Glossary of Terms Used in Freediving
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GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED IN FREEDIVING A ADAPTATION - Changes in an organism’s structure or habits that allow it to adjust to its surroundings. ADENOSINE TRIPHOSPHATE (ATP) - A high energy phosphate molecule required to provide energy for cellular function. AEROBIC METABOLISM - A process of converting fat, protein, and glycogen or glucose into ATP to be used as a fuel by the muscles. Uses oxygen (thus aerobic). A slower process than anaerobic metabolism, but much more efficient, allowing the athlete to perform for a much longer period of time. A.I.D.A - Association Internationale pour le Développment de L’apnée (English - International association for the development of apnea). AIR - The mixture of gases we breathe in a typical environment; consists of approximately 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, water vapor, and other trace gases such as carbon dioxide, helium, argon, ozone, or various other pollutants. ALIMENTARY CANAL - The passage through which food passes, starting at the mouth and ending at the anus. ALVEOLI - Microscopic air sacs in the lungs where gas exchange occurs with the circulatory system. ANAEROBIC METABOLISM - A process of converting glycogen or glucose into ATP to be used as a fuel for the muscles. A faster process than aerobic metabolism, but good only for a short period of time and thus is used for high intensity activity. Anaerobic metabolism is quite inefficient, and produces lactic acid as a by product. ANALOGOUS BLOOD TRANFUSION - A blood transfusion in which the patient's own blood is used having previously been removed and stored. ANOXIA - Absence of oxygen in the circulating blood or in the tissues. AORTA - The largest vessel of the systemic arterial system, from which the main arteries carrying oxygenated blood branch and subdivide into smaller and smaller vessels. APNEA - The suspension of breathing. Also a general term for freediving. APNÉE - French term for freediving. APNEIST - A person who engages in freediving. AQUATICITY - ARGON (Ar) - An inert gas used to inflate drysuits ARTERIAL GAS EMBOLISM (AGE) - A condition in which gas bubbles enter the arterial system and cause damage by blocking blood flow to vital organs, most commonly the brain. ARTERIOLE - Small artery ARTERY - A blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the tissues and organs of the body. ASANA - Yoga pose. ATRIUM - Chamber of the heart which provides access to another chamber called the ventricle. B BALLAST - Weight BAROTRAUMA - Physical damage to body tissues caused by a difference in pressure between an air space in or beside the body, and the surrounding gas or liquid. BHASTRIKA - An aggressive form of hyperventilation from yogic science. BI-FINS - Traditional style fins where a separate fin is worn on each foot. BLACKOUT (BO) - Loss of consciousness BLOOD PH - Level of acidity/ alkalinity of the blood. BLOOD SHIFT - Phenomenon associated with the mammalian diving reflex where in order to avoid collapse under pressure, blood plasma fills up the thoracic cavity, especially the lungs, reducing residual volume. BLOOD VESSEL - A tube by which blood circulates through the body. BOTTOM TIME - Time spent underwater during a dive. BRADYCARDIA - Slowing down of the heart rate and pulse. BREATHE-UP - Set of breathing procedures conducted before a dive. BRONCHI - Plural of bronchus, which is a division of the trachea. BRONCHIOLE - Small branch of the bronchus that carries blood to and from the alveoli. BRONCHOSPASM - Bronchoconstriction or the sudden narrowing of the smaller airways, of a spasmodic nature. BTV - Béance Tubulaire Voluntaire (French term for VTO) http://eng.apnea.co.il/edu/btv_eng.doc BUOYANCY CONTROL - The ability to maintain neutral buoyancy. C CAISSON DISEASE - See ‘DECOMPRESSION SICKNESS’. CAPILLARY - Microscopic blood vessels where the gas exchange takes place between the bloodstream and the tissues or the air in the lungs. CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2) - A waste gas produced by the metabolism of oxygen in the body. CARBON MONOXIDE (CO) - A highly poisonous, odorless, tasteless and colorless gas formed when carbon material burns with restricted access to oxygen. It is toxic by inhalation since it competes with oxygen in binding with the hemoglobin, thereby resulting in diminished availability of oxygen in tissues. CARP BREATHING - See ‘PACKING’. CARTILAGINOUS - Pertaining to or composed of cartilage. CERTIFYING AGENCIES - Official freediving agencies that have the authority to certify the different local, national and world records. CILIA - Plural for ‘cilium’; short, fine, hair-like projections from the surface of some cells; cilia constantly beat in one direction and aid in the movement of a cell or in the movement