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Freediving Focus: Ben Noble
Australian Freediving champion Ben Noble talks about his latest Australian Record dives.
In June2010 I travelled to Greece to attend the 3rd Mediterranean Freediving World Cup 2010, held in the Messinian Bay near the coastal township of Kalamata. The World Cup, in its third year attracts some of the best freedivers from around the globe. The contest was held over 5 days of diving and included the three depth disciplines of Constant Weight (the freediver descends to depth and back using fins or a monofin), Constant Weight Without Fins (diving without the use of fins) and Free Immersion (diving without using fins but allowing the diver to pull on the rope), the winner having the highest score from their best dives in each discipline. In addition, the organisers had set up a freediving sled, a device used in the two other depth events of Variable Weight (using a sled to descend, then leaving it and swimming back up) and No Limits (using a sled to descend then activating a lift bag to bring the diver back up). These events are not offered in competition due to the logistical difficulties as well as the dangers of the deeper dives that they allow.
In Egypt two years earlier I had set Australian records in Variable Weight and No Limits at 72m and 80m respectively, and when I discovered that there would be sled facilities at the competition site I decided to see if I could extend these records a little more, with the vague notion of a 3 digit figure in the back of my head. With this in mind I started my training regime straight after New Year’s celebrations. I broke my training down into three main elements – general fitness training, breath hold training and depth training.
Since returning to Australia in 2008 my fitness had taken a back seat whilst I returned to the regime of getting a job and settling back into the Australian way of life of barbecues, beers and catching up with old mates. Before I knew it I had put on a significant amount of weight and had become somewhat of a couch potato. I sat down with my personal trainer, outlined my goals and put myself on a strict high protein, low carbohydrate, no alcohol eating plan. As my fitness returned I ramped up the intensity, and at my peak I was training at the gym around 10 times a week – sneaking off at lunch for a quick cardio session then another weight session in the evening and walking 5km home each night. By the time of the competition I had lost 20kg and had pretty good tolerance for lactic acid burn, essential for deep diving when you get excruciating lactic acid build-up in your legs.
During this time I was also training my ability to hold my breath, and also my ability to tolerate high levels of Carbon Dioxide, which trigger the body’s urge to breathe when holding your breath. One of the more bizarre exercises I included in a gym session (don’t try this at home!) was a 40 second breath hold on the seated bike whilst pedalling followed by a 20 second recovery and then repeated for an hour. I also included a pool session once a week doing various breath holds.
For my depth training it was a little hard to find good access to deep water where I live in Brisbane so once or twice a month I would fly to Cairns and dive in an old volcanic crater that was rumoured to be around 80m deep. Ideally I would have liked a lot more depth training but I knew that I had 7 days to train before the competition, and generally my depth training is more effective in the days leading up to a deep dive.
When I finally arrived in Greece my first day of diving was quite unsettled – new equipment, new safety team and my first deep dive in salt water in three years. After a couple of shallow warm up dives we set the rope to 70m – the purpose of this dive was not the depth but really to get used to the setup and to make sure everything felt fine both physically and mentally. The training dives were all Variable Weight dives, as training Variable also trains No Limits, killing two birds with one stone. My first mistake was to not wear a belt around my waist; as soon as I left the surface my wetsuit filled up with water and ballooned the whole way down. I also had equalisation problems past around 50m and had to use the brake on the sled a couple of times to stop before the pressure built up too much in my ears. The swim back to the surface felt great however so I knew my hours in the gym had paid off.
During the next 6 days my diaphragm became more flexible with each dive and I went from 70m to 80m, 83m and 90m. On the following day I looked at my dive gauge after what felt like a good dive only to see to my dismay that the gauge had malfunctioned and just had dashes across the screen. I grumbled something under my breath and a safety diver came over, looked at my gauge, smiled and said “you know these gauges don’t work past 100m. Well done!” I had made my target of 100m. Later that afternoon I announced an Australian Record attempt of a Variable Weight dive to 100m for the following day.
Perfect conditions greeted us in the bay the next morning and I got in the water for my usual warm ups. After these were completed I made my way over to the official rope and started my last 5 minutes of preparation. When I was ready, I took my last breath and released the brake on the sled. With 20kg of ballast, the sled moved quite fast and within a few seconds I felt the water temperature drop which is a signal that i’m around 30m already. Around this point I changed equalising methods to “mouthfill” – a technique moving air from the lungs to the mouth in order to be able to continue equalising a lot deeper. This works for some time but gradually it gets harder and harder to equalise, until I hear the beeping of my depth alarm telling me i’m nearly at the bottom. There was a noise as the sled hit the end of the rope and my descent suddenly stopped and the realisation that I was at 100m began to hit me. Exactly 1 minute has passed as I started my ascent, kicking hard off the bottom using my monofin, a Russian-made fin that looks a bit like a dolphin tail. The swim to the surface was long, a minute and a half in total and my legs started to fatigue about three quarters of the way up. Eventually I saw a safety diver meeting me at 30m which gave me a little mental push and the last few metres I stopped kicking completely and let my buoyancy carry me to the surface. On the surface I took 3 huge breaths of air and performed my surface protocol to the watching judges – taking my goggles and noseclip off, giving an OK sign and saying “I am ok” within 15 seconds of surfacing. There was a nervous wait as the judges determined that I was not about to black-out and I have not violated any rules, until finally they smiled and concluded the dive was successful. I was elated about the record, but I think I was even more elated about the fact that I could finally have a day off from diving the next day.
