Like a form of hypnotism, there was something about it that really drew me in.
At the time of writing this article I have been diving for exactly 2.5 years. When I started I hit the ground running and had lots of passion and enthusiasm, matched with very little skill and know how. If you were to ask the guys at Club Spearfish about me when I first started, they wouldnāt hesitate to tell you that I struggled to dive to 3 meters, and hold my breath for longer than 15 seconds. At the time I would leave comments on youtube videos and pm peoples instagrams, just to ask them how they learnt to dive so deep, and how long it took them to get there.
Like most of the newer generation I wanted all these skills yesterday and unfortunately I didnāt get any proper responses or knowledge passed down. So I felt it was only right to help and tell my story, for those who wish to learn to dive deeper.
This is how in the span of one year I went from being a 10 meter diver, to being able to effortlessly dive to 38 meters.
Before I continue, I highly urge people to do a freediving course. To help learn proper basic techniques such as the correct way to prepare for a dive, finning, equalisation, as well as what hyperventilation really is, and the science and reasons behind why people suffer from shallow water black outs and LMCās.
I went to school
The real start to diving deeper than 10 meters (33 feet) was to go and learn from one of the best in the industry, Lucas Handley who owns and runs The Underwater Academy. Not only is Lucas a really approachable teacher, heās also extremely knowledgeable in everything freediving and spearfishing and lets his skills do the talking.
After doing my Aida level 2 course and getting to 20 meters (66 feet), I then took my new found knowledge and skills and applied them to train for two different trips to the remote Komodo Islands of Indonesia.
The first trip was for my Aida 3 and to learn to dive to 30 meters (98 feet), and then the second was to do my Aida 4 to hit 38 meters (124 feet).
The thing I found myself geeking out on the most, was the science behind everything. What triggers your Mammalian dive reflex/response, What is happening to your body as you start to dive deeper, and what risks you encounter such as Dalton’s law when surfacing.
Having all this knowledge helped set aside any fears or doubts that I had, as it turned things like the āmagical reflex humans haveā into a more detailed and defined reason.
Training for depthĀ
Unfortunately training for depth in Victoria isnāt easy. A mixture of cold waters (reaching as low as 9 degrees in winter) meaning you are sometimes diving in a 7mm suit, having really bad vis, or just needing a boat to get out to the places that have depth (which also hold a lot of current too).
Although it doesnāt completely replicate what your body goes through at depth, I find pool training is the next best thing. I would organise regular pool seasons with my mates, with about 2 a week.
Lots of different exercises to keep things interesting, from co2 tables, games of cat and mouse, or even swimming 25 meters and doing hangs at the other end.
This saw a huge improvement in all of us training and before you knew it I could do 100m dynamics effortlessly.
(Everyone who was doing the pool training had done a freediving course prior, and knew proper pre dive techniques, recovery breathing, and buddy rescuing and protocol).
If you donāt have access to a pool in your area, or are limited to dive buddies, you can also do dry training such as apnea walks, or dry static tables).
Outside of the pool I would set aside 15-20 minutes every other day to stretch out my body from head to toe, as well as in the lead up to diving past 30 meters doing some advanced diaphragm and lung stretches. (These advanced stretches should be shown to you by an instructor as even on dry land you can do serious damage to your lungs).
Listen to your body and donāt push it
Free diving is about self awareness and never about the numbers. When diving deep there are many serious risks involved, like sinus squeeze, perforated ear drums, or even lung barotrauma. All of this can be avoided by listening to your body, and not rushing to get the numbers.
The pressures and changes your body is experiencing at depth is very taxing and at the start will often leave you both mentally and physically exhausted after just a few deep dives.
When I first dove to 30 meters I eagerly thought to myself I could easily go deeper. Fast forward a few months with more advanced training, and after I dove to 38 meters I was wrecked. The atmospheric pressure on my body from diving 8 meters deeper was something I wouldnāt have thought of, and my body needed time to adjust. Safe to say if a few months prior I had eagerly gone deeper as part of me wanted to, I could have potentially done some damage.
