Morning all

Has anybody heard of NoTanx Apnea? I gather that they are a bunch of free-divers (as in down and up without air, not through sumps) and that they have been "freediving in chambers and underground lakes" in the UK. I'd like to know whether anyone has any knowledge of them & what they've been doing.

Thanks

Is this them

http://www.notanx.com/Home.html

Each to their own?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXnr0ASciYk

Bottlebank said:

Each to their own?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXnr0ASciYk

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That's Croesor.

Bottlebank said:

Each to their own?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXnr0ASciYk

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In the immortal words of Sir Henry Rawlinson "Seems a novel enough way to commit suicide"....

AR said:

In the immortal words of Sir Henry Rawlinson "Seems a novel enough way to commit suicide"....

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Do you think more so than using diving equipment ??  :-\

Maj.

Thanks for all the comments & info, guys.

Maj, I'n not sure they'd cope in an overhead environment as well as folks with bottles 'n stuff.

Wonder if they're well practised in the 'rule of thirds' for lung capacity?

bograt said:

Wonder if they're well practised in the 'rule of thirds' for lung capacity?

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Slightly off topic (but hey, it's my thread) Duncan Price says in his book that this rule works so that you breath one third of your first bottle, then one third of your second bottle, on the way in so that if one set of kit fails, you've still got 2/3 of a bottle to dive out on, same as you used on the way in. I'm older than Duncan and remember that the rule originated back in the late 60s early 70s when diving on single sets was normal and was taken to mean "one third in, one third out and one third for emergencies." Interesting that ostensibly the same rule is interpreted so differently once the techniques have changed.

Damn, I was going to use that in the review I still have to write!

graham said:

Maj, I'n not sure they'd cope in an overhead environment as well as folks with bottles 'n stuff.

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I suppose that would depend upon the situation.
I'm sure as with divers with bottles 'n stuff, they would dive within their ability, and a knowledge of the particular dive they are undertaking whether that be open water or not. Same as I did all those years ago when I free dived sumps 2 & 3 in Swildon's Hole.
Perhaps, they may not cope so well when things go wrong without up as an option. But is there less to go wrong in the first place? Much less of an encumbrance if free diving.

I don't have the answers, I just like the view from up here on the fence. 

Maj.

graham said:

bograt said:

Wonder if they're well practised in the 'rule of thirds' for lung capacity?

Click to expand...

Slightly off topic (but hey, it's my thread) Duncan Price says in his book that this rule works so that you breath one third of your first bottle, then one third of your second bottle, on the way in so that if one set of kit fails, you've still got 2/3 of a bottle to dive out on, same as you used on the way in. I'm older than Duncan and remember that the rule originated back in the late 60s early 70s when diving on single sets was normal and was taken to mean "one third in, one third out and one third for emergencies." Interesting that ostensibly the same rule is interpreted so differently once the techniques have changed.

Damn, I was going to use that in the review I still have to write!

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Doesn't matter how many bottles you have...1 or 50...

Same principle

In a cave

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/diving/8111599/Free-diver-smashes-cave-world-record.html

graham said:

bograt said:

Wonder if they're well practised in the 'rule of thirds' for lung capacity?

Click to expand...

Slightly off topic (but hey, it's my thread) Duncan Price says in his book that this rule works so that you breath one third of your first bottle, then one third of your second bottle, on the way in so that if one set of kit fails, you've still got 2/3 of a bottle to dive out on, same as you used on the way in. I'm older than Duncan and remember that the rule originated back in the late 60s early 70s when diving on single sets was normal and was taken to mean "one third in, one third out and one third for emergencies." Interesting that ostensibly the same rule is interpreted so differently once the techniques have changed.

Damn, I was going to use that in the review I still have to write!

Click to expand...

The thirds rule is generally attributed to Sheck Exley who would have been diving with backmounted twin tanks in Florida.  Cave diving on compressed air in the UK was pioneered by Bob Davies but fell out of favour after his epic in Wookey Hole in 1955 as the rebreathers were thought to offer advantages of duration.  Mike Boon showed the potential of lightweight sidemounted cylinders for pushing awkward sumps and stated that he preferred to use one quarter of his supply for the inwards dive and the rest to come out.  It was only in the '70s that cave divers regularly started using multiple cylinders for longer dives and John Parker recently recalled that much of the pushing up to Wookey 20 was done on a single set (all the way from Chamber 3).  Cave diving on one cylinder for all but the shortest sumps is generally frowned upon these days.

My description of the thirds rule is greatly oversimplified for the general public and anything that you read in Underwater Potholer should not be used as a guide to safe cave diving practices (or for that matter - any example of how to live your life).

Modern thinking is to regularly swop between cylinders to ensure they are working correctly and maintain the largest reserve of air for exit.  There are many factors that need to be taken into account such as swimming in or out against a current, working dives such as digging or surveying, the need to decompress etc. etc.  The CDG theory test includes several questions on air management such as diving with unequally sized clyinders.

But Duncan, you must know I live my whole life based on the wisdom that you have handed down to us mere mortals.

However, although Sheck was diving in the 1960s, I am fairly certain that the thirds rule was, probably independently, evolved by those like John who were diving on single bottles in the UK I shall ask some of my more aged associates from that time.

OMG, I was only suggesting  the 'one third in, one third out, and one third for emergencies' --

Seems sensible to me, didn't expect a debate --!!!.

OK. I am now reliably informed that the thirds rule was in place in the CDG in 1970 and contributed to the exact sequence of events (not blame, I'm not assigning blame, just working on timelines) surrounding the death of Paul Esser.

I need to go back further.

Pitlamp, help me out here!, am I right with the 'rule of thirds' when it comes down to 'no bottle' divers ????

To no bottle and single bottle divers? I guess they can do what they wish

Normal divers, it's a third in out of each bottle, a third out out of each bottle, a third in reserve, so at the moment of max penetration you have enough gas in one cylinder to get you out.

But the rule of thirds has many, many limitations as Duncan alluded to above. Don't try this at home.


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Oh, c'mon, these folks are going down there on lung power, how long is it going to be before our divers are called upon to recover the cadaver?

I'd suggest they have some of their own divers, judging by the video. You can hear them breathing.

Most apnea clubs are very strict with their safety divers too.

Given that they're dressed in proper caving garb, I'll hope they back up the garb with safety protocols.

If they apply it to caving, let's hope they apply it to diving too.

But at the end of the day, looks a great adventure.

Like many cave rescues that happen, if you don't condemn them, don't condemn these guys.


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