HENRIQUE MARQUES

22, rue de Lenningen

L-5411 Canach
+352 621 629 008
[email protected]

FREEDIVING & Spearfishing

“A part of the fortitude of a free diver is to be able to overcome the discomfort from the urge to
breath.”
Being in the present moment.
Gave space to relax to mind and let go of all tension

Quotes for free divers

The power of now is the power of you

The moment you realize you are not present, you are present. Whenever you are able to
observe your mind, you are no longer trapped in it. Another factor has come in, something
that is not of the mind: the witnessing presence.

In surrender you no longer need ego defenses and false masks. You become very simple,
very real. “That’s dangerous!” says the ego “You get hurt. You’ll become vulnerable.”
What the ego doesn’t know, of course, is that only through the letting go of resistance,
through becoming “vulnerable” you can discover you true and essential invulnerability.”

You attract and manifest whatever corresponds to your inner state. So give up waiting as a
state of mind. When you catch yourself slipping into waiting…snap out of it. Come into the
present moment. Just be and enjoy being. If you are present, there is never any need for you
to wait for anything.

Stress is caused by being “here” but wanting to be “there” or being in the present but wanting
to be in the future.

Forgive yourself for not being in peace. The moment you completely accept your non-peace,
your non-peace becomes transmuted into peace. Anything you accept fully will get you there,
will take you into peace.

The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very
destructive. To put it more accurately, it is not so much that you use your mind wrongly- you
usually don’t use it at all. It uses you.

The moment that judgment stops through acceptance of what is, you are free of the mind.

Life is now. There was never a time when your life was not, nor will there ever be.

Wherever you are be there totally.

Henrique MARQUES 1/9

HENRIQUE MARQUES
22, rue de Lenningen
L-5411 Canach
+352 621 629 008
[email protected]

What do you need for Spearfishing?

 A Mask  A weight belts

 A Snorkel  A pole spear
 A pair of fins  A float
 A wetsuit  A float line
 A pair of gloves  A knife

Essential Skills

 Breath hold  Streamlining

 Equalization  Hunting
 Finning  Safety and rescue
 Duck diving

The breath hold journey

A second backup strategy a stronger angle. So pay attention what you feel, Before the
sensation get to strong, or even to uncomfortable go to that second backup a mental firewall.
(Mantra) A SHORT REPETITIVE PHRASE. That phrase should be 3 – 4 seconds long.
Something simple easy to remember. Even better if it means something to you. Like example;
“I am safe, I am strong” or even 1 ,2 ,3 4.

The phrase need to be short and repetitive because when the body-mind are going through a
tough challenge the body and mind like to taste a small sense of victory. Especially if it is a
very hard challenge.

If the mind starts to anticipate, jump into the future; what if? why am I doing this?
Anticipation disconnects us from the present from here.
If so, you go back to the relaxation part or the mantra, that blocks anticipation or emotions.
We keep the mind busy.

At some point the muscles will start contracting soon. Contraction for hiccups are going to be
initially very mild imperceptible almost. Slowly they are getting more intense and more
frequent, and then you decide to breath again.

The most important is the paying attention of every step. By the self-observation is where you
are going to actually find a goal that is going to help you in any challenge you go through
later.

Henrique MARQUES 2/9

HENRIQUE MARQUES
22, rue de Lenningen
L-5411 Canach
+352 621 629 008
[email protected]

How to hold your breath longer

It is not low oxygen but high carbon dioxide that gives someone the urge to breath. So, the
body goes to a different state, the mammalian dive reflex. The need to work against or beside
that reflex. It slows your heart rate down it can drop from 60 to 30 without a problem. A good
dive reflex is going to give you longer breath holds. In the spleen where hemoglobin rich red
core parcels are injected into the bloodstream. A diver that is trained a long time can get a

Henrique MARQUES 3/9

HENRIQUE MARQUES
22, rue de Lenningen
L-5411 Canach
+352 621 629 008
[email protected]

huge injection. This means a much longer breath hold. The reason that the average person
cannot hold a long breath hold is he does not have enough hemoglobin in the blood to carry
this oxygen. The hemoglobin is a protein. It is a protein that helps carry the oxygen around
the body. The restriction of blood to the extremities like arms legs. Train in the pool. Apnea
Walks
Co2 Tables.

How to get more hemoglobin

Dry fuits Vegtabels  Beans

 Dry figs  Beetroot Fruits
 Dry grapes  Green peas  Strawberry
 Apricots  Potatos  Apple
 Dates  Spinach  Orange
 Broccoli  Grenade app
Exercises.

Good Idea to TIME them.

1. Breath hold until you feel like breathing

Relax 2 – 3 minutes
2. Breath hold until you feel decidedly uncomfortable. Find a technique for relaxation
everyone is different so not every technique works for every person.
Relax 2 – 3 minutes
3. Keep holding your breath and just check out when the contractions come in.

Do this Exercise MAX.2-3 times a week NO MORE THEN THAT.

A blackout is a failure!
How much weight do you need?
In freediving you use the minimal amount of weight that we need to go down in a technically
correct form.

Formula. Neutrally buoyant at 10 meters.

Buoyancy Check: Line Diving at 10 meters, hang there.

Forms of weights.

Square shaped 0,50kg / 1,00kg / 2,00kg

Neck weights belts. You can make the weight you want.

Henrique MARQUES 4/9

HENRIQUE MARQUES
22, rue de Lenningen
L-5411 Canach
+352 621 629 008
[email protected]

Weight vest: Doing the duck dive is gone be easier, less energy, best for spearfishing.

FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE.