of substances over the surface of cells. CLOGGED EAR - Having the ear canal of the outer ear obstructed. CMAS - Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques. This organization oversaw most freediving world records in the 1960’s and 1970’s but have now distanced themselves from most freediving depth disciplines and are therefore a non-entity in modern freediving. CO2 NARCOSIS - Toxic effect of elevated PaCO2 (level of carbon dioxide in arterial blood) CO2 TOLERANCE - Tolerance to higher than normal levels of PaCO2 (level of carbon dioxide in arterial blood) COLLAPSED LUNG - See ‘PNEUMOTHORAX’. COMPENSATION - A physical maneuver to equalize the pressure differential between either sides of the eardrum (tympanic membrane) - An action taken to counter an undesired effect. COMPLETE BLOOD COUNT (CBC) - A laboratory test that provides detailed information about the amount and quality of each of the blood cell types. CONSTANT WEIGHT (CWT) - A freediver descends and ascends using their fins/monofin without pulling on the rope or changing ballast. Only a single hold of the rope to stop the descent and start the ascent is allowed. (www.aida-international.org) CONSTANT WEIGHT WITHOUT FINS (CNF) - The freediver descends and ascends using only their own muscle strength, without the use of propulsive equipment, and without pulling on the rope or changing ballast. (www.aida-international.org) CONTRACTION - A tensing of the diaphragm. A natural reflex that acts as a reminder (in normal circumstances) that it is time to breath. COUNTDOWN TIME - An announced period of time prior to the performance. This makes the athlete aware of time remaining before the commencement of the event/ dive, giving the athlete information crucial to timing their preparations. COUNTERWEIGHT - A safety system allowing the rapid resurfacing from depth of a freediver tethered to a line. Instead of pulling the line up by hand, there is a weight situated at the surface which is dropped, its descent pulling up the other end of the line to which the freediver is connected. CPR - Cardiopulmonary resuscitation. CRAMP - A painful and involuntary tensing of a muscle or group of muscles. CRAZY CUBAN - An unofficial freediving discipline in which the diver attempts to dive as deep as possible with no aids whatsoever - no mask, fins, or weights. CURRENT - Continuous directed movement of water. D DECOMPRESSION - A staged ascent (or reduction of pressure in a controlled environment such as a hyperbaric chamber) to allow the body to eliminate microbubbles of gasses absorbed into the tissues at pressure. DECOMPRESSION CHAMBER - (The correct term is ‘Recompression Chamber’) A chamber capable of reproducing pressure found at diving depths. A diver suffering decompression illness (DCI) can safely be taken to a pressure at which the underlying cause of the illness - expanded bubbles of gases in the tissues - can be safely eliminated. DECOMPRESSION DIVING - Diving exposure requiring staged in-water stops before ascent to the surface. DECOMPRESSION ILLNESS (DCI) - Decompression illness is a term to describe dysbaric injuries related to scuba diving. This diagnosis stems from the uncertainties in many cases about the mechanistic causation of neurological symptoms. Moreover, it is sometimes impossible to differentiate clinically between neurological DCS and AGE. An alternative approach has been suggested in which the clinical manifestation of a patient’s decompression syndrome is described without attempting to determine the pathophysiology. The term “decompression illness” (DCI) is suggested to encompass all manifestations of diseases following a reduction in ambient pressure, such as ascending from a dive. DECOMPRESSION SICKNESS (DCS) - A syndrome caused by bubbles of inert gas forming in the tissues and bloodstream during or after ascent from a dive. DCS is manifested in two major forms, DCS I and DCS II. • DCS I - Decompression sickness involving only muscle and joint pain, fatigue, and/or skin symptoms (itching, rash). • DCS II - Decompression sickness that includes symptoms involving the central nervous system, respiratory system or circulatory system. DEHYDRATION - An abnormal depletion of water and other body fluids. DIAPHRAGMATIC INTROFLEXION - See uddiyana bandha DIAPHRAGM - The muscle wall between the chest and abdomen that the body uses for breathing. DRY STATIC - Static apnea performed out of water. DYNAMIC WITHOUT FINS (DNF) - The freediver travels underwater in a horizontal position attempting to cover the greatest possible distance. Any propulsion aids are prohibited. (www.aida- international.org) E EAR FEAR - A psychological fear based on previous experiences of problems with the ears such as infections or eardrum rupture. Ear fear can needlessly limit the freedivers confidence in their ability to go beyond their perceived limits. EAR JAMMING -