FREEDIVING FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHAT IS FREEDIVING?

Freediving is an age-old practice of exploring the ocean on one breath. With its roots in subsistence living off the sea, freediving is today a competitive sport with disciplines, competitions and records. But in essence it is just the act of holding your breath underwater.

WHY FREEDIVING AND NOT SCUBA DIVING?

Freediving is the most natural way of being underwater. The last few years have seen freediving grow to one of the biggest expanding water-sports in the world. A few of the things we love: it's more athletic than scuba, it allows you to get much closer to the animals and to move faster and more freely (in all directions), least ecosystem impact, less expensive as you don't need much equipment or refills and it's easy to learn. Even though you might think freediving will limit your time below, the seconds or minutes you do spend there are beautifully silent. Learning freediving is a tool to explore your body’s aquatic ability as well as the marine environment, particularly the big animals. Our experience is that most of the large marine creatures much prefer the interaction of a freediver than that of a scuba diver taking noisy breaths and blowing scary bubbles.

IS THERE AN AGE LIMIT ON THE TRIP?

Some courses are more suited to families than others, and in some instances we would recommend a bespoke experience to cater to specific age groups. But in short, no – freediving is for all ages and we love working with children. Please look out for specific age recommendations on the various listed courses and workshops.

I AM A TOTAL BEGINNER CAN I STILL COME?

Freediving is a wonderful first step into exploring the ocean, but not all the courses are catered to absolute beginners. Please check the details on each course outline, for weeklong trips structured in such a way that we can cater to both absolute beginners and more advanced freedivers please consider I AM WATER Ocean Travel . With multiple instructors on each trip, we are able to adjust accordingly.

I DON’T THINK I CAN HOLD MY BREATH FOR VERY LONG...

Most people don’t think they can hold their breath long enough! How to breathe properly for freediving is the first thing you will learn on all our courses and workshops with lung stretching and yoga training to increase lung volume as well as in-water and on land breath hold training. But even if you don't manage to hold your breath for very long or you discover that freediving is too challenging for you, you can always stick to snorkeling and still have great ocean encounters.

DO YOU HAVE TO BE VERY FIT FOR FREEDIVING?

Fitness and general health helps, but we work with what you bring. Freediving in itself can be a strenuous activity, but we adjust to suit the needs of our guests.

I’VE HAD TROUBLE with my ears IN THE PAST, SHOULD I EVEN BOTHER COMING?

Most people don’t fully understand what it means to equalise ears properly when underwater, in most cases just being taught how to equalise properly will ease your concerns . However if you believe you may have a physiological abnormality, a visit to your doctor or an ENT (ear, nose, throat specialist) might be worth it.

WHAT IS EQUALISATION..?

Any gas submerged in water gets compressed. Our inner ear is a small pocket of air and when we go underwater, this pocket of air needs to be 'equalised' (if not you can burst your ear-drum, which does heal but you will need to be dry for several weeks). Anyone can be taught to equalise and there are in fact several techniques, but it is harder for some than for others. We have found that with the right preparation and training our guests learn to equalise comfortably.

HOW DEEP DO WE FREEDIVE ON THE courses?

This is completely individual and will depend on your ability to equalise and hold your breath. On average we find our guests progressing from surface snorkelers to anywhere between 5-15m.

SHOULD I / CAN I PRACTICE BEFORE I COME ON THE TRIP?

You do not need to do any training or preparation before the course, but there are certain things you can do to prepare if you want to. Avoiding dairy to limit congestion, being well rested and skipping alcohol the night before being the simplest preparations.

WILL I BE COMPLETING A MEDICAL FORM TO PARTICIPATE?

Yes. All participants on multi day experiences will have to fill out a Medical Questionnaire. If you answer YES to any of the questions regarding health limitations, we would need a letter from your doctor that states you are fit to freedive. If you are unsure whether you will answering YES to a health limitation, get in touch and we can discuss the right course of action for you.

CAN I FREEDIVE IF I HAVE ASTHMA?

We have worked with several asthmatics who have found freediving to make them better breathers and help with their asthma. Also, as a freedive is much shorter than a scuba dive, you will always have immediate access to emergency equipment (e.g. an inhaler) if the need should arise. But every simple answer has a more complicated set of ifs and buts - for a lot more information and a slightly conservative view-point (which can be good when starting a new activity like freediving!) please do read this article by a freediving doctor and make sure to bring your medication with you.

WHAT FREEDIVING EQUIPMENT DO YOU RECOMMEND?

For shorter courses bring what you have! We will help supply what you don’t have, but we do recommend having your own mask and snorkel. If you want to consider buying equipment specific to freediving, have a look at this recommendation page.

IS IT A PROBLEM THAT I DON’T KNOW HOW TO SWIM?

We have a lot of experience working with people who don’t know how to swim, and even teach freediving to those who have very basic swimming skills, it can be a great way to grow confidence and overcome fears. However, we recommend you know how to swim before doing any freediving course and please let us know if you are in doubt of your swimming ability.

IS FREEDIVING DANGEROUS?

Freediving is a potentially risky sport that when practiced responsibly is not dangerous at all. We teach a conservative slow progression approach to freediving where you will explore your limitations and capabilities under the expert eye of top freediving instructors. The biggest risk in freediving is practicing alone, something we never do or allow, and part of your course with us is safety, risk and rescue training.