Nick Pelios
Freediver, Creator
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Nick Pelios
Freediver, Creator
There’s a strange stillness in the last few hours before a dive. And yet, somewhere in that moment of calm, you remember: I haven’t eaten.
This is not the time for a feast. It’s not the time for protein powders or raw salads or trendy superfoods. This is the time for clarity. For fuel, not food. For lightness, not fullness. Because what you eat in these final hours isn’t just about performance. It’s about feeling right inside your body, so that your breath and your dive are uninterrupted by anything unnecessary.
Freediving is unforgiving to the bloated, the burping, the distracted. Eat wrong, and you’ll feel it at 20 meters. Eat right, and you might forget you even have a stomach at all.
This window, about two hours to 30 minutes before a dive, is often overlooked. Most freedivers know what to eat the night before. They hydrate. They avoid alcohol. They pack bananas and bars in their bags. But they don’t always think about how long digestion takes, or how different foods affect the nervous system, the gut, or the blood sugar curve when oxygen is limited and pressure is rising.
Eat too late and you might feel food moving in your gut as you dive, unpleasant at best, risky at worst. Eat too early, and your energy might fade just when you’re about to pack and slip underwater.
This is the narrow window of performance nutrition. When everything matters, and less is more.
Let’s be clear. You’re not fueling for a marathon. You’re not fueling for hypertrophy. You’re fueling for controlled hypoxia. For breath holds. For slow kicks. For contractions. For presence. That means your nutrition needs are different from a sprinter, a weightlifter, or even a swimmer.
You want steady energy release, not a blood sugar spike, not a crash. You want mental clarity, not nervous stimulation. You want your stomach to be calm, your diaphragm unbothered, your breath relaxed. You want glucose in the blood, not sludge in your gut.
So what you’re eating in the final hours before a dive should reflect that. Easy carbohydrates. A little bit of protein. Very little fat. Minimal fiber. No surprises.
The two-hour mark is the last chance to have a real meal. It still needs to be light, but this is the point where you can have some complexity. Your body will have enough time to begin digestion, absorb nutrients, and deliver them to your bloodstream without leaving you heavy.
The focus here should be:
- Complex carbohydrates (low-to-moderate glycemic index) for sustained energy
- Moderate protein to support muscle recovery and balance
- Low fat to avoid delayed gastric emptying
- Low fiber to reduce the risk of bloating or gas
What this looks like:
- Oatmeal with banana and a few almonds
- Cooked white or brown rice with scrambled eggs or a small piece of white fish
- A wrap made with white tortilla, lean chicken, and a small amount of avocado
- A fruit smoothie with banana, oats, low-fat milk or plant milk, and cinnamon
The goal is to eat something that tastes familiar, digests easily, and provides enough energy to last through your session without adding any strain to your body’s internal systems.
This is where things get delicate. The stomach is slower to empty under water, and anything too heavy, even a healthy fat or raw vegetable, can sit like a rock once you start equalizing and moving vertically.
In this window, you want to:
- Prioritize simple carbohydrates
- Stick to small volumes
- Avoid all forms of excess, no dense proteins, no fried anything, no fibrous greens
- Choose hydrating options that help with electrolyte balance
Think of this like topping off a fuel tank. You’re not trying to fill it, you’re making sure there’s enough to get you through the next few hours, calmly and without distraction.
What this looks like:
- A banana
- A slice of white bread with a thin spread of honey or almond butter
- A small handful of dried fruit (e.g., apricots or raisins)
- A rice cake with a little bit of peanut butter
- A fruit and oat bar
Stick to small portions. The idea is to keep your blood glucose stable and avoid feeling hungry or depleted mid-session, especially during repeated breath holds or long surface intervals.
This is the most controversial window. Some freedivers swear by fasting all morning. Others need something, anything, to avoid feeling weak or distracted.
If you do decide to eat in the last 30 to 60 minutes, the rules get stricter. Your digestive system is already slowing down in anticipation of the dive. Your parasympathetic nervous system is active. Your heart rate is dropping. You’re entering the quiet.
In this window, even small mistakes, like too much volume or the wrong texture, can have amplified effects underwater. Gas. Acid reflux. Burping. Cramps. All enemies of the deep.
If you must eat or drink:
- Choose very quick-digesting carbohydrates
- Keep the portion size minimal
- Stick to liquids or soft textures
- Avoid anything acidic, spicy, or oily
What this looks like:
- Half a banana
- A few sips of a smoothie (without protein powder)
- A small spoon of honey
- A couple of dates
- An energy gel (if you’re used to it)
Some freedivers also use carbohydrate mouth rinsing, swishing a small amount of carb solution in the mouth for 5–10 seconds, then spitting it out. The idea is to trigger a neural performance benefit without actual ingestion. It won’t give you energy per se, but it may help if you’re already feeling light-headed or under-fueled.
This is also the last chance to sip a bit of water, nothing more than a few mouthfuls. Overhydration at this stage can cause bloating or the need to urinate mid-session.
Caffeine is tricky. Used properly, it can increase alertness, improve focus, and reduce perceived exertion. Used carelessly, it can make you jittery, spike your heart rate, or increase the risk of surface blackout by narrowing your margin of safety.
If you’re a regular caffeine user and know how your body reacts, a small cup of coffee or green tea about 60 to 90 minutes before a dive may help. But don’t experiment with caffeine on the day of a big session or competition. This is not the time to test your limits.
Stick to:
- 1 small coffee or espresso (if tolerated)
- Green tea or matcha (gentler)
- Avoid energy drinks, pre-workouts, or anything with unknown doses
If you don’t usually take caffeine before diving, skip it. The ocean doesn’t reward surprises.
Staying hydrated doesn’t mean downing a liter of water right before you dive. That only leads to sloshing, urgency, and distraction. Good hydration starts the day before, not the moment you pick up your fins.
Hydration tips:
- Begin hydrating early in the day, aim for light yellow urine
- Drink small amounts regularly, not all at once
- In hot environments, consider adding a pinch of sea salt or electrolytes
- Avoid sugary sports drinks unless you need quick carbs
If you feel thirsty right before diving, sip, not gulp. Cold water can also activate the diving reflex, so avoid chilled drinks close to your session.
- Eating fiber-rich meals too close to the dive (e.g., raw salad, beans, whole grain cereals)
- Drinking fruit juices, which can be too acidic or cause reflux
- Eating heavy proteins (steak, oily fish) in the final 2–3 hours
- Overloading on healthy fats like nuts or avocado, good for you, not great for diving
- Trying new foods the day of a dive
- Skipping food altogether and feeling faint during a long session
Some freedivers can dive fasted and feel incredible. Others need a banana or they feel empty. Some feel energized by caffeine, others feel shaky. This isn’t about dogma. It’s about tuning into your body. Learning your own signals. Refining your ritual.
But whatever you do, treat your pre-dive window with the same respect you give your equalization, your packing, your descent. Because how you fuel the body shapes how the body behaves, and in freediving, that makes all the difference.