[ricki]

"Samba" was coined by a journalist some years back at a free diving competition in the Med to describe the loss of motor control of some divers upon surfacing. We're taught about safer practices to work to avoid this in ourselves, symptoms to be sensitive to and signs to look for in our buddy. The FIT Free Diving course also teaches techniques for diving as safety for free divers, what to look for, when to act, procedures for intercepting, recovery to the surface and reviving blackout victims. Good stuff to know for ANYONE doing breathhold diving, to any depth when you get down to it. The loss of motor control, apparent perception and focus are acute in this example. Imagine this happening in open water without someone to hold your head out of the water until the episode passes? If your face submerges even for a short time the consequences can be severe. Proper techniques and training are key in working to avoiding this sort of thing.