Hanli Prinsloo freediving blog

Purple diving camel!

15/10/2010

It's all technical now. I love the water, I have more than enough oxygen, hardly any lactic acid in my legs and my mind is calm and relaxed. But below 50 meters it's not just about feeling good, it's about making everything work. The fine balance between being completely relaxed and completely focused. If I miss an equalisation down here it'll be over- just turn, swim back up and try again tomorrow. My mind is empty from everything but this second. Don't think about what would happen if you can't equalise and have to turn early, the disappointment, the failure...

Don't think about what would happen if you can and everything works and you dive deeper than you ever have and the fulfillment, the achievement...
STOP! Don't think about it!!

If I tell you NOT to think of a purple diving camel. What are you thinking of? A purple diving camel of course. And so it goes, playing this little game of hide and seek with my mind. Not thinking, just this breath, just this kick, just this equalisation. And when I master this, detaching from the outcome, letting go of the next moment everything works and I dive deeper. This is how it works.

I come up happy, it was deeper today than yesterday, there was no purple camel, just the majestic arch letting in the light. A big hug from Yaniv, he shares my achievement, without him I cannot do these deep dives.
Without a dedicated safety diver who waits for me at 20 meters and swims up with me making sure I am okay the dive is too dangerous. 'I have to go see a fish', I tell him and he laughs. I swim over to the far side of the Blue Hole and play with the brightly coloured little fish. Like confetti scattered on the reef they flit around above the coral. I glide between them sharing my joy- with no bubbles to disturb their silent world they let me hang with them, coming up close, circling my limbs. A deep dive and fish friends. This is what it's all about.

Left: The team
Right: Hanli plays with the fishes

For more pics and news from Hanli's adventures, see www.hanliprinsloo.com