Chat: Mike Wells

Interviewer: Mike thank you for talking to us tonight, in our live online chat room.

Mike Wells: Thank you very much for having me here tonight.

Interviewer: Now we will go to the questions from our guests.

MiCCAS asks: What career did you want when you were younger? Did you have any idea that you would end up diving as you do today?

Mike Wells: I always really looked towards the ocean as a work path from the beginning when I discovered surfing. From there it grew into a passion for the sea which as you can see hasn't ended.

Renee asks: Hi Mike. How do you relax yourself so much so that you can hold your breath for that long? And especially at such a tense time.

Mike Wells: The relaxation part of it starts well before the dive, it actually starts when I wake up in the morning. It's also part of the food I eat and the fitness of my body which keeps the heart rate low. There is also a natural diving response the human body called bradycardia, which is a reduction of the heart rate with contact of water on the face and cranial nerves. This all helps the relaxation phase. And thinking about a nice place helps too.

Wowsers asks: What sort of mental and physical preparations do you need to undertake before attempting a free dive?

Mike Wells: Physical preparation would definitely be training. Training to tolerate low oxygen situations and training to tolerate high carbon dioxide levels. Physical fitness is definitely also a key. Mentally is exactly the same tolerating low oxygen and high carbon dioxide. Carbon Dioxide being the product of oxygen usage. It is also paramount to have the right educational information. So physically and mentally it's important to do a free diving course and learn about the sport before partaking in it. Like any other sport information is a big part of it.

anstar asks: Is Fish Rock at South West Rocks?

Mike Wells: Yes. It's on the mid north coast of NSW for more information on Fish Rock go to www.fishrock.com.au It's a fantastically beautiful place!

FreediveFan asks: Awesome dive Mike! I'd love to get into freediving, do you know how I can? Can normal people do it?

Mike Wells: Thanks very much. Anybody with the proper knowledge, proper skills, proper equipment and proper technique can learn to free dive safely. Freediving in it's purist form is basically advanced snorkelling. If you've had fun snorkelling before you'll definitely have an adventure free dive. There are courses for freediving in Australia, for the best information go to www.learntofreedive.com.au . The ocean is the world's biggest playground, come and explore, you won't regret it.

sarahj asks: Mike just wanted to say what you achieved was amazing. I am in awe of your ability to control your body in that manner. Well done. What is the next challenge?

Mike Wells: Thank you for the kind words. The next challenge - I've not actually got a challenge just yet but I'm off to Egypt in a weeks time, not to challenge myself, but to further explore my potential. Then again I have thought of some Australian adventures already its such a big country with such a beautiful ocean I'm sure I could fill every week with a new adventure. We're so lucky to live here.

samantha asks: Hi Mike, Just wanted to say how wonderful it is that you and your son have such a supportive and cool relationship. Was really awesome to see.

Mike Wells: Jeremy has been a great son from the beginning, I guess Ive got really lucky with that one. There's no recipe for this. He took to the ocean it must be in the genetics, we've developed a lot of our friendship in the water and I guess it shows. I love him to death.

Lardy asks: Do you do any thing else like spear fishing, underwater photography etc ?

Mike Wells: Yes, I love underwater photography and I'm always looking for the next fantastic shot. I quite often go off freediving with Jeremy or other freediving friends, just to take photos of new things we've seen before and other things we've never seen before. I particularly like taking pictures of the smaller things in the sea. Seahorses and Sea Dragons are my favourites. I also spearfish. I only take sustainable fish for example, Kingfish, I only take what I need and I eat it fresh that evening. If you're interested in catching your own fish, please get all the information you need. Educate yourself on fisheries and which fish to take, then how to freedive safely before you take part in the sport. Most importantly, enjoy and have fun ! For a list of sustainable species of fish please visit www.amcs.org.au faceboy97 asks: Are there any techniques you use to stay calm under water?

Mike Wells: Yes, I don't know if I'd call them techniques, they are possibly a bit unorthodox as far as relaxation technique goes. One thing I do is to try and almost fall asleep partly closing my eyes, but just open them enough so I can see where I'm going. Another thing I do is take in the surrounds, the fish, the rays the corals, sponges, and try to forget the urge to breathe. This keeps my body relaxed and ultimately I use less oxygen.

jetfhgjhfuyd asks: Could you describe the feeling of holding your breathe for so long?

Mike Wells: Lets start with the inhale phase, just before I hold my breath. It's very relaxing being in the water because I love the ocean I find it peaceful so I'm already feeling good about it. As the breath hold progresses I really listen to my body and can really feel my heart beating, I can feel every twitch of every muscle as it's so quite while diving, dead silence. Sometimes I think I can hear my brain ticking over. Towards the end of the dive it's a little uncomfortable, there's no doubting that. With the idea of coming to the surface and taking a fresh breath of air there is an almost euphoric feeling that really gives you a sense of how small we are on this big planet and how awesome the sea is. I hope this explains the feeling, it's very hard for me to explain.

noolah asks: Is you success down to sheer determination and training or are you naturally better at holding your breath than normal like a really low heart rate?

Mike Wells: It's definitely training and knowledge, knowledge of my body and of the actual Fish Rock, taking in all factors of the dive and building the confidence that it was actually possible to succeed without doing something completely out of my reach. I think all factors came together on this dive including maybe an inherent gift at breathhold diving. It definitely wasn't easy and was one of the hardest challenges of my life thus far. The real champion of the success is Fish Rock and all the crazy creatures that inhabit the area.

