Who Has William Trubridge Asked For Advice
In a recent Q&A with William Trubridge, an interesting question popped up. "As the only person to have done what you have done, who have you asked for advice"? Here's his reply. Getting Feedback "A lot of people! I'm constantly getting feedback, advice, and ideas, whether they're solicited or not, from many people. I copy, I see what other divers are doing and I'm like "oh, that's maybe a good idea, I'll try it out for myself". Just kind of taking in all of that those ideas and that data, and hanging on to anything that applies. But some of the people who I've gone back to over the years to bounce ideas off because they have an understanding of freediving and physiology and everything that's happening, that's kind of probably second to none, one person, in particular, is Eric Fattah". "Most of the current freedivers who are getting into the sport may not have heard of him other than just the equalization method and the mouthfill, but not only did he pioneer the mouthfill, but there are maybe like 10 other different things that you're doing in freediving now that he was the first to do, such as wearing a neck weight. I think he was the first to set a world record for men with a monofin, he was the first to dive in a one-piece wetsuit and swim cap and the list goes on. There are so many different things that he devised, so he's someone who I often kind of bounce ideas off, or if I have a problem that I'm working on, he's a good one for advice. But again, I've done that with almost everyone, it's a kind of open season in the freediving community, I think there are not too many people who are holding onto secrets". Still Diving With A Home-Made Neck Weight?
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03/10/2022
Motherhood And Freediving
Motherhood is probably the best thing a woman can experience in her adulthood, but it also comes with long time responsibilities. How does an athlete who travels a lot for competitions and training deal with that? What do people think of that lifestyle? Enchante Gallardo shares her views on the subject. Am I Selfish? So far I haven't had anyone tell me that "oh, Enchante, you're being so selfish towards your kids, taking these unnecessary risks. What are you trying to accomplish? A lot of the time it's actually quite the opposite. People think that it's really cool that I'm still doing something that I love despite having children. And I think in a way it shows people that having kids doesn't mean that you can't still do what you love. But I would say that that is something that I've questioned myself and that has potentially been an insecurity is, you know, caring about what other people think and thinking, "oh, maybe they're judging me because, oh, why is she going off to competitions"? Like "she should be at home with her kids". And I love my kids and I miss them so much. And they're amazing and hilarious. You know, my family, my mom, and their dad have been super supportive through all of this. And I wouldn't be able to do this without their support. I know when I'm away, they're in a good place, they're safe, they're happy. And that's really important to me because if I didn't have that support, of course, I wouldn't be doing this. So I feel really fortunate and really blessed in that aspect. And yeah, I wanna get to the point to bring them with me on these trips. Dealing With The Internal Struggle I think that has been somewhat of a struggle because I have faced moments where I've even questioned myself and I'm like, "am I being too selfish in doing that"? And sometimes I ask other people because it can be an emotional topic. Like, should I be a better mother? And I'm always striving to do that. And you know, in my daily life, I'm constantly striving to be a better person for myself, for other people, for my kids, and my family. I think a lot of the times we beat ourselves up and people are always gonna say things and it's kind of pushing through that regardless of what people say or the opinions that people formulate about you. I like separating from that and knowing what you're knowing and trusting in yourself. And that you're doing the best that you can in life. I think everyone goes through these feelings of insecurity. You look at someone who looks like they have their life together. But then when you really get to know someone, everybody is going through something. It's okay not to always have your s**t together, but that's the importance and the point of the sense of community. And supporting each other. You go through moments where you have extreme highs and everything's great. And then, you know, it's almost like a calm down. Some people think that you go to college and get a job, you get married and you have kids and you settle down in this house and you have to create this, this picturesque life, you know, or follow this bullet point or this linear path basically. But I don't think life is like that. I definitely admire mothers who dive and are able to do that because it's not easy balancing training, being an athlete along with being a mother. It takes a lot of energy. So I think this just shows how strong and powerful women are. Meet Enchante
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03/10/2022
