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THE MENTAL – PART 1
For the basis of discussion here, let us define the Mental as our doing and not doing with the mind so as to set up the most favourable psychological state for approaching a performance.
For the last 12 years we have had a saying on our web site We have long since passed that which is achievable by purely physical excellence and are now into the Tierra incognita of our mental potential.
I know of very few other sports where the mental is as dominant. Perhaps climbing approaches it.
Most of our record holders are mature individuals and some positively ancient in comparison with other sports, this in itself makes the point.
In freediving the body is not a slave to be whipped into submission. In order to achieve results we need stress, but stress does not produce results, only adaptation to stress does. Too much stress and a blockage is created or worse collapse – Entropy.
The most favorable conditions are achieved when there is harmony between the mental, the psychological and the physical .
Let us first look at the beginning of mental training in freediving. It begins with the trainer suggesting to the beginner “Don’t look down the line towards the bottom on descent, nor up towards the surface on ascent.” First, what we are requiring him to do is totally unnatural and in opposition to all his former conditioning. As an infant he was constantly reminded to look where he was going. Worse, we are asking him to prioritise this within a series of actions that have not as yet become automatic: the duck dive, the first equalisations and aligning with the line. This is the beginning of mental training, to memorise a command that you give yourself and execute it during the dive.
The next stage is understanding that the equalisation and the duck dive have to be good enough to be shunted to the automatic pilot, so full concentration can be given to not looking down the line.
The automatic pilot is a very important concept, maybe the best way of explaining it is if we cast our minds back to the first time we sat alone in a car after learning to drive; we had to talk our way through actions we had learned, very often with a prompt from the drive instructor.
First let’s check the mirrors and the seat -now for the seat belt. Check to see if the hand brake is on and whether the car is in gear before switching on the ignition. OK, now depress the clutch, ease off the hand brake give a little acceleration, check the mirror – indicate and ease out into the traffic.
And so the monologue goes on all the way to the office. But a month later, you arrive at the office and realise that your mind was totally occupied with the argument you had with your girlfriend before you left the house. Some part of your mind coped with the driving and all the road situations.
THIS WAS THE AUTOMATIC PILOT!
In freediving the more tasks we can put onto the automatic pilot the more efficiently we will operate. Alignment, head position, equalizing, rhythm, stroke force, kick count – must become automatic, something we don’t think about. Later when we add mouthfill, entry into the glide and total relaxation, we can begin to aspire to empty mind.
What is the automatic pilot and where is it in the brain? Maybe the physiologists can help us out here. The PFC – the prefrontal cortex, seems a likely place to start the hunt; the dorsolateral and orbitomedial areas, particularly the infralimbic area 25 Brodmann; somewhere in the dialogue between the Cognitive executive and the Emotional exequtrix… I am way out of my depth here, but it would be fascinating to know!
But if we don’t know where it is, at least we do know some of the do’s and don’ts. We know that trusting it is very important. We know that the ego and the will are its biggest opponents. We must get to 60mts is a recipe for failure, with this expectation we create anxiety and stress – the very opposite conditions for the AP to operate efficiently. The Buddhist attitude of non attachment non aversion is a far better choice. We do the dive to the best of our ability, but we must not become too involved in the success or failure of the dive. We must accept the fact that some days end in catastrophe and some in success, it’s all part of the game. Failure is part of the picture, the possibility must be admissible. To win is to persevere. It is possible to be totally committed to your dive and still not too involved in the outcome.
Some has already been written on focus. Single point focus or dispersed focus? If one was lucky enough to have had training as an Olympic pistol or rifle shot, then there is an immediate understanding that a clear sight picture is only maintainable for less than 2 seconds. If you focus your eyes on a point not more than 1.5 mts away, don’t blink or move your head the focus will dissolve, disperse, and you become more aware of the entire field of view including the periphery. This is the entry into the state we want (It would be interesting to learn if this was entry into Alpha wave predominate in the brain. Can anybody help out there?). It is the state of the Zen Archer, “if the form is correct – the arrow flies true”.
The ideal mental state is set up in every stage of training, and involves a growing belief in yourself. This is achieved by regular gradual progress in consistent, realisable increments.
Continually changing equipment and training patterns – is not a recipe for success. One day nose clip only, one day mask, and one day liquid goggles and nose clip – make a decision and stick with it!
The next part of this article will examine how the mental relates to the psychological, how they can achieve harmony and how they can talk to the physical.
It will also examine how to set up the most favourable conditions in training, how to avoid common traps and build a mind set of steel.
Jake Davies boards Ghazala Explorer for an unforgettable Red Sea diving experience…
The second day’s diving was a day full of wreck diving at Abu Nuhas, which included the Chrisoula K, Carnatic, and Ghiannis D. The first dive of the day was onto the Chrisoula K, also known as the wreck of tiles. The 98m vessel remains largely intact where she was loaded with tiles which can be seen throughout the hold. The stern sits at 26m and the bow just below the surface. One of the highlights of the wreck is heading inside and seeing the workroom where the machinery used for cutting the tiles are perfectly intact. The bow provided some relaxing scenery as the bright sunlight highlighted the colours of the soft coral reef and the many reef fish.
