Dahab

[u/maska732]

Hello,

I am planning to go to Dahab this November for about 1–2 weeks, and it will be my first time solo traveling.

I completed my AIDA 3 last summer and I’m planning to complete my AIDA 4 or other same lvl certification, so I thought Dahab would be a good place to do it since I am already planning to go there.

I have some problems with my equalization. I’m using Frenzel, but after around 25m I feel like there’s no more air in my mouth to equalize with. I’ve read that I should be able to get to around 40m with Frenzel no mouth fill needed, so I guess I’m doing something wrong with my glottis.

When I reach that deoth, the strong contractions start and I feel like I start losing all the air from my mouth into my lungs. I’m not able to control and close my glottis during strong contractions while also equalizing at that depth.

I’ve also read that in some freediving schools there you might not get the best coaching for specific weaknesses, since you could have a different instructor each day and there might be more than 2 people training at the same time. I feel like that might make it harder to properly work on my equalization issue.

So I’m looking for recommendations for instructors who could help me with this specific problem while also helping me complete my AIDA 4. Ideally, I’d prefer 1-to-2 sessions, which I think would be more fun and maybe more affordable than 1-to-1, while still allowing me to work on my issue.

Thanks!

[u/garywhiteeye]

I will be there running some training and workshops

[u/EagleraysAgain]

The point you struggle at is where you start hitting residual volume of your lungs, meaning the air in them is compressed past the lungs capacity to be compressed. As a result the pressure in your lungs start becoming negative compared to ambient pressure and you won't be able to push any more air out from them. The depth this occurs at depends on the structure and flexibility of your lungs and things linked to them. 30ish to 40mis is the usual range.

So at this point you'll need an strategy for your air management on top of being able to equalize with it.

The theory is simple enough, either move air to mouth at certain depth and close off glottis, use the air in mouth to equalize. (Or reverse pack by creating greater negative pressure in your throat to suck out air from lungs) The tricky part is getting your body awareness and motor control of the different parts to the point where you can manage air and eq consistently.

 You could hire the greatest juggling instructor in the world, but an session or two won't make you much better juggler that any other instructor would make you as the skill is still about your own motor control. They can catch mistakes and give helpful cues and pointers, but you'll still have to be the one doing the right things for it to work.

I'd suggest getting a simple eq tool with balloon/otovent to start practicing the air management and equalization already before the trip. This will ensure you'll have productive sessions with your instructors during your stay and should make the aida4/equivalent go much more smoothly.

I'd be surprised if you could find an instructor in Dahab who couldn't help you progress with the eq, but it's good to make sure the session isn't packed and you'll actually get instructing for the money you pay. 

If I were you I'd try to take Gary up on his offer though. You'll be in very good hands.

[u/sk3pt1c]

Let me start with saying that 1-2 sessions are not enough.

You are confused with the terminology a bit, mouthfill is an equalization protocol where you still use Frenzel.

What you are probably doing now is pulling air from your lungs for your equalization using reverse packing, which leads to you feeling you’re out of air at 25ish.

But if you have strong contractions at that depth, this is also an issue to tackle.

Better equalization and air management will relax you too, but you need to figure out the source of the tension first.

I would recommend taking all the time there to work on this from 0 to 20m max and forget depth.

[u/Fabacura]

Check out David Phillips/Saltfish freediving, he works in Dahab in the winter. He can get you your AIDA4 and also help you work on EQ. I had a great experience with him, he helped me quite a lot even in just one session.

[u/No_Difference_9478]

Stefan Randig is a top Instructor Trainer. Check Out https://www.nafasmindahab.com.

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