Breath-hold diving, or freediving, is the practice of submerging oneself underwater while holding one’s breath. Nowadays, the majority of people imagine superhumans freediving into the deepest parts of the ocean with nothing but the air in their lungs, the strength of their bodies, and the determination of their minds to keep them alive and bring them back. However, each time you enter the water and hold your breath, you are a freediver, exploring our world of water from the surface too, occasionally, the depths.
What Is Freediving?
The term “freediving” refers to diving into deep waters with a single breath and without any breathing equipment. Freedivers descend into the water while holding their breath until they resurface. They do this by controlling, disciplining, and using power from within. Freediving is both a recreational and a competitive sport, and there are numerous competitions held frequently all over the world.
Who Can Freedive?
Anyone who is in the good physical condition is fit, and can swim independently can participate in freediving. Before enrolling in a freediving course, speak with a medical expert if you are unsure if you are able to participate. Learn why so many people who want to learn to free dive choose the Molchanovs Education System.
What Are The Various Forms Of Freediving?
In order to find the type of freediving that best suits you, let’s examine the various sub-categories of freediving.
Constant Weight Freediving
Constant weight freediving is a depth discipline that can be practiced with or without fins. Constant weight freediving is one of the most basic types of freediving, as participants descend into the water while supporting their own weight.
Free Immersion Freediving
The fact that it requires a high level of discipline makes this style of freediving one of the most well-known. And by that, we mean that it entails a diver using a rope to descend to the depths and then ascending again. Divers don’t have to use their legs to move forward, which helps prevent the body from using up oxygen too quickly. Another excellent way for students to gradually learn equalization techniques is through free immersion diving.
Variable Weight Freediving
Using additional weight, the diver can descend to greater depths and then ascend back to the surface on their own power. Although variable weight freediving is not a sport, some divers have achieved world records in it.
No Limits Freediving
No-limits freediving is arguably the most hazardous activity we have mentioned on this list when done to its maximum depth. You use weights to descend as far as you can in no limits freediving, and a buoyancy aid to bring you back to the surface.
Dynamic Apnea
This style of freediving is typically done in a pool and can be done with or without fins. Divers who struggle to equalize easily should be trained using dynamic apnea. Divers can enjoy freediving with dynamic apnea without having to worry about their depth perception.
Static Apnea
For lack of a better term, this is essentially lying on the water’s surface while holding your breath for as long as you can. Because there is nothing to distract you from holding your breath, static apnea is typically practiced in a swimming pool and is regarded as one of the hardest disciplines to master. Additionally, many divers find it simpler to give up early because the surface is only a few millimeters away rather than several meters as it would be in the ocean.
Static apnea is a great all-arounder because it teaches divers how to control their breathing while also fostering mental toughness, boosting self-assurance, and significantly improving breath control.
Why Freedive?
Exploration
Through freediving, you can get a closer look at the ocean. Due to the excess nitrogen, they are breathing in from compressed gas, scuba divers are constrained in their vertical movements, which means that if they want to follow a sea turtle but the turtle swims too far above or below them, they cannot do so. This does not apply to freedivers, who can swim however they please for however long they can hold their breath. Along with feeling as though they are in zero gravity, diving is less taxing on their bodies because they are not burdened by bulky tanks and equipment.
People use freediving as a means of self-discovery. With each dive, freedivers challenge themselves mentally and take a journey inside of their own minds, which is an essential component of the sport.
Mental Benefits
For many people, freediving can serve as a form of stress relief. Since relaxation is one of the most crucial aspects of freediving, many freedivers learn specific breathing exercises and meditation techniques to aid them in their sport. In addition, whether they are aiming for depth, distance, equalization, or relaxation, freedivers must maintain focus, control stress, and develop greater mindfulness. Your normal life on land will often be improved and made more peaceful by the skills you acquire while freediving.
