Roni Essex
Freediver, Spearo, Creator
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Roni Essex
Freediver, Spearo, Creator
In 2022, Luca Malaguti, Daan Verhoeven & Tim Emmett embarked on a trip to Greenland, being part of a team producing a film for Movember. Ice-climber Tim Emmett experienced firsthand what it feels like to freedive in such freezing temperatures. Here's what he said about it in E6 of the Alchemy Podcast.
"If you haven't been in really cold water before, the way I see it is... you know the feeling of, like, when you dip your toe or you put your hand into really cold water, and instantly it's like that freezing sensation and it really gets painful? To immerse your body into such water, it takes a lot of physical preparation, but mainly mental preparation, where, rather than repelling against the feeling that you are getting, if you embrace that sensation and you let it in and you accept it, then you can tolerate it. If you are really determined. But you have to let it, you have to go with it rather than repel against it, you know.
And I think, as humans our initial response is to get out instantly or, if something's painful, remove yourself from that environment - it's an instant reaction that's very natural. And with cold water freediving, it's really the opposite of that. You embrace it and accept it and go with it. When you're freediving, you can't hyperventilate at all because the difference between just general cold water swimming where your head's above the water and being under the water is that when you hold your breath and immerse your head, that sensation of cold is like really all over your face, all over your eyes and your ears. And it's a very sensitive part of your body. Your brain is the key hub for everything really. And also, you don't wanna be hyperventilating and then going freediving cuz then you can black out and get into all sorts of troubles".