blackout while tailswimming

[Echidna]

has anyone of the more active tailswimmers ever had one?
what's the usual depth you tailswim at, and did you ever face any problems?

I'm asking because I want to do some deeper tailswimming this summer (not sure which depth yet, but the lake is bottomless :p ), and I haven't been able to find a "buddy" (which freedivers swear it's totally impossible to do anything without...).

I don't plan anything spectacular, but maybe a few dives down to 10m or so.
(not all on the same day)

reading up on all the scary diver stories has me a little worried (although according to those, even the swimming I did at pools without the slightest problem was already a high safety risk).

and even if I find a freediver on short notice, it's probably going to be quite awkward if I show up with a tail lol.

[Winged Mermaid]

I haven't had one myself, but it's always a possibility. The freedivers I've met said they've had a few blackouts and they most certainly would have died if it wasn't for their diving buddy. Better to be awkward than dead!

[MermanOliver]

I agree with Iona. It is really advisable to get a buddy, especially when diving at depth.
As for blackouts, I didn't have one yet, but I have been around when a fellow freediver got one, and that was even in a pool during training. So yes, that can happen, and if you don't have a buddy around, you're going to be in big trouble.
I have been shy about telling my free diving friends about tail swimming too, and guess what happened? Now they also want one :D
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[Echidna]

yea, I've already inquired in an apnea forum.
mind, it's not like I'm going to be all alone, but the peeps I'm going with so far are "surface swimmers" mostly.

if I can't find a diving buddy, I'm going to stick to shallow depths.

however, I think one shouldn't be overly worried by the stories if one doesn't do all the (highly risky!) manouevers freedivers usually train with (hyperventilating, extreme packing, reverse packing, pushing the CO2 table limits etc), none of which I've ever practiced because I think it's too dangerous, period.

[MerEmma]

At the least you should take one of your surface swimmer buddies to be there if something goes wrong just to sit on the surface and help you out.

[Echidna]

At the least you should take one of your surface swimmer buddies to be there if something goes wrong just to sit on the surface and help you out.

we always do that! :)

[Mizuko]

I've never blacked out, but I've had a lactic acid build up which paralyzed me from the waist down. :P That was pretty scary- I was still 5 meters below the surface and until that point I'd felt completely fine! And yes, I was alone (stupid stupid stupid of me, I still kick myself to this day!) Somehow I managed to calm the panic and just use my arms to get me to the surface; first gulp of air and the lactic acid was gone.
I learnt my lesson from that alone- 5 meters is an easy depth but it was enough. I now never free dive alone, and if I go swimming in my tail in the pool alone I just do laps and stay near the surface! lol!

[Capt Nemo]

I almost blacked out alone once. Spent too little surface time before diving again. Broke the surface and everything was white, but at least I was breathing, but numb for quite a few minutes afterward.

[Echidna]

Thanks for sharing!

I think all of us would prefer a buddy, but if there's just no one available, it's either risk it or don't swim/dive at all.
I know I'd rather take the risk, but I'll make sure it is as minimal as possible.

Surface time, as Capt Nemo mentioned, is a vital factor here.
When alone, I do only very short dives, and lounge a long time on the surface.
Maybe due to this, I've never had any problems.

When going for depth, it's a different story of course.
I've been to 5m without issues, but only for a short duration.

Still, it's good to know tailswimmers usually don't black out, even if they can run into problems at depth (so I'll just skip the No Limit ;) )

[Capt Nemo]

Most blackouts occur when going deeper than 30 feet normally. Shallower and it occurs less often. In my case I went down about 35-40 feet, and kicking to overcome wetsuit buoyancy burned my air quickly and I didn't have enough stored from the previous dive. My speed may also have been a factor, as I was trying to slow things down by flaring as my wetsuit was dragging me up pretty fast. So a little vacuum effect might have had a part as well.

[Mermaid Melanie]

I would say get in touch with local free diver if there are any ... i train with a free diver and a now there is a group of us "Buddies" forming in the community - as long as the buddy knows how to rescue you if you do black out - you need someone with a little bit of knowledge on what to look for and how to perform a rescue. If you can't find someone with this knowledge already you should try watching some videos on youtube with a friend or family member and then practise the rescue in the pool before you go to open water .. black out wise I've never blacked out... but at my first competition ( DNF Dynamic No Fins ) another free diver had a black out - he swam about 87m and when he surfaced he was supposed to do the safey protocol - remove facial gear to clear the airways, give the OK sign and say Im ok to check for motor skills impairment i guess, but anyway he sort of rocked a bit back and forth before kind of falling back...into the arms of the safety diver who performed - Blow,Tap,Talk to try and bring him around ... was scary to see and made me realise I never want to be in the position where i don't have someone to watch my back ! A free diver died last year here in phuket when he was out shallow diving by himself. avoid solo diving at all costs. x