Physical Benefits
Freediving is great for the joints because it is a water sport and does not require as much heavy equipment as scuba diving. It can also help increase the range of motion. As freedivers constantly strive to fill their lungs to capacity, this can result in an increase in a freediver’s lung capacity and strength. Increased lung function is another advantage of freediving. The freediver will benefit from having healthy, effective breathing habits as they eventually become automatic.
In order to breathe more deeply and prevent pressure-related injuries at depth, deeper freedivers must also practice rib cage and diaphragm flexibility. Many freedivers also practice yoga to increase their overall flexibility.
Fitness
The physical activity involved in freediving is intense: swimming out to a dive site, performing safety for fellow freedivers, performing your own dives, setting the depth line, etc. In addition to the additional resistance provided by the water, this demands intense muscle activation and lower body strength. To increase their strength and cardiovascular fitness, freedivers frequently train outside of the water as well, whether it be through yoga, running, lifting weights, etc.
Confidence In Water
The main focus of freediving training and courses is always safety. Freediving teaches you how to recognize warning signs of trouble, be aware of your own behavior in the water, and act appropriately in rescue situations. Everyone benefits from having more self-assurance in the water, especially if you can rescue someone who is in need.
Lifestyle
People who live a freediving lifestyle may alter their habits. They reduce their alcohol consumption, alter their diet, start meditating, practice yoga, or engage in other forms of cross-training if they are smokers, or they may even quit. Once people comprehend the significance of the oceans to the world, they typically also develop a greater awareness of the environment and may develop an interest in ocean conservation. Including freediving in your daily life can result in a lot of beneficial lifestyle changes.
Community
The Molchanovs Movement, a small group of freedivers, is becoming more and more well-known as the demand for freediving instruction rises. With the help of training advice, words of support, and inspiration from their fellow community members, many friendships are forged. The Molchanovs Movement gives members access to the most recent freediving training, education, workouts, badges, challenges, early access, and offers for Molchanovs freediving gear.
Freediving is now accessible to everyone, and finding a buddy is much easier than it once was. Freedivers can practice on land, in a pool, or in the ocean (although in-water practice should always be done with a certified buddy and never alone).
How To Freedive?
The best way to start learning how to freedive is to see how long you can hold your breath underwater, and then use that time as a starting point. In a sense, freediving starts with breath-hold diving. Developing the discipline of taking slow, deep breaths is the key to holding one breath longer while submerged. Breathe in for five seconds, followed by a ten to fifteen-second exhalation. You should get in the habit of exhaling more slowly than you inhale.
In order to be prepared for freediving, it is best to practice with a pulse of 80 beats per minute or less. If you put a lot of effort into practicing, you’ll notice that your pulse gradually starts to slow down and that, as your pulse adjusts, you’ll be able to dive to greater depths.
What Distinguishes Freediving From Snorkeling?
Despite using equipment that is similar for both activities, snorkeling and freediving are very different. Snorkelers use their masks to look down while breathing through their snorkels while they stay on the ocean’s surface. Freedivers, in contrast, hold their breath as they descend far below the ocean’s surface and then resurface. The snorkel is only used by freedivers when they are at the surface of the water, and they take it off before they go under.
Where Can I Get A Freediving Lesson?
A freediving education can be obtained almost anywhere in the world, regardless of whether you are landlocked, can only train in a pool, or have easy access to the sea. The ability to learn freediving theory and dry training from the comfort of your home is made possible by the availability of online courses and certification. You have the choice of earning pool certification, which enables you to train in both static and dynamic disciplines (always with a trained partner).
If you don’t have access to the ocean, you could complete your open water sessions or a full course in Egypt, the Philippines, Indonesia, some European Union member states, Mexico, or certain US states. Even deep pools can be found all over the world where open water sessions can be held. To prepare for a freediving course, become familiar with the gear that novice freedivers use.
Conclusion
While freediving is a safe sport when done properly, there are risks that can be reduced with proper safety training, an understanding of freediving theory, and only diving with a certified buddy. When considering a freediving education, please put your safety before your budget, and never, ever freedive alone.
