What spearos actually need
A competition freediver optimises one perfect attempt. A spearo needs something different: repeatable dives, a calm head while a fish takes its time, and surface intervals short enough to stay on the spot without stacking up fatigue. That's a CO₂ tolerance problem far more than a lung-capacity one.
Bottom time you can use
The extra 20 seconds that turn a rushed shot into a considered one comes from being relaxed on the bottom, not from a bigger inhale.
Faster surface recovery
Four active recovery breaths, every dive, without thinking about it. Trained recovery shortens the interval you need — and shortens it safely.
Calm when it counts
Adrenaline burns oxygen fast. The moment a fish appears is exactly when most spearos lose their hold. That reaction is trainable.
Training around the season
You don't need to be in the water to get better at this. Fifteen minutes of dry CO₂ work most days will do more for your bottom time over a winter than occasional pool sessions. When the season opens, you arrive with the tolerance already built.
- Two CO₂ tables a week The core tolerance stimulus, and the ceiling — not three, not daily. Three tables to start from are on the CO₂ tolerance page.
- Daily breathing protocol Fifteen minutes, no holds, on the days between. Cheap to do, hard to skip.
- Recovery breathing drills Rehearse the four recovery breaths dry until they need no thought at all.
- Relaxation under simulated stress Holds with light movement, so calm survives contact with a racing heart.
Plenty of the Squad are spearos. Hassan went from 2:03 to 4:08 in 45 days of dry training.
See the community page for what that looks like from the inside, or start with the five stages and the home training structure.