Body composition
A person with more muscle and less fats will sink faster. If you sink faster that means that you
are more negatively buoyance.
A person with more fat is more positively buoyant.

Wetsuit
If you dive without a wetsuit, you will sink faster. A wetsuit makes you more positively
buoyant. So thicker the wetsuit, the more positively buoyant you are. Difference between a
1mm and a 5mm can be huge.

The Amount of Air

The inhalation in your final breath.
Spearfishermen tend to use more weights to stay down easier

Things not to do as a beginner as a free diver.

 Mouthfill.  PACKING
 FRC / RV  REVERSE PACKING

How to not hold your breath longer?

!!Do not hyperventilate! It happened way to easy. CO2 is dropping, so no urge to
breath!!

FINAL BREATH?
Before you take your final breath you stay 2-3 minutes relaxing “Breath up” get into the zone.
Breath very lightly, “Tidal breathing” it’s a small inhalation, a small exhalation.

Final breath is a 2-Part breath, using the belly and the chest.

Body position
Don’t get into a banana shape it puts stress into the body. Look straight not up (facing down)
it’s counterproductive, look straight, focus on the moment. Not what is not there yet.

Finning technique

Kick from the hip. Keep your legs straight and just have just a little bent on your knee.

Henrique MARQUES 5/9

HENRIQUE MARQUES
22, rue de Lenningen
L-5411 Canach
+352 621 629 008
[email protected]

NO FINS techniques

Arm Strock (Frog hop) or (Keyhole)

You extend the arms and bring them back to the sides of your body so this is the initial
position the arms are extended above the head one hand above the other, the open the
palms as well so we can grab some water, with a little bent in the elbow, at 90 degrees, we’re
going to bring the hands back towards the body and from here on we’re going to do a triceps
extension, and bring the hand next to the body.( a triceps extension) finally we let the palms a
little bit.

Hands Forward (Minimize drag)

Bring the hands inwards, Slide them aside from the chest and the head, and above your
head. Keep the hands relax. As the same time you start bringing back your hands forward
you start your leg kick.

Leg Kick
Start the kick by bringing your heels towards your bottom the soles of your feet facing up.
Your knees should be a little over hip width apart, facing down and slightly out. Turn your feet
and knees out and push backwards in a circular motion, keeping your feet flat( pointed)
rather than loose. The kick finishes with your legs stretched out together and your feet pointed
and streamlined.

Coordination
Arms, Legs, Arms, Legs, You start with a arm strock, you glide until you feel the glide almost
comes to an end, you not going to stop at 100%. At the same time that open your legs, you
bring your arms forwards. When you stretch you should finish the leg kick. When the hands
are at the chest area, you start bringing the knees towards the butt.

MAXIMASE MOMENTUM by MINIMIZING FREQUENCY OF STROKES

Finding the sweet spot. Keep looking at the floor.

Equalization
VALSAVA Technique; Blowing out of the nose with the abdominal muscles, pinching the
nose.
Aire comes from the lungs to the ears to equalize.

FRENZEL Technique; Abdominal muscles are not going to move. Use the back of your
tongue as a piston, to push air towards your ears, to check if you’re doing it right your larynx
should move.

Henrique MARQUES 6/9

HENRIQUE MARQUES
22, rue de Lenningen
L-5411 Canach
+352 621 629 008
[email protected]

ELITE FREEDIVERS HANDFREE EQUALIZATION. (Swallowing) Making a little saliva in the

throat and then swallow.

MOUTHFILL; Around 20 Meter.(Advance)

RESIDUAL VOLUME (rv) ; The volume that remains in the lungs after you cannot get any
more air out and that usually occurs between 30 - 40 Meters. After a forceful exhalation.

It’s a great training tool for advance divers, with FRC, simulates a deeper dive.

Henrique MARQUES 7/9

HENRIQUE MARQUES
22, rue de Lenningen
L-5411 Canach
+352 621 629 008
[email protected]

FRC (functional residual capacity), After taking a normal breath in, a passive exhalation.

Recovery breath
Get in as much oxygen to replenish your system with oxygen; Breath with mouth, then (no
exhaling) but blow out, but with a certain rhythm.

Henrique MARQUES 8/9

HENRIQUE MARQUES
22, rue de Lenningen
L-5411 Canach
+352 621 629 008
[email protected]

PACKING (Glossopharyngeal insufflation)

Getting more Air in in the final breath, you compress more air into the lungs by sipping air.
By compressing more air the heart rate goes up, so you’re less relaxed. You get more
buoyant. You don’t really need to pack air.

REVERSE PACKING
Getting more air out of the lungs for equalizing.

How to Duck Dive?

Equalize before duck diving, kick forward a little bit. Then we are extending our hands out
aiming them down towards the bottom of the reef. Pulling the Chin down, bring the hips
towards your shoulders, like a half crunch, raise left or right leg up, which will then send most
of your momentum down. Do one big pull, slide right or left hand up to equalize. Make sure
you are not looking up or down. After the fins are below the water you take 4-5 nice strong
straight legged kicks.

Learning how to deal with the sensation with discomfort. Before the discomfort there was a
change in the body.

MEDITATION FOR FREEDIVING

Mastering Relaxation takes years. (Master the Inner-Game)
Relaxation is a skill

Visualization techniques
Visualizing your dive is probably the most powerful meditation technique. But also training
technique. If the mind is prepared, then only the body needs to follow.
You go every step of the way of the dive in your mind.

Happy Moment, Happy Place, go to the place where you find yourself most happy. Don’t force
the mind to one place.

Expressing Gratitude

Body Scan techniques

In your mind you go to every body part and try to release tension.

Stretching for Freediving

Henrique MARQUES 9/9