You have to allow your body time to adjust to the depth, as well as improving new skills such as a new way to equalise past 30 meters. This doesn’t mean weeks and days, but months and sometimes years. Remember the depths of the ocean will always be there, so best to explore them when your body is ready for it.
The big secret to diving deeper and a longer breath hold
I remember always wondering what the big secret was to diving deep and a longer breath hold. And while some things play their part like proper technique, the big secret is simply relaxation.
Despite being taught this in my Aida 2, it really took a while before it sunk in and I understood it. Relaxation is many things, from relaxing your muscles from head to toe and making sure no muscle is using up energy when its not needed (the neck and back in particular). The other is relaxation of the mind and being able to control your thoughts, like giving your mind certain tasks to help keep it from wondering and thinking negative thoughts. The more you dive and train, the more you will find yourself (in a safe manner of course) becoming more comfortable with the symptoms of co2, which in turn will help you relax more as you have a deeper understanding that what you are feeling is normal and natural.
The biggest way I find myself to be more relaxed while out spearfishing, especially at depth is to have a dive buddy who not only do I communicate with clearly by letting him know what my plan is on my dive, how deep and how long I think I am going down for, But also someone who has put my safety first by doing a freediving course themselves. Knowing your buddy can spot the first signs anything goes wrong, and (touch wood I hope it never happens) rescue me if I were to have a shallow water black out when coming to the surface, or even an LMC whilst on the surface.
My final take on learning to dive deeper
The road to 40 meters is a lot of fun and I have made some great friends along the way. If I could go back and tell myself anything at all about diving deep, it would be that I would get there eventually, and the path I took was the right one for myself.
Iāve always thought that if I could freedive to āxā depth, then I could comfortably spear 10m shallower and I personally find this to be spot on, as I am now extremely comfortable being able to hunt at 30m.
My next trip to do some depth is coming up in November, and at the start of the year I was planning on reaching 50 meters, but after everything I have learned, especially from my last trip. I know I will be happy even if I only add on an extra 2 meters depth, as I know my body will need time to adapt, plus the depths of the ocean will always be there.
If I have missed over anything you would like to know about, feel free to contact me on my social media @svenjamin_franklin on instagram and I will be more than happy to answer any of your questions the best that I can.
Also if your in the Sydney, Melbourne or Perth area and want to follow a similar path then check out https://www.theunderwateracademy.com/ or on their instagram account @theunderwateracademy
BIG chat with YouTube Spearfishing superstar Daniel Mann:) This episode is a huge deep dive into making spearfishing videos with GoPros.We chat the most effective settings to pump into your GoPro, editing system and thought process including which programs you can use. Sprinkled throughout this chat is a tonne of tips and value for the aspiring film-maker. Below are important time event stamps as well as products, videos and other resources shared in this chat. Enjoy! and cheers to Dan for the 2 hour effort and edit!
28-day Freediving Transformation. Want to increase your bottom time? Want to lower your comfortable operating depth? Ā Want to increase your breath hold? In 4 weeks you can transform your physiology to improve your performance as a freediver. Ā Learn the proven strategies competitive freedivers use to strengthen their performance.
Equalization Masterclass. Ā If you are freediver who struggles to equalize your ears in the 15-30 ft range this course is the answer. 14 videos discuss every equalizing problem and coach you through the difficulty. Say goodbye to Valsalva and hello to Frenzal and make equalizing easy.
Tuesday Ted Talks Freediving. 19 one hour live Instagram episodes where I discuss a variety of freediving topics and answer peoples question live on Instagram.
Free online courses ā How to take a 20-30% bigger breath and how to make the mammalian dive reflex work for you. www.FreedivingSafety.comĀ ā Free online safety resource.
