Hypoxic Training with Hurricane Squad

After completing my first freediving course, I wanted to improve my fitness in order to take my freediving to the next level before my second course requirements. 

I was passed onto Wilma van Niekerk (now Schroeder) and her Hurricane Squad of underwater warriors. That first day, I couldn’t help but giggle in between each set because I didn’t realize what I had gotten myself into. For every 50m sprint, I could only do 25m. For every length of no fins swimming through an underwater obstacle course, I could barely make it out the other end. These guys were incredible.

I came back week after week, not putting any pressure or expectations on myself, other than just showing up. The weeks that followed, I could swim that 50m length and get to the other side of the obstacle. I even set a new PB of 75m DYNB (Dynamic Bi fin – the term used for swimming underwater horizontally in a swimming pool).

The Hurricane Squad pushes the bar of your personal performance using Hypoxic training. Hypoxic training is a technique used by swimmers to improve their tolerance in the water when confronted with a deficit of oxygen. This type of training is especially beneficial to open water swimmers, freedivers, spearfishermen and surfers. The purpose is to build up a tolerance to CO2, prolonging your ability to hold your breath underwater.

Sessions are held every Tuesday & Friday morning 06h00 – 07h00 at Kings Park Pool.
COST: R100 for a drop in session or R750 for the full month