Freediving and Trevor's escape

[C James]

I thought I'd share a few links about Freediving, and it's physiological effects. These are part of what I based Trevor's survival on.

 

http://www.impulseadventure.com/freedive/

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free-diving

 

The Wikipedia page has an entry on physiology, which lists the physiological changes, and links to very detailed explanations.

 

There was also a separate issue; the cramps in the forearm. That's where the muscles are that control many movements of the hand and fingers, including the motion of the thumb. This can cause the thump to press into the palm of the hand, and if you try doing that (press the tip of your thumb fairly hard against the middle of your little finger) you'll notice that the base of the hand (the part between the base of the thumb and the wrist) changes shape significantly, becoming much less of an impediment to slipping anything over it. That method is one way Houdini (after a lot of training) was able to free himself from handcuffs in moments.

 

The key here is it's the base of the hand, and not the wrist, that has to be changed in order to get cuffs (handcuffs, or rope bindings) off. If it wasn't for the base of the hand, pulling out of either would be easy.

 

Trevor therefor had two separate (but mutually supporting) events that worked to free him. The cramps, and the loss of turgidity (firmness) in the soft tissues of the base of the hand. It was just enough to allow him to wiggle free. Either alone may well have been enough, if the ropes weren't too tight.

 

Also, Trevor, as we saw in chapter 48, was breathing hard and fast (there were at least three mentions) prior to the decent. That's pre-breathing, which would extend his ability to hold his breath (even thaough that was not his intent at the time). He'd also have the advantage of the increased partial pressure of oxygen as the air in his lungs was compressed (aiding his lungs in extracting more O@ from the air), but that quickly goes the other way as he nears the surface.

 

He's seen, in an early chapter, snorkeling deep (to the sea floor off Bimini, searching for Ares) and that's freediving, and going that deep shows he has some considerable experience at it.

 

The pre-breathing, the blood shift (the life being crushed out of him... blood is life, no?) and prebreathing, and cramps, are in in chapter 48 as forshdowing and set-up.

 

I'll be honest, I was nervous about all this, so I researched it as much as I was able, short of actually trying it (I'm not that dedicated! ) That's why I included the cramps; to give a separate plausible means of escape if the freediving physiology proved inadequate.