This is a Q&A with veteran spearo Trevor Ketchion focusing on boating reconnaissance for spearfishing. Finding your own unique fishy locations to mark on your GPS is something every spearo with a boat wants to do. Hammering the same old spots is not a smart strategy as you don’t catch as many fish or develop skills to find fish for yourself. If you are ready to learn some new skills then tune in and listen to Trevor lay out some actionable tips:)
28-day Freediving Transformation. Want to increase your bottom time? Want to lower your comfortable operating depth? Ā Want to increase your breath hold? In 4 weeks you can transform your physiology to improve your performance as a freediver. Ā Learn the proven strategies competitive freedivers use to strengthen their performance.
Equalization Masterclass. Ā If you are freediver who struggles to equalize your ears in the 15-30 ft range this course is the answer. 14 videos discuss every equalizing problem and coach you through the difficulty. Say goodbye to Valsalva and hello to Frenzal and make equalizing easy.
Tuesday Ted Talks Freediving. 19 one hour live Instagram episodes where I discuss a variety of freediving topics and answer peoples question live on Instagram.
Free online courses ā How to take a 20-30% bigger breath and how to make the mammalian dive reflex work for you. www.FreedivingSafety.comĀ ā Free online safety resource.
Have you ever been stuck, frozen for a few seconds (which felt like hours), paralyzed and unable to take action? This is one example of heightened anxiety that I can relate to and maybe it’s you too. The good news is that Tim Kavermann joins me in this episode to share techniques and strategies to deal with anxiety. This interview is candid, eye-opening and my personal fav, highly actionable. Listen and subscribe!
42:30 Favourite species to hunt spearfishing and how to hunt them effectively | Snapper
47:00 Veterans Vault | How Spearfishing Can Help You Overcome Anxiety
Spearfishing can be a huge trigger for fear and anxiety.
However, Tim believes that the situations he has encountered while spearfishing have been the key to learning and understanding anxiety triggers and then developing and employing strategies and techniques to overcome it. His idea is not to avoid discomfort but to embrace it and try to use the situations as opportunities to heal, grow and overcome anxiety. Here are a few of the key ideas and points;
GET COMFORTABLE WITH THE UNCOMFORTABLE
Accept anxiety, learn from it and if needed get help to take its power away
Don’t fight it, sit with it and learn to move forward anyway
Learn breathing techniques to relax on the surface and reduce fear and anxiety
Being in stressful situations can help you overcome long standing beliefs
Relaxing in situations that most people (even those who don’t have anxiety) would panic in
Turn fear into curiosity – sharks/current/rough seas. Ground yourself in the moment by paying attention to the details.
Fight or flight – there is no flight out at sea.
Prepare to not be prepared
Relax and enjoy – surface intervals- Ā find what works for you.
Speak up about that things that deeply affect you – but it falls on you to make change
If it helps control depression and anxiety even a small amount, it’s worth sharing! This article has information about research on the relationship between Turmeric and Depression.
70:50 Dive Watch Conversation
74:25 Spearo Q&A
Could you describe what the spearfishing experience means to you in one sentence?
It has given me deep confidence within myself and shown me what I am truly capable of mentally and physically.
What is the single best piece of advice you have ever been given for spearfishing?
Slow down and take your time, dive within your limits
Who has been the most influential person or people in your spearfishing?
My friends, these are guys whoāve been diving a very long time, and took the time to share their passion with me.
If you could go back in time to when you were just starting spearfishing and give yourself some advice, what would you say?
Stop overthinking it Ā – stop trying to control everything and every situation, roll with it.
During your 1 years spearfishing what is the biggest lesson you’ve learned?
To be comfortable in situations that are well outside my comfort zone
What current challenges do you face in your spearfishing and how are you approaching them?
The biggest one is still the anxious tendancy to overthink, overplan, get panicked. Rather than let it take hold of the day I now learned tools to deal with it. – Breathing techniques
Mindfulness
Take a break and reset
Move spots
Meds for seasickness
Donāt spend a week planning
SLOW DOWN
Who is the best person to go spearfishing with and why?
My good mates! I feel calmer with them, I know they have my back, the take the time to teach me new things, then know the good places to get in the water š most of all we all share the same passion and a common goal – could possible touch here on the business we are setting up.
