You might already know that scuba diving and freediving have a lot in common with one another. As awareness of the sport of freediving grows, more scuba divers are displaying interest in freediving as an additional method for exploring the underwater world, challenging their own limits, and even improving their scuba skills.
No Nitrogen or Lung Overexpansion Issues
As scuba divers, one of the first lessons we learn is that we must never, under any circumstances, hold our breath underwater while diving; freedivers on the other hand hold their breath throughout their entire dive. All the air breathed at the surface is returned to the surface at the conclusion of a successful freedive.
This difference is easy to understand when you consider that scuba divers breathe in air while underwater, and that air is going to expand as it gets closer to the surface. Because a freedivers lungs and the air in them compress during descent and expand during ascension, there is no risk of a lung overexpansion injury.
As for nitrogen issues experienced by scuba divers, freedivers do not absorb nitrogen while underwater and as a result do not have to worry about safe ascent rates, making safety stops, or exceeding no-decompression limits. While scuba divers must use caution, freedivers may descend rapidly and ascend as quickly as they like.
Freediving Presents Personal Challenges
Once certified, most scuba divers feel relaxed and enjoy being underwater. The same can be said for freedivers, however a freediver is usually focused on achieving a personal depth or time record. Yes, freedivers do enjoy the beauty of the underwater world, but for the most part, they do it in a different way than scuba divers do.
Freediving is a Minimalist Sport
There are all sorts of things one needs to enjoy scuba diving and do so safely. Check out a freediver’s kit though and you’ll notice that there is very little involved besides a streamlined wetsuit, a set of bi-fins or a monofin, a low-volume mask, a snorkel, some weights, and maybe a depth gauge. The type of equipment used typically varies depending on the type of freediving discipline being practiced, but variations are minimal.
Dive Intensity
Some scuba diving experiences are intense. Just about all freediving experiences are, too! Freedivers spend just a few minutes underwater, and the feeling that accompanies reaching a new personal milestone is exhilarating. At the same time, freedivers do use some scuba techniques during their dives, so making the leap from scuba diving to freediving is often surprisingly simple. Advanced relaxation techniques, breath-holding techniques, and conditioning exercises are vital to a freediver’s success.
Whether you are a scuba diver or someone who’s thinking about freediving although you’re not a scuba diver, you’ll find that freediving can be a relaxing, freeing experience. Either way, it