Giant_Squid asks: What would you say to others who are contemplating this extreme sport? Would you have any advice to separate the men from the boys?

Mike Wells: The best advice I can give is to do a freediving course and get the right information. Freediving Fish Rock cave is quite extreme, but freediving in general can be a great social day with friends or family exploring the local headland or bay. Discovering nature, taking photos of fish and sharing stories afterwards. Please visit www.learntofreedive.com.au and register your interest in a freediving course which will hopefully start you off on an exploration or your own journey discovering the beauty of the ocean. Please don't attempt any breath hold activities in the water alone.

stephen asks: Do the sharks ever bother you and make you panic and get your heart rate up?

Mike Wells: What a great question! No is the answer. The grey nurse sharks at Fish Rock are very cool they go about their business and we have the privilege of watching them. They are a very majestic animal. I’ve been savaged by a moray eel and been attacked by a little clown fish but I’ve never seen a grey nurse shark show any aggression when we've been in the water with them. If anything they relax me. I've dived the area so much now that I actually recognise some sharks by their markings and although it may seem strange, I'd like to think of other as friends.

Bluey asks: Hi Mike, thats unbelievable what u do! is there any mental warm-up that u do before diving?

Mike Wells: Thank you. As for mental warm-up I guess it would be the same as mental preparation. I definitely do mental preparation before a dive like this, a calm mind means a calm body and ultimately a low heart rate. I use positive thoughts, I always think "wow how good is the weather and how nice is the ocean" Even if it's cold I tell myself it's going to be fantastic. Positive thoughts bring on positive performance. I always try to apply the same method in my day to day life but it only seems to work for my diving.

faceboy97 asks: I am only 11 and I have my Junior Padi Licence. Do you have to have a special diving licence to do something like that?

Mike Wells: To do a freediving course you have to be minimum age 16 years and have your parent or guardian's consent until you are age 18. don't let that stop you having a fantastic time snorkelling and discovering the water around your area. As with scuba make sure you always snorkel with a buddy or dive buddy. Its a great idea to do a snorkelling course and get some more information on snorkelling. It sounds like you are already on the track to a life full of adventure. Keep up the diving, great work! It sounds like I'll see you in the water soon.

Angeline asks: Congratulations on completing your dive Mike, do you think your dive helped to raise awareness of the need for conservation of our oceans?

Mike Wells: Thanks very much. One of the main reasons I did the dive was to bring awareness to the oceans and in particular to Fish Rock and the grey nurse sharks. I was raising money via pledges for the Australian Marine Conservation Society which is at www.amcs.org.au they do a fantastic job of keeping our oceans healthy. I would like to think I've inspired people not just to come and see Fish Rock but to actually get into the sea. The more people looking under the ocean surface means the more people who are concerned with the oceans health. As an ocean lover I really see the need to keep our oceans beautiful. Let's face it, it's a blue planet and the earth's surface is now 71 to 73% water. Please make a pledge and show your support. I'd appreciate it and so would the grey nurse sharks at Fish Rock.

Sasha asks: When you made your attempts at Fish Rock, where were your safety divers positioned?

Mike Wells: Safety divers were a very integral part of the whole attempt I wouldn't have considered it without them. The whole team decided on the best place to put each diver. Because of the extent of the swim and the complete blackness of the cave and the fact the cave is a completely natural structure, there were many variables to consider so we had to factor all this into the strategy as to where to place the safety divers. They ended up in the most difficult parts of the cave to navigate where it was possible for me to get lost. They did an amazing job and as you saw from the footage, were a huge part of the success and safety for the whole adventure.

Sasha asks: G'day Mike. I'm interested in freediving too, but I often have trouble equalising. It usually limits me to about 6-7m, sometimes less. Do you know of any exercises that would help?

Mike Wells: Hi Sasha, I like your enthusiasm. There are certain exercises you can do but I think it's best if you partake in a freediving course to get all the information you need. The best place to find a course is www.learntofreedive.com.au If you can equalise to 6 to 7 meters you are on the way. The biggest pressure change in the water column is from 0 to 10m deep. It is quite common for people to have equalisation issues whilst freediving as the body is inverted in a head down position. It's by default easier to equalise in a head up position. I'd love to hear how you go after completing a freediving course. Proper technique is paramount for safe freediving. Enjoy.

AGKING asks: Do you use your diving abilities for your occupation?

Mike Wells: Yes I work in the dive industry. When I'm not working I'm diving. Yes, I'm a self-confessed diving addict.

Interviewer: Unfortunately, we are out of time, do you have anything else you would like to share before we finish tonight?

Mike Wells: Thank you all for the great questions and your interest in freediving and the Fish Rock cave swim. If you have an interest in the oceans or freediving or any type of diving, please follow your passion and head down to the ocean. It will blow your mind, I personally guarantee it. It's no mystery that the oceans need our help so if you are as passionate as I am please visit www.amcs.org.au and do your part. It really doesn't take much to make a big difference. If you have a real interest in freediving Id love to see you attend a course and get the proper knowledge. Please visit www.learntofreedive.com.au . I also highly recommend on a list of things you must do, is to dive Fish Rock Cave, it's really amazing, visit www.fishrock.com.au The dream is only a 4 hour drive north of Sydney. Speak to John Cragg and tell him Mike sent you. He will look after you.

Interviewer: Once again thank you and goodnight.

Interviewer: This concludes our chat with Mike Wells, Sunday August 23, 2009.