After my day off the competition started and I had two successful Constant Weight dives. The next day was supposed to be a rest day but I was feeling quite healthy so I decided to make an attempt on the No Limits Australian record. For No Limits, the sled is altered slightly in that a lift bag is attached and a tank added to inflate the bag. With my warm ups done, I went to the main rope and had a crash course in sled operation, did my breath up and released the brake. The first thing I noticed was that without my monofin (I was wearing standard fins) there was less drag and I was going a lot faster through the water. The trip down was good and my equalising felt a lot better than my previous dive, although the increasing pressure made it more difficult to equalise near the bottom – at 105m there is over 11 times the pressure which makes my 7 litre lungs compress to just over half a litre. As I hit the bottom I started to fill the lift bag which seemed to take forever to fill – what felt like a minute was actually around 20 seconds and I started to realise that I was suffering from Nitrogen Narcosis – the “rapture of the deep” that can make a diver feel euphoric and more than a little spaced out. Eventually the sled started to move and started my journey back to the surface. I was surprised at how fast the sled was travelling; at one point I looked up and my goggles were torn from my face and my wetsuit hood started to peel back. Somewhere around 50m I let go of the sled, I wanted to slow down at the end and enjoy the last part of the dive. Gradually I could see the surface approaching with the outline of the boat and a myriad of safety divers, in water judges, cameramen and some casual observers. As I approached, everyone cleared out of the way and I surfaced for my first breath of air in nearly 3 minutes. The judges judged, I waited and a minute later I had my Australian record dive of 105m and became the first Australian to have dived past 100m on a single breath of air.
With the pressure of the records now behind me, I enjoyed my 3 last dives of the competition in Free Immersion and Constant Weight No Fins and managed personal best depths in each dive. I placed 8th in the competition and since then have not had a day go by without daydreaming of diving in the amazing waters of the Mediterranean.
Now back in Australia, I am an accredited AIDA Freediving Instructor and I teach AIDA courses in and around Queensland in some of the most beautiful waters in the world. If you would like to do a freedive course please contact info@freedivedownunder.com
Jake Davies boards Ghazala Explorer for an unforgettable Red Sea diving experience…
Overnight, the wind picked up, making the planned morning dive a bit bumpy on the Zodiacs to the drop point on Thomas Reef. There, we would dive along the reef before descending through the canyon and then passing under the arch before ascending the wall with a gentle drift. The site provided great encounters with more pelagic species, including shoals of large barracuda, tuna, and bigeye trevally.
Once back on the boat, it was time to get everything tied down again as we would head back south. This time, with the wind behind us, heading to Ras Mohammed to dive Jackfish Alley for another great gentle drift wall dive before then heading up the coast towards the Gulf of Suez to moor up at the wreck of the Thistlegorm. This being the highlight wreck dive of the trip and for many onboard, including myself, it was the first time diving this iconic wreck. I had heard so much about the wreck from friends, and globally, this is a must on any diver’s list. Fortunately for us, there was only one other boat at the site, which was a rarity. A great briefing was delivered by Ahmed, who provided a detailed background about the wreck’s history along with all the required safety information as the currents and visibility at the site can be variable.
Kitting up, there was a lot of excitement on deck before entering the water and heading down the shoreline. Descending to the wreck, there was a light northerly current which reduced the visibility, making it feel more like the conditions that can be found off the Welsh coast. At 10m from the bottom, the outline of the wreck appeared as we reached the area of the wreck which had been bombed, as our mooring line was attached to part of the propeller shaft. Arriving on deck, instantly everywhere you looked there were many of the supplies which the ship was carrying, including Bren Carrier tanks and projectiles that instantly stood out.
We headed around the exterior, taking a look at the large propeller and guns mounted on deck before entering the wreck on the port side to take a look in the holds. It was incredible to see all the trucks, Norton 16H, and BSA motorcycles still perfectly stacked within, providing a real snapshot in time.
Overall, we had four dives on the Thistlegorm, where for all of the dives we were the only group in the water, and at times, there were just three of us on the whole wreck, which made it even more special, especially knowing that most days the wreck has hundreds of divers. Along with the history of the wreck, there was plenty of marine life on the wreck and around, from big green turtles to batfish, along with shoals of mackerel being hunted by trevally. Some unforgettable dives.
The final leg of the trip saw us cross back over the Suez Canal to the Gobal Islands where we planned to stay the night and do three dives at the Dolphin House for the potential of sharing the dive with dolphins. The site, which included a channel that was teeming with reef fish, especially large numbers of goatfish that swam in large shoals along the edge of the reef. These were nice relaxing dives to end the week. Unfortunately, the dolphins didn’t show up, which was okay as like all marine life they are difficult to predict and you can’t guarantee what’s going to be seen. With the last dive complete, we headed back to port for the final night where it was time to clean all the kit and pack before the departure flight the next day.
The whole week from start to finish on Ghazala Explorer was amazing; the boat had all the facilities you need for a comfortable week aboard. The crew were always there to help throughout the day and the chefs providing top quality food which was required after every dive. The itinerary providing some of the best diving with a nice mixture of wreck and reef dives. I would recommend the trip to anyone, whether it’s your first Red Sea liveaboard in the Red Sea or you’re revisiting. Hopefully, it’s not too long before I head back to explore more of the Red Sea onboard Ghazala Explorer.
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
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
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