A Conversation With Jacque Meyol
To conceive of a conversation I would have with a person I never knew. Who I only know as a legend. To imagine what he would have thought of the evolution of his sport, had he not met his end in 2001- when the freediving world record was just over 50% of what it is today. What are the questions I would ask to understand what freediving for a lifetime makes a man into? He was a pioneer, a freediving icon, the dolphin man. What sacrifices did he make to become the first deep human? To inspire a whole generation of divers. Who Is Jacque Meyol? Jacque began freediving in 1955 at an aquarium in Miami, Florida. The 56- year-old has made an indelible mark on the ethos, conscience, and limits of competitive freediving. We now follow in his pursuit of discovering what depth limits the human body can reach. Jacque Meyol is no longer the deepest, but he has so profoundly affected the freediving community with his legacy. Bequest by the movie inspired by his story, The Big Blue. I wonder how he would respond to the way freediving has grown as a sport in the present day. He did not have the knowledge, education, or methods of progressing in depth that we have now. If I could, I would ask him so many questions about what competitive freediving was like when its story was just beginning. So Many Questions Would he be proud of the progress and growth in popularity freediving has made? Would he recognize the sport he pushed the boundaries of more than 40 years ago? If I could, I would ask him if he was happy with his legacy, and if he felt he had ever been quoted out of context. When was he introduced to mental training and when did he begin implementing them? I know how I feel after focusing on thirty minutes (or less, truth be told) of mental training. Did he, too, begin with a wandering mind? How did he mentally overcome a difficult performance? I would ask if focusing on depth was enough to keep him motivated. Jacque's love affair with apnea began with his fascination with dolphins. Was it this deep connection with the oceans and their creatures that made him the best? I came into this sport motivated to compete rather than connect with the ocean. I can't help but wonder if that connection is needed to take my diving to the next level and increase the enjoyment of my sessions. Mental training might simply be a skill I need to work on over time. Does he find that certain mental techniques work better than others? If so, why? During the scientific research phase of his career, Mayol tried to answer whether man had a hidden aquatic potential that could be evoked by rigorous physiological and psychological training. His diving philosophy was to reach a state of mind based on relaxation and yoga breathing. What would he think now that yoga has become a central and common practice of freediving? Would he hang out with the elite freedivers of today and continue to compete in competitions? Where would he choose to freedive? Perhaps he would dive in the iconic Dean's blue hole in the Bahamas. Maybe he would try drift diving along the islands of the Philippines. His favorite place to dive when he was alive was the northern tip of East Caicos. He lived his life spread between his birthplace in France to Italy, Japan and the Turks & Caicos Islands. I think he would enjoy the secluded nature of Dominica. I would have to take him to Egypt, to experience the incredible wild dolphins of Ras Mohommed. I would love to have him in a freediving class today to see what he would learn. What freediving knowledge would he share with us and how would he structure a lesson? How did it feel to be one of the few people in the world to pursue freediving? In today's freediving world, our numbers and connectivity to one another has grown substantially due to online education and social media. What would he think of the way we film freediving videos today? Would he encourage its recreational growth and the many new organizations it's taught through? I would love to see him watch Dive Eye footage for the first time. To watch his expression after he sees how freediving is done today with its modern techniques and advanced mouthfill. I would relish the thought of hearing his perspective on ego within the sport, since he was the guru of the breath hold and originally dove into forming closer relationships with the underwater world and dolphins. What advice would he give to those in the pursuit of depth, exclusively? How would he feel knowing how many people have surpassed the limits he originally set? The 100-meter barrier in self-propelled disciplines is getting crossed more and more each year. would he be nonplussed? Jacques Mayol predicted that, within a couple of generations, some people would be able to dive to 200 m and hold their breath for up to ten minutes. Today, the no-limits record stands at 253 m and the static record is over 11 minutes. I wonder if he would have spent more time exploring other disciplines- given the chance to do it all over again. I wonder what depth Meyol would dive now. Would he dive at all? Looking For A Neck Weight?Watch This!
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03/10/2022
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