419 Dive Log Australasia AUGUST 2026

gradually become familiar instead of frightening and your tolerance to the effects of CO2 in creases. People often ask how I can comfortably hold my breath for around four minutes. They usually as sume I must have enormous lungs or I do end less hours of cardio. I don’t and I do not. What I have is years of prac tising relaxation. Yes, flexibility through the rib cage improves. Yes, breathing technique matters. But neither compares to staying calm. A relaxed diver uses dramatically less oxygen than an anx ious one. That’s why you’ll often see experienced freedivers floating almost motionless before a dive. Before I start a dive the goal is to be so relaxed that I could fall asleep. Safety always comes first Despite how relaxing Freediving can become, it’s important to remember that breath-hold diving does come with risks. As a rule of thumb, never practise breath-holding alone in the water. Never hyperventilate before a dive. Always dive with a trained buddy using the one-up, one-down sys tem, and learn proper safety and rescue tech

niques through a recognised Freediving course before pushing your limits. More than holding your breath These days, I rarely think about my breath-hold time. That’s no longer what draws me back into the water. What keeps me returning is something much harder to measure. The stillness. The peace. The feeling of becom ing part of the underwater world rather than simply visiting it. The quieter we become, the more the ocean seems willing to share. And per haps that’s the greatest lesson Freediving has to offer—not just beneath the surface, but in every day life as well. Sometimes the secret isn’t trying harder. Sometimes it’s simply learning to relax. Shop: Unit 3/1 Erina Road, Huskisson NSW 2540 Web: www.woebegone.com.au Email: info@woebegone.com.au Phone: 0423 981 163 One ocean, endless ways to explore. Dylan and Lara Boag Explore- Learn- Protect

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DIVE LOG Australasia #419- August’ 26

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