What would be your fish of a lifetime?
6 monts ago I jsut wanted a huge snapper of kingi, I had set my comfort zone at what I was doing here in NZ – After cuvier and being in the big open sea in a more exposed environtment I really want to go further a field – ultimate fish for me would be a big doggy, they just look like they would put up one hell of a fight (i say this now but in the moment I would be peaking out!) haha id also really like a mahi mahi I think they look awesome and I ate one in raro once, it was amazing.
What is the spearfishing destination that you would most like to go to?
Next I would like to go to Raro I think this would be a good step into some difference species and diving. Id also really like to go to Bali to do the deep week free diving course. Id also like to go to the Three Kings.
Spearing MagazineĀ Subscribe to the best spearfishing magazine in the world. Email jeromy@spearingmagazine.com for a super deal for downunder spearos (Australia/New Zealand/South Africa)
Penetrator Fins Use the code noobspearo to save $20 on the full Penetrator Spearfishing Fin RangeĀ here. Check out the latest in spearfishing fin technology
28-day Freediving Transformation. Want to increase your bottom time? Want to lower your comfortable operating depth? Ā Want to increase your breath hold? In 4 weeks you can transform your physiology to improve your performance as a freediver. Ā Learn the proven strategies competitive freedivers use to strengthen their performance.
Make you equalization problems a thing of the past. Ā If you are freediver who struggles to equalize your ears in the 15-30 ft range this course is the answer. Iāve taught over 500 people to equalize for freediving via my Ā one on one Skype sessions. Iāve taken that method and turning in into an online course with over 14 videos discussing every equalization problem Iāve ever encountered.
Tuesday Ted Talks Freediving. 19 one hour live Instagram episodes where I discuss a variety of freediving topics and answer peoples question live on Instagram.
Free online courses ā How to take a 20-30 bigger breath and Ā learn how to make the mammalian dive reflex work for you. www.FreedivingSafety.comĀ ā Free online safety resource.
Interview with Ted Harty | Freedivesafety.com Launch
Duckdiving tips, a dive day fatigue elimination hack and 3 compelling reasons to dive with a buddy!
As usual this chat with Ted is packed with insights and tips to improve your spearfishing. Today is also the launch of freedivingsafety.com which is a FREE freedive safety course for spearos that you get rewarded for completing! If you complete the course, you will get an email chock-full of equipment and merchandise discount codes and some freebies.
The video training and example blackout is essential viewing for every spearo. Listen in!
3:30 freedivingsafety.com Launch. A free freediving safety course with instructional videos, blackout video example and a quiz. If you complete the course and quiz, you will get an email with a whole bunch of discount codes for spearfishing equipment, merchandise and even 10 Tips to Become a Better Spearo PDF for free.
10:00 Bulletproof Buddy Protocol | How to actually stick with your buddy in the water. Check out Ted Hartys first interview here.
16:45 3 Compelling Reasons to Dive with a Buddy
24:30 Taking new guys out. Staying quiet and getting your duckdive right
32:05 Working on one facet of your spearfishing at a time
44:00 Reduce Fatigue and make your lady happy EVEN after a full day diving – take Endurox (find it on Amazon here)
Ted swears that Endurox reduces dive day fatigue and allow him to enjoy his evening after 100’s of dives.
Ted Harty is one of the most influential spearfishing and freediving educators on the planet and last year he received a special award for his efforts. With the $2000 prize money he has built this free freediving safety course! Spread the word:)
Noob Spearo Partners + some spearfishing discounts
Spearing MagazineĀ Subscribe to the best spearfishing magazine in the world. Email jeromy@spearingmagazine.com for a super deal for downunder spearos (Australia/New Zealand/South Africa)
Penetrator Fins Use the code noobspearo to save $20 on the full Penetrator Spearfishing Fin RangeĀ here. Check out the latest in spearfishing fin technology
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking āAcceptā, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Links Mentioned
Links Mentioned
