What is freediving

However, there are actually some pretty stark differences between the two. Snorkelling requires divers to remain on the surface of the water to breathe, and then holding their breath while they dive until they resurface.

Whereas, freedivers remove their breathing apparatus before they descend and simply hold their breath for long periods of time. You can free dive without the need for any specialist equipment. However, certain water conditions will require additional pieces of equipment.

At Oyster Diving, we recommend that anyone who wants to go freediving wears a wetsuit as water temperatures drop significantly at lower depths. Deeper dives also require divers to wear a mask so that they can safely map out their route back to the surface. However, this is not the case. With the proper training you will learn breathing techniques that will help you hold your breath for longer and longer, until you can freediver for a surprisingly long amount of time.

You will also need to learn a number of different breath-holding techniques, some of which will involve building up your tolerance for swimming at depth. The origin of freediving can be traced back nearly 2, years. In fact, one of the earliest recorded instances of freediving was in Japan nearly 2, years ago when women used to tie weights to their bodies and dive to depths of 30ft wearing nothing more than a loincloth.

You can read more about the incredible Ama Pearl Divers here. Constant weight freediving can be done with or without fins and is a depth discipline. Many divers see constant weight freediving as one of the purest forms of freediving as divers descend into the water under their own weight.

This type of freediving is one of the most well-known as it involves a depth of discipline. And what we mean by that is it involves a diver pulling down to the depths on a rope and pulling themselves back up again.

Free immersion diving is also a great way for students to learn equalisation skills gradually. This freediving style is performed by adding extra weight to the diver so they can travel to extra depths and then return to the surface under their own steam. While variable weight freediving is not a competitive discipline, there are divers who have set world records in it. At its deepest, no limits freediving is arguably the most dangerous we have mentioned on this list. In no limits freediving, you use weights to take you as deep as possible, and then a buoyancy device to return you to the surface.

Put simply, this is basically holding your breath for as long as possible while lying on the surface of the water. Static apnea is typically practised in a swimming pool and is considered one of the hardest disciplines to master simply because there is nothing to distract you from holding your breath. Static apnea is a great all-rounder as it trains divers in their breath control, developing mental toughness, increasing confidence, and significantly developing breath control.

This type of freediving can be performed with or without fins and is usually carried out in a pool. Dynamic apnea is perfect for training divers who find it very difficult to equalise easily. Dynamic apnea helps divers enjoy freediving without experiencing issues of depth.

There are many reasons why people choose to learn freediving. However, modern freediving is popular for 3 main reasons:. Recreational freediving is purely aimed at the enjoyment factor. Many people enjoy the challenge of freediving and the effect it has on them mentally and physically.

There, they leave the weight and ascend with a type of propulsion device such as a gas-filled balloon. This is no longer a competition discipline, although it may be used as a form of advanced training by some or just for fun by others.. The current world records for NLT are m ft for women and m ft for men. Freediving is about feelings, whether it is the euphoria that comes from weightlessness or our amazement at the beauty of the underwater world.

We dive for the moments of joy which come from a deeper understanding of our thoughts and experiences. We freedive for the pleasure of solitude, where inner peace and awareness calm our racing mind. Freediving offers us happiness from nothing more than a single breath of air. Freediving can allow you to explore the ocean in a more intimate manner. Scuba divers are limited in their vertical movements, which means that if they want to follow a sea turtle, they cannot do so if the sea turtle swims too far above or below them because of the excess nitrogen they are breathing in from compressed gas.

Freedivers are not limited by this and are free to swim however they please for as long as they can hold their breath. They are also unencumbered by heavy tanks and equipment, making diving less stressful on their bodies and feeling as if they are in zero-gravity.

Freediving is also an activity that people use to explore themselves. Self-awareness is an important part of the sport, and freedivers constantly challenge themselves mentally and embark on a journey into their own mind with each dive.

Freediving can be a form of stress-relief for many. Relaxation is one of the most important elements of freediving, which means that many freedivers learn relaxation exercises and meditation techniques specifically to help them in their sport. Freedivers also have to maintain focus, manage stress, and become more mindful in order to reach their personal goals, whether they are aiming for depth, distance, equalization, or relaxation.

The abilities you learn in freediving will often seep into your normal life on land, enhancing it and making you a more peaceful person. Since freediving is a water sport and does not require as much heavy equipment as scuba diving, freediving is very beneficial for the joints and can help increase their range of motion.

