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Hellenic Navy SEALs & Combat Breath-Holding Tactics by Mark Hatmaker

The Importance of Knowing How To Swim

A recent series of water-related tragedies reminds us of, at the very least, the vital importance of the ability to swim, and for the ready-warriors of the world an ability that goes a bit beyond that.

The mere ability to swim goes a long way in dire circumstances, not to mention the copious scientific evidence demonstrating the surprising ways human/water-interaction is not just exercise or fun (which it is) it is also therapeutic at a deep visceral level that is not yet well understood.

Our ready warriors of the world might wisely embrace taking water-interaction a bit further. An idea we addressed at some depth in “Aquatic Evasion.”

The ability to swim and the ability to swim under task load or under stress are two different things. Things well understood by our modern Navy SEALs and by all of the water-warriors that preceded them.

Historical Water Warriorship

The ancient Greeks have numerous mentions of water warriorship in contemporary accounts as early as 400 B.C.E., but the one I’ll call your attention to today is Herodotus’ account of a man named Scyllias. In Book 8 of Herodotus’ Histories.

He tells how Scyllias is engaged by the Persians, who were then at war with the Greeks. Scyllias’s task was to recover treasure from sunken ships.

His method of diving is not detailed but we can assume that he may have used the method provided in other Greek writings. These writings tell of Greek sponge-divers who used lead weights and ropes to speed descent and ascent.

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Scyllias later defects to the Greeks and is employed against the Persians in a manner a bit more martial. He is tasked with long swims and dives to gather information about Persian ships and to cut their cables while underwater.

One must assume more than a little swimming, diving, and breath-holding prowess to accomplish any of these tasks. Add to that the stress of discovery or threat of death upon discovery and our mere ability to swim becomes a different animal.

Our early accounts do not provide specific information on the breath holding method, but we may surmise from the similarity of indigenous water cultures the world over that the method is mighty similar to the one that shakes out with modern free-divers.

I’ll shorthand that method here:

  • To increase breath holding facility for underwater work we have two processes to hack: Increasing available oxygen and decreasing CO2 signaling.
  • The urge to take a breath is fired first by the build-up of CO2 in the bloodstream, the actual need for oxygen is the secondary driver.
  • Extended breath-holding is facilitated more by hacking the first signal—CO2 blow-off.
  • Modern free-divers use the following method: Inhale for a 2 count, exhale for an 8-count then take a deep breath and commence your dive.
  • I have used this method myself to make 90 seconds easily and a bit beyond that with increasing discomfort as the seconds tick away.

This is an easy hack well within everyone’s ability.

But..consider this. The above method is for use in sponge-diving, sport, non-stressed recreational or vocational activities. Is this the same method that was or is used under duress?

US Navy Frogmen (precursors to the modern SEALs) circa. WWII era, took a slightly different approach, one that is anathema to the sport-approach.

In a nutshell:

  • The CO2 blow-off is cited as being the same driver to hack, but they approach the blow-off differently.
  • They recommend 10-17 rapid hyperventilating breaths [no more, no less] followed by a deep-inhalation taking the lungs to only ¾’s full.
  • As the break-point begins to approach, rather than give up immediately, begin letting out your breath slowly. This CO2 release eases the feeling of immediacy and prolongs breath holding time.
  • Using this method, I have likewise had easy extension to the 90 second mark and a bit beyond but…

Free-divers vehemently warn against using hyperventilation as it has proven inefficient and dangerous at depth—essentially our need to gasp may come sooner than with the relaxed 2-8 count ratio.

But consider this, there may be compelling reasons to the differences in approach.

The US Navy Frogman advice is only advocating breath holding to sailors and airmen who are:

  1. Submerging against strafing fire.
  2. Swimming beneath flaming oil slicks and other like dangerous post-shipwreck debris.
  3. Stealth during river and stream crossings.

Notice that all three contingencies are stress-related endeavors. The warfare breath-holding method is likely canny wisdom for three-fold reasons.

  1. Speed of use. When we see the strafing plane or other danger approach we may not have time to refer to the more leisurely 2-8 count ratio but can indeed fall back on the rapid 10-17 hyper-ventilating breaths.
  2. The recreational/vocational method requires a calm operator. Conjuring calm in the midst of a car submerging beneath the waves after a bridge plunge might be a little out of the reach of most of us, whereas the hyperventilating may not be far from what we may naturally do.
  3. The free-divers’ concerns are legitimate but, consider the uses of the warfare/danger evasion version. The warfare advice calls upon us to reflect on how far we are able to surface swim all out in 30-seconds. We are then to think of a like distance beneath the water with an extension to one minute in some cases.