Following breakfast, we then headed to the next wreck, which was the Carnatic. The Carnatic is an 89.9m sail steamer vessel that was built in Britain back in 1862. She ran aground on the reef back in 1869 and remains at 27m. At the time, she was carrying a range of items, including 40,000 sterling in gold. An impressive wreck where much of the superstructure remains, and the two large masts lay on the seafloor. The wooden ribs of the hull provide structures for lots of soft corals, and into the stern section, the light beams through, bouncing off the large shoals of glass fish that can be found using the structure as shelter from the larger predators that are found outside of the wreck.
The final wreck at Abu Nuhas was the Ghiannis D, originally called ‘Shoyo Maru,’ which was 99.5m long and built in Japan back in 1969 before becoming a Greek-registered cargo ship in 1980. The ship then ran aground on the reef on April 19th, 1983, and now sits at the bottom at a depth of 27m. Heading down the line, the stern of the ship remains in good condition compared to the rest of the hull. The highlight of the wreck, though, is heading into the stern section and down the flights of stairs to enter the engine room, which remains in good condition and is definitely worth exploring. After exploring the interior section of the ship, we then headed over to see the rest of the superstructure, where it’s particularly interesting to see the large table corals that have grown at the bow relatively quickly considering the date the ship sank. After surfacing and enjoying some afternoon snacks, we made sure everything was strapped down and secured as we would be heading north and crossing the Gulf of Suez, where the winds were still creating plenty of chop.
The next morning, it was a short hop to Ras Mohammed Nature Reserve for the next couple of days of diving. The 6am wake-up call came along with the briefing for the first site we would be diving, which was Shark & Yolanda. The low current conditions allowed us to start the dive at Anemone City, where we would drift along the steep, coral-filled wall. These dives involved drifts, as mooring in Ras Mohammed wasn’t allowed to protect the reefs. As a dive site, Shark & Yolanda is well-known and historically had a lot of sharks, but unfortunately not so many in recent years, especially not so early in the season. However, there was always a chance when looking out into the blue.
The gentle drift took us along the steep walls of the site, with plenty of anemone fish to be seen and a huge variety of corals. It wasn’t long into the dive before we were accompanied by a hawksbill turtle, who drifted with us between the two atolls before parting ways. Between the two reefs, the shallow patch with parts of coral heads surrounded by sand provided the chance to see a few blue-spotted stingrays that were mainly resting underneath the corals and are always a pleasure to see. With this being the morning dive, the early sunlight lit up the walls, providing tranquil moments. Looking out into the blue, there was very little to be seen, but a small shoal of batfish shimmering underneath the sunlight was a moment to capture as we watched them swim by as they watched us.
Towards the end of the dive, we stopped at the wreck of the Jolanda where the seafloor was scattered with toilets from the containers it was carrying. This provided a unique site to make a safety stop, which was also accompanied by a large barracuda slowly swimming by, along with a hawksbill turtle calmly swimming over the reef as the sun rays danced in the distance.
For the next dive, we headed north to the Strait of Tiran to explore the reefs situated between Tiran Island and Sharm El Sheik, which were named after the British divers who had found them. We started on Jackson before heading to Gordons Reef, where we also did the night dive. All the atolls at these sites provided stunning, bustling coral reefs close to the surface and steep walls to swim along, which always provided the opportunity to keep an eye out for some of the larger species that can be seen in the blue. Midwater around Jackson Reef was filled with red-toothed triggerfish and shoals of banner fish, which at times were so dense that you couldn’t see into the blue. Moments went by peacefully as we enjoyed the slow drift above the reef, watching these shoals swim around under the mid-afternoon sun.
The night dive at Gordon’s Reef was mainly among the stacks of corals surrounded by sand, which was great to explore under the darkness. After some time circling the corals, we came across what we were really hoping to find, and that was an octopus hunting on the reef. We spent the majority of the dive just watching it crawl among the reef, blending into its changing surroundings through changes in colour and skin texture. It’s always so fascinating and captivating to watch these incredibly intelligent animals, in awe of their ability to carry out these physical changes to perfectly blend into the reef. Before we knew it, it was time to head back to the boat to enjoy a well-deserved tasty dinner prepared by the talented chefs onboard.
Check in for the 3rd and final part of this series from Jake tomorrow!
To find out more about the Northern Red Sea reef and wrecks itineraries aboard Ghazala Explorer, or to book, contact Scuba Travel now:
Email: dive@scubatravel.com
Tel: +44 (0)1483 411590
Photos: Jake Davies / Avalon.Red
The Shark Trust is excited to announce that, for two more days only, all donations, large or small, will be doubled in the Big Give Green Match Fund!
Donate to Basking in Nature: Sighting Giants
The Shark Trust is hoping to raise £10k which will be doubled to £20k. This will go towards Basking in Nature: Sighting Giants. And they need YOUR help to reach they’re goal.
The Shark Trust’s citizen science project is to monitor and assess basking sharks through sightings; encouraging data collection, community engagement, and promoting nature accessibility. This initiative aims to enhance health and wellbeing by fostering a deeper connection with British Sharks.
Campaign Aims
- Increase citizen science reporting of Basking Sharks and other shark sightings to help inform shark and ray conservation.
- Provide educational talks about the diverse range of sharks and rays in British waters and accessible identification guides!
- Create engaging and fun information panels on how to ID the amazing sharks and rays we have on our doorstep! These can be used on coastal paths around the Southwest. With activities and information on how you can make a difference for sharks and rays!
- Promote mental wellbeing through increasing time in nature and discovering the wonders beneath the waves!
Donate, and double your impact. Click Here
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