Shark Freediving

After yesterday’s post I’ve got even more intrigued about all the stuff that Herbert is taking with him into the deep. So here is a detailed explanation of all the stuff he carries. I must say I never would have expected such a development in no limits technology from the standard sled, weight, tank and balloon. So Herbert and team, after this event you can you also invent cars running on water and a small portable “beam me up, scotty” device, while you’re at it? Thanks!

First take a look at the picture. If you click it it will get much bigger, so you can see the details. Let’s start at the top.

1. Lanyard “O” ring around rope
This one is clear. The lanyard he’s attached to is attached to the line above everything else. This way he will never be trapped with his lanyard under something stuck at the line.

2. Buoyant “CH” for ascent
I talked already several times about this device. Great idea to use such shaped foam device. Never problems with empty bottles or filling the lifting balloon. It has so much positive buoyancy that it can take Herbert up with speeds up to 3m/s including the whole sled. Without the weights of course! They are released at the bottom.

3. Liquid Vision Glasses
these are small goggles that have lenses in them. The goggles themselves are filled with a saline liquid solution, so that you don’t have to equalize the goggles. In the goggles are special lenses so that it’s still possible for Herbert to see everything around him, even with the water inside the goggles.

4. Quick Release Harness
This is the harness that attaches Herbert to the CH (2) in such a way that’s easy for him to detach from it when he is almost at the surface so that he can make a controlled ascent in the last 20 meters and not just burst out of the water. This way he is controlling possible DCS problems.

5. HF.CC.EqEx
Stands for: Hands Free Coca Cola Equalization Extension Tool. The Coca Cola bottle was much bigger than the 1st HF.PO unit that Herbert used until now and his previous records and a lot more hydrodynamic. If you look at the picture (taken at 20m) it is nearly full and thus a bigger bottle is being considered to eliminate the possibility of “overfill”. Herbert fills this bottle around 20-30 meters depth with his own air and at a certain depth where equalizing is nearly impossible Herbert takes back his own air from this bottle to equalize properly. This thing is working so well that Herbert has no problems equalizing at all, so that makes his goal of reaching 1000 feet in no limits a big step closer. The judges make sure that the bottle is filled 100% with water before Herbert starts his dive, so that no air from the surface is taken down with him. The original HF.CC.EqEx was lost at sea yesterday and Coca Cola headquarters just made it a severity 1 to get a new bottle to them with a private jet! Only Coca Cola bottles work, if you take Pepsi it will fail!

6. Brake (Stop Position)
As Herbert is stopping several times during his dive he has to have a good brake. Not only for stopping, but also for controlling his speed a little. If you look at point 6 in the picture you see that he got a large leaver in his hand pulling it up (can also be pushed down). The leverage pinches the 11 mm rope, so that Herbert can control the sled.

7. Lanyard belt (quick release)
For safety Herbert is attached to the rope with a weight belt and a rope that goes to position one, on top of everything else. You can see that the rope is fastened with some good old trustful duct tape to the CH. This way it doesn’t go around a lot during the dive and it stays in its place.

8. Camera & Torches attached to “FP”
The camera and light are very close to Herbert in a very high angle. Not what we’re used to see with the standard sled. Everything is setup in such a way that it will minimize drag. Camera is mandatory for record attempts.

9. Hi.V.E.L.I
Stands for High Velocity Elastic Liquid Inhibitors. I guess they prevent water rushing into Herbert his wetsuit through his feet at the high speeds he’s traveling with.

10. Hydrodynamic Feet retainers
Well, they do know how to use interesting names! Just a place where Herbert can put his feet in, in such a way that they are pointed downwards and increase hydrodynamics.

11. Sled weight quick release mech.
This is the mechanism that release the weight (12) that will take Herbert to the abyss.

12. Sled Weight
65 kilograms of weight are enough to give him a speedy ride to the bottom!

You can see an F1/X1 dive computer on the left wrist of Herbert. It died during his 195 meter dive! So I guess, that was too much even for this computer.

Tomorrow is D-day for Herbert. Will he manage to dive to 214 meters? Go see it live here!