Increased lung function can also be a benefit of freediving, as freedivers constantly work on filling their lungs to maximum capacity; this can end up increasing the lung capacity and strength of a freediver. Practicing healthy and efficient breathing techniques eventually become second nature, which will benefit the freediver everywhere in life. Deeper freedivers also have to work on rib cage and diaphragm flexibility to take bigger breaths and to avoid pressure-related injuries at depth, and many freedivers also incorporate yoga to become even more generally flexible.

Freediving requires a lot of physical movement: swimming out to a dive site, performing safety for fellow freedivers, performing your own dives, setting the depth line, etc.

This requires a lot of muscle activation and lower-body strength paired with extra resistance from the water. Freedivers often train outside of the water as well to improve their strength and cardiovascular fitness, whether it is through yoga, running, lifting weights, etc. Freediving courses and training maintain a heavy focus on safety. Freediving makes you aware of your own behavior in the water, how to spot signs of trouble, and teaches you how to behave in rescue scenarios.

More confidence in the water is beneficial to everyone, especially if you are capable of helping someone in trouble. People who make freediving their lifestyle may make some lifestyle changes. If they are smokers, they make smoke less or even quit, decrease alcohol intake, change their nutrition, take up meditation, or practice yoga or other forms of cross-training. They usually also become more environmentally aware, and may take an interest in ocean conservation once they realize how important the oceans are to the world.

There are many positive lifestyle changes that can come from incorporating freediving into your daily life. There is a small community of freedivers that are part of the Molchanovs Movement , which grows larger by the day as the popularity of freediving courses increases. The members of this community support each other with training tips, encouragement, and inspiration, and many friendships are formed. The Molchanovs Movement offers access to the latest freediving education, training, workouts, badges, challenges, and exclusive early access and offers for Molchanovs freediving equipment.

Freedivers are also able to train on dry land, in a pool, or in an ocean in-water training should always be with a certified buddy and never alone , making freediving accessible to everyone, and finding a buddy nowadays is much less harder than it used to be. Freediving is accessible to anyone with a good level of health and fitness and the ability to swim unassisted.

If you are not sure if you are able to participate, consult with a medical professional before signing up for a freediving course. Discover why freedivers are choosing the Molchanovs Education System to learn freediving. Close menu. CORE Line. PRO Line. Training Tools. In a Greek man gained fame when he dove more than 60 meters It wasn't until that freediving became a sport.

Then in , AIDA International was founded, the official organization for international breath holding competitions. Freediving obviously takes place under the water. Any deep body of water can be used for freediving. The most popular spots for freediving are oceans, seas and lakes. However, there are deep pools that you can free dive in. Normally though, freedivers will dive in the deep ocean. In theory you don't need anything to freedive. As long as you've got your body you have enough to freedive.

However, to get better at freediving there is equipment that can help you. This equipment will help you be as comfortable, as safe, and as warm as possible in the water. There are a few different kinds of freediving and each has slightly different gameplay. The basics are the same though. Hold your breath to go as deep as you can under the water.

This is the most well-known freediving. In this you use your own power to dive as deep as you can and resurface. You can put weights on your body or not but they must remain constant throughout. This freediving is the most basic. With no fins and no weights you use a rope to pull yourself down into the water and back up. This helps you focus on the breathing and equalizing your ears without exhausting yourself by kicking.

This is the deepest freediving. In it you use weights to bring you down as far as you can and then a buoyancy device to bring you back up.

There are very few rules to freediving. However, there are several safety measures that you can employ to be a better and safer freediver. Following these measures will not automatically make you a freediver, you have to train a lot still. Always have other people around you, at the surface and diving near you. Equalizing: Equalizing clears your sinuses and ears from the pressure when diving. If you ever can't equalize, abort the dive immediately.

Safety Stops: If you're diving deep you need to calculate for time ascending where you'll need to stop and make sure your body adjusts to the pressure. Officials in freediving are called judges. Judges are the people that oversee freediving events and make sure that everything a diver does is legal. They are the ones who measure official depths of dives and make sure the diver has used proper weight, technique etc.

Judges also have an important job in watching out for the divers' safety. There is medical personnel always on standby but judges are another pair of eyes who can make sure nothing goes wrong with divers.