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Being able to control your thoughts while freediving is one of the most important factors in being a successful, deep freediver. A single thought can at times ruin a near-perfect dive, as this story from Canada's deepest bifins diver Sheena McNally clearly shows.
"So, this was when I was trying in training a -100 meter dive, which I mean - come on - that’s a crazy number, and I was pretty freaked out because there are only like six women who have done it officially, but there's a couple more who say they have done it in training. So I'm thinking like “ok, I'm about to do this dive that only like a handful of women have done" and so you know just setting the line to -100m was like so nerve-wracking! I was like “oh my god”, like trying to get my mind together was like, you know, it's a mess!
But then I decided to just go on with the dive. I said to myself “just start the dive and see how it goes”. So I'm on the dive and actually, everything was going pretty well, like I wasn't having any weird thoughts or feelings, my equalization was usually my limiting factor and it was working super well and everything seemed to be going according to plan. And rather than sort of being in the moment and just focusing on equalizing my ears proactively and keeping myself streamlined and relaxed, that thought crept in and it was like “oh my gosh, this is going well enough that you're going to make it”, and so as soon as I had this thought, I freaked myself out and I said nope, and I just turned! It was kind of a funny thing and I have to just laugh about it, because I could have gone there on that dive I'm sure, but, you know, that little breach in concentration…".