The ocean is mysterious in so many ways. It has its secrets waiting to be discovered. It sounds terrifying knowing what's underneath it as there are a few more marine lives that are unidentified. But it is definitely fun to know that there are so much more to discover.
I am charmed by the ocean, yes. Looking at it from the distance I felt even more curious. Curious in the case where I would like to swim and be with the fishes! What if I can go down under? Can I explore it and have myself amaze with the beautiful sea creations?
Well, it is not new anymore that there are a few ways to have a good relationship with the ocean. You can swim and snorkel or even freedive! Freediving is a great way to experience the sea adventures. Though I really don't talk too much about sports here on the blog, it is refreshing to have something different to discuss about and it is very timely for summer! Let us talk about freediving, shall we?
WHAT IS FREEDIVING ANYWAY?
Let us start from the basics. If you know how to snorkel, where you've taken a deep breath and dove down, then you've done the basic of freedive. Freediving is when you dive and explore underwater on a single breath without any use of breathing equipment. A sample of breathing equipment is a scuba tank. Freediving gives you total freedom to move underwater in a completely natural way. It allows you to get much closer to the marine life, to swim and interact with sea creatures like fish, dolphins, mantas and whale sharks without disturbing them and in a way you could never imagine doing before.
Freediving first started by humans as a way to find through their necessity, however, it evolved into a sport or recreational activity and even a way of taking pictures.
ADVANTAGES OF FREEDIVING
You might ask that swimming is indeed a way to have that relationship with the ocean, so why freedive? Freediving helps you more on how to relax and be self-disciplined. Considered it as the best meditation exercises. It can enhance holding your breath and improve underwater skills.
It also gives that peace and silence even for a short period of time. You also learn to trust your abilities and discovering yourself as you go deep into the sea.
Other than that, another important advantage of freediving is the communication that you'll have with your partner. Freediving one rule of thumb is never to dive alone. This is done with a buddy so it is another way to develop friendships. It is also a team activity and sport.
WHO ARE ALLOWED TO FREEDIVE?
Now that we have talked about what is freediving and the advantages of it, are you ready to freedive? Nothing to worry if you haven't done freediving before. It’s a sport for anyone even if you have never dived before. You don’t need to be an expert in swimming for you to freedive. It should come out as a personal sport where it comes easily to some and hard for others.
IS FREEDIVING SAFE?
Freediving is a very safe sport if practiced correctly. It is a natural activity, which the human body is very well suited to. Everyone can actually do it if we are keen to the sense of the state of our body. Taking an officially recognized freediving course will only make you a safer and more comfortable freediver. Once you get certified, you'll learn more about the advanced level of freediving.
FREEDIVING ACTIVITIES
Freediving might still be complex to you until this part and we don't want to be technical as we try to explain the different types of freediving. Some types of freediving use fins, some don't. Others even compete, others don't. But overall, there are many examples of freediving activities that one freediver could enjoy if you decide to join this sport.
Here are examples of freediving activities:
- Traditional fishing techniques
- Competitive and non-competitive freediving
- Competitive and non-competitive spearfishing and freediving photography
- Synchronized swimming
- Underwater football
- Underwater rugby
- Underwater hockey
- Underwater target shooting, and snorkeling
If we will talk about the commitment levels one could have on a freediving sport - one can push their human limits where it is capable for others who just dive to enjoy and as long as their comfort.
WHAT GEARS TO USE FOR FREEDIVING?
Are we ready to free dive as we learned all the freediving activities? Sounds exciting, isn't it? But wait, we still need to gear up the things that we needed! A freediver can choose a few pieces for comfort or when practicing a freediving.
Here are a few standard lists of freediving gears:
- Freediving Masks
- Bi-fins (Freediving Fins)
- Monofins (Freediving Fins
- Freediving Wetsuits
- Weight System
- Freediving Snorkels
- Buoy and Line
There is no mandatory equipment needed for freediving. Remember that some gear may be needed for a specific freediving. Other than that, you must be in a good mood to be ready for fun and adventure!
WHERE CAN I LEARN FREEDIVING?
It is important that we have to do our research first before jumping into anything. Same as jumping right thru the ocean. Now that we are almost knowledgeable about freediving, it is time to look for courses for us to be certified of freediving.
If you have never been diving or snorkeling before, you need to start with an SSI Level 1 or AIDA. AIDA courses set the standard in international freediving education. This is a very good starter for you and if you enjoy it or not, it’s up to you to decide whether to proceed with other courses.
As for the course content, there is no big difference between AIDA and SSI except the theory material and the certification. If you have done a course with SSI before and later on you want to continue with AIDA, you do not need to redo the AIDA equivalent course, since both organizations recognize each other.
Another great thing about this is that the certification from SSI and AIDA are recognized all over the world. Each individual training agency is 100% recognized throughout the world.
The ocean might still be a mystery to you and me but with freediving, we will be able to explore and enjoy the wonderful creation underneath it all. Whatever definition we might have for freediving, we definitely agree that this is a fun and enjoyable activity. Freediving can be challenging but with the right training and proper supervision, one can appreciate the benefit of what it can give.
*Credit to the owners of the pictures.
*Credit to the owners of the pictures.
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