Freediving is the practice of holding your breath when diving underwater without the use of breathing equipment, such as a scuba tank.  Freediving is a way of life for some, a competitive sport for others, and a hobby for many.  Also known as apnea, breath-hold diving or skin-diving, freediving is used in a whole range of other water sports; spearfishing, underwater hockey, underwater rugby, synchronized swimming, and probably more.  Freediving is actually one of the oldest forms of diving but has been growing steadily in popularity as a sport in recent decades.  Modern day freediving typically includes diving down a line while utilizing long fins, all to enjoy the magical underwater world.

Freediving has a range of benefits, not to mention that it is extremely fun and rewarding.  Many people freedive to relieve stress, explore the underwater world, or get closer to marine life.  Freediving is a community based sport; a lot of people freedive to meet new people that enjoy the same things and lifestyle that they do.  

The physical benefits of freediving are quite profound.  Freediving is therapeutic for the joints, strengthens the respiratory system, and is a great way to burn calories.  Freediving also has a range of competitive applications that can help teach discipline, planning, as well as pushing you to go deeper.

Benefits of Freediving:  Relieves stress, brings you closer to marine life, boosts adrenaline, improves focus, is therapeutic for the joints, strengthens the lungs, strengthens the muscles, boosts endurance, teaches discipline, pushes you to your limits.

Recreational Freediving

Recreational freediving is freediving for leisure, such as on vacation or training (non-competitively) with a certified buddy.  People freedive recreationally for many reasons: to challenge themselves physically and mentally, to take beautiful underwater photos, to improve their mental health, to explore the underwater world, or to improve their fitness.  The reasons are endless.  But most freedivers will mention the feeling of peace and calm they have when they dive, and how they use it as a form of meditation and feeling connected to their surroundings.

Applied Freediving

Applied freediving is freediving with a purpose, such as hunting for seafood, various underwater sports, or performing scientific research.  Freediving can be a part of daily life for some people, like the female “Ama” divers in Japan that collect pearls and seafood, or the Bajau tribes of Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, who live at the sea and spearfish.  Freediving encompasses their existence and is part of their way of life.

Competitive Freediving

Competitive freedivers are athletes who dedicate their training to participate in competitions.  There are lifestyle sport freedivers who join competitions to challenge themselves and improve their skills, and professional sport freedivers who compete to break national and world records.  All competitive freedivers use advanced techniques and train rigorously in and out of the water with a level of total commitment as a freediving athlete.  Their physical, in-water training is often supplemented with other types of cross-training, mental training, diet, and rest.  The physical limits of the human body are still unknown as freedivers continue to dive deeper and longer, with seemingly no end to their limits in sight.

Scientific Freediving

Researchers and students may apply freediving skills to be utilized for underwater research, such as observing subjects, sampling, tagging, deploying and servicing moored instruments, laying transects, researching plankton and out-planting coral.  Freediving can facilitate scientific research where sites and tasks are within a safe breath-hold depth.  Some scientists may use freediving to study corals, sharks and whales.  Scientific freediving adds additional focus on skills required for safely planning and executing dives on a breath-hold to perform tasks at depth.

Static Apnea (STA):  This discipline requires the diver to hold their breath for as long as possible while floating face down in confined water.  The diver’s respiratory tracts must be submerged during this activity.

Dynamic Apnea WITH FINS / BI-FINS (DYNB/DYN):  In confined water, divers will need to swim in a horizontal position underwater to cover the greatest distance possible.  

Dynamic No-Fins (DNF):  Dynamic No-Fins is performed under the surface of water in a pool.  Freedivers dive horizontally for distance on a single breath without fins, using only arm strokes and frog kicks.

Free Immersion (FIM):  During this discipline the diver will use the guided rope to propel themselves down as far as they can and then back up to the surface. 

Constant Weight WITH FINS / BI-FINS (CWT / CWTB):  In this activity divers use control and power to push themselves down as far as they can next to the guided rope.  During this discipline the diver is not allowed to touch the guided rope. This discipline is typically performed in open water.

Constant Weight No-Fins (CNF):  Constant Weight No-Fins is typically performed in open water.  Freedivers wear a minimal amount of weight and attempt to reach a target depth on a vertical line by swimming with no fins, all on a single breath.

Contrary to popular opinion, freediving is not necessarily an extreme sport.  In freediving the goal is to completely relax the body and mind in order to dive to the best of your ability.  It is true that in competitive freediving, divers push themselves to levels that some people can’t even imagine.  But, for the majority of those who enter the world of freediving, the sport is a safe, beautiful and pretty life-changing way to be outside and exploring.  There are a few key rules that need to be followed in order to ensure a safe, fun, rewarding diving experience, and, as with any sport, there are inherent risks involved.  However, it is believed that freediving is a safe sport for all ages.