A New Way To Reduce The Risk Of Shallow Water Blackouts - Blow The Candle Recovery Breathing

Most of you know by now that recovery breathing is an essential step to reducing the risk of shallow water blackout and loss of motor control after surfacing, and managing hypoxia once you reach the surface.

For a long time, freedivers have been taught “Hook Breathing” (sometimes called Hope Breathing). It helped, but there is now a better and more effective method.

Why do we need to Recovery Breath

Freedivers are most at risk of shallow water blackout in the top 5 m of the dive and immediately upon surfacing. During the last part of the ascent, pressure drops rapidly and the partial pressure of oxygen in the lungs falls with it. A diver can feel completely fine at depth, reach the surface, and then suddenly become hypoxic.

Those first breaths after surfacing are critical. We need to restore oxygen to the brain as quickly and efficiently as possible and stabilise circulation. Recovery breathing helps speed up re-oxygenation and reduces the risk of surface blackout or LMC.

Blow-the-Candle (BTC) Recovery Breaths

Molchanovs have now updated their diver materials to use BTC recovery breaths. Many of you will start seeing this taught more often, so here is what it actually means.

How to do Blow the Candle

1. Passive exhale to release your breath hold.

2. Strong active inhale.

3. Immediately exhale through pursed lips, like you are blowing out a candle.

4. Repeat 3–5 times.

Why this is more effective

Hook breathing includes a brief pause after the inhale. That pause increases pressure inside the chest. After a long dive, when oxygen is already low, this can temporarily reduce blood returning to the heart and slightly reduce blood flow to the brain in a critical moment.

The pursed-lip exhale used in BTC breathing does something different.

Exhaling against resistance creates gentle positive pressure in the lungs. This helps keep the small airways open, improves ventilation of the alveoli, and allows oxygen to transfer into the bloodstream more effectively. In simple terms, oxygen reaches the brain faster and more reliably.

The goal of recovery breathing is not to “save oxygen in the lungs”, it is to restore oxygen to the brain as quickly as possible and stabilise you after the dive.

Done properly, BTC breathing improves post-dive recovery and reduces the chance of LMC or blackout at the surface.

Article by Curtis Tredway, Master Freediving Instructor and Breathwork Facilitator