In short, the recreational method is more about improving capacity for ever greater depths and duration, whereas the warfare method is about speed of use while under stress for short-duration sub-surface tasks.

Now, most of us will likely not be called upon to cut the cables from beneath Persian warships, or swim beneath masses of burning cargo, but for the snowball’s chance in hell that we may be called upon to escape or evade in an aquatic environment under stress, familiarity with both methods ahead of time (that means drilling and not mere reading) is the better part of wisdom.

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27 thoughts on “Hellenic Navy SEALs & Combat Breath-Holding Tactics by Mark Hatmaker”

  1. I am retired Navy Aviation. The Dilbert Dunker was a training device to learn how to exit a sinking inverted aircraft. They coached us to let the crash settle and follow the bubbles when they clear. I had a full breath. Let things settle before I started to exit. I was so relaxed that the rescue diver tapped me on the shoulder to see whether I was ok. .. For max breath hold, I use something between the two recommendations. I prefer to take about 5 slightly rapid DEEP breaths. I then hold a VERY max full breath. I agree FULLY that the main technique is the OVERRIDE the CO2 driven urge to breathe. For me, that starts at about 30 seconds. Once past that, things are pretty calm. I easily glide past 90 seconds .. after 2 minutes, there is a building urgency to breathe. At about 2:15, I may I sometimes vary my diaphragm to move the stored air around, hoping that may get any extra O2 in contact with the lung tissue. By about 2:30 I am well into slowly releasing air. This seems to buy me more time. For many years, I have been able to hold for 2:40. But the last two times I have competed with some TV shows where competitors had to hold their breath, for whatever reason, I have gone to 2:45 and a little beyond. Of course, this is being a relaxed couch potato with no exertion. But, as only a Naval Aviation designated First Class swimmer (no big deal), I am able to swim the length of an Olympic pool under water… or the width twice. Most of my friends cannot do this. Not being a big guy (5;9″) and light/medium build, I DO have large lungs, according to X-ray techs who were mapping my lungs for some ailment I forget. I DO NOT go for MAX time while under water without someone with me. They say you can pass out…and then drown. Hence, most of my max breath holds have been out of the water.

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  2. I have been able to stay under water for several minutes without any problem,when you can’t hold breath any longer release a couple of bubbles only ,co2 blow off,then continue with task. Once you reach that state again blow off just a couple of bubbles,it’s like aking a fresh breath of air,friends of mine thought I drowned I stayed down so long.

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  3. So very true. We taught both methods with the very same explanation at a So. Calif. college’s underwater occupations program. I was a 10-year instructor at the program and it works. We had divers with less than a years experience doing 60-80ft. free dives very easily. Something just as important to add that we preached over and over again, you have to keep your head about you and stay calm, this helps keep you in control.

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  4. The article was indeed educational. I’ve been a speed swimmer for many years and the technics were similar to what I thought I had done while swimming above and below the surface for great lengths. I am greatful that there are exercises for just that. Thank you!

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  6. Yes—it is very important to be able to hold your breath for a long period of time. When I was a young man I was able to hold my breath —sitting on the bottom of a swimming pool–for four and a half minutes. Of course that was without any exertion. I used to count the seconds–one second. two second—etc, to keep my mind occupied from thinking or worrying about what I was doing. As I felt the —increasing need to breath, I would very slowly let the air out of my lungs. as I timed my ascent. Where I was stationed in the air force, we had a 75 foot long swimming pool. Because of my, self training,I was able to swim about 176 feet underwater, eyes open. About 16 years later,I started a marine construction company in the Florida Keys. I was asked to, write specifications for the new –derelict vessel program, a program to remove about 400 hundred older sunken vessels , spread out around the length of the keys. As the water depth was never deeper than 25 feet, it was easier to free dive the vessels, rather than use SCUBA gear. That is when my self training, really paid off. Just reminiscing , I am 80 years old now, doubt if i could do fifty feet today. GOD BLESS to all. PETE JONES.

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  9. Explained very well. Thoroughly enjoyed and understood. I used the 2 8 combo when in high school, I believe. I was able to swim 2 and half laps of the school pool. I was on the swim team. It also came into use when both legs cramped and I sank to the bottom of the deep end. I was able to get myself to the side of the pool and crawl up the wall to the surface. When I was done I was very thankful for the way I was able to keep under so long and not swallowing a drop of water. Of course at the time I did not realise what my breathing was Truely called. That Why I found this so great to read.
    Thanks for doing this.

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  10. A very interesting dichotomy. Under duress, most people are tachycardia(Heart rate >100 bpm), and thus enters another player in the mechanism. A classic example where the “fight/flight” response will kick in. I think that the release of norepinephrine automatically allows for a short period of maximum effort, with relative efficiency of the fuel needed to survive.

    “Mind over matter” is also a large part of survival, particularly when done “in extremis”. The realization that in those situations there are no 100% guarantees of survival. Conflict has proven that some of the greatest warriors, despite the best preparations, go down in a relatively short time, while others seemingly less qualified come out physically whole.

    Thanks for the compelling article.

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  13. The experience of long practice is the true key for engrained wisdom for oneself in anything.
    As a boy I lived in the water as much as possible + diving to explore was my pursuit.
    Eventually in testing myself after several yrs I discovered I could surpass two lengths of a standard highschool pool underwater.
    Then practiced daily in timing how long I could hold my breath[also a long distance runner+extreme hiker] and worked up to 4minutes- sitting still.
    Tho eventually blew out my left eardrum in a deep dive oneday= very painfull.
    There is much to know about most everything + true knowledge comes hard w/out experienced help.

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  14. Hi Bob – First thanks for a tip that doesn’t involve beating up some guy (lol)
    As a teenager my buddies and I had underwater distance swimming contests, The method that I used was to hyper-ventilate until I was so dizzy I could hardly stand. I never actually counted the number of breathes but I doubt it was as high as 17. Then on my final inhale I would go for a maximum chest-buster, then dive in. Once I hit the water the dizziness disappeared and I swam as hard as I could until the breakpoint started then I started slowly releasing breathe until I was empty as I broke out of the water – gasping. I expect if I tried that now I’d have a heart attach – so I wouldn’t recommend that unless you are in Olympic shape

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  15. Excellent. Thank you for possible life saving tips Mr Hatfield. We are in your debt for,the,advise at no charge.
    Again, thank you!

    Steve V,

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  16. one thing to remember when diving into and under water ,remain calm, and breathe out because the air in your lungs expands the further you dive down

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  19. Thank you Sir for every important and informative email you send me i hope to have the pleasure of meeting you some day

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  20. Exhale on assent – watch the bubbles as earlier stated – water temperature is an unknown variable that affects time under.
    “Boyle’s Law, is an ideal gas law which states that the volume of an ideal gas is inversely proportional to its absolute pressure at a constant temperature. The law applies only to ideal gases which allow only pressure and volume to change.”
    The surface air pressure will be greater at depth (compression), and decrease as one approaches the surface (expansion), hence the need to release air in the lungs upon assent. Submarine escape training – (expansion of pressurized air in the lungs) take a normal breath, then exhale all the way to the surface. Great comments! Appreciated them.

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  21. Competing for staying underwater the longest amongst competitors, can be fun, and simultaneously enlarge your capacity to handle longer periods under water. Letting the air out slowly always helps me to expand my lungs to tolerate longer periods of time under water. When one can control his or her breathing and learn to relax in the process, this will serve to establish strong discipline to last longer as well.

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  22. My father had the ability to hold his breath for FIVE minutes without prior warning, I can go THREE minutes without any prior warning , using the hyper ventilating method I can get to EIGHT minutes without much trouble, my older brother did not inherit this ability his best time has never exceeded TWO minutes…..My father was as skinny as a rake so is my brother whereas I am tall and solidly built, I was led to believe that the higher your red cell count the better your times could be,,,,,When my father died at 89 his red count was still in excess of 250, I am now 78 and my red count is still in excess of 240…………My brother has a red count of 110 go figure….

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  23. These techniques depend on the person. The hardest thing is to override instincts. Namely exhale and inhale. A person can slowly exhale and maintain functional levels of o2sat..And also hyperventilating is a plus IF you know your tolerance.

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  25. My father could have been a frog man easily, He taught me these techniques slightly different but pretty much identical, I could not ever get to the level he was at, but they do work! I once witnessed him free dive to unhook a anchor, and thought he drowned. He was down under 5mins and I began to panic but remembered to get my breath before attempting he surfaced before I dove in to see if he blacked out, That said I full heartedly believed these methods work.

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  26. Excellent advice! I am an 80-year-old woman professional scuba diver. Maybe I shouldn’t, but I skip-breathe for twenty or 30 seconds while scuba diving (of course, never while rising in the water!) to make my air last longer. By doing so, I outlast my husband under water. When I was a child I could hold my breath for a maximum time of one minute and forty-five seconds. Presently, on land it was a max of one minute and fifteen seconds. After doing it your way, I easiy upped it to one minute twenty seconds–no sweat! Thanks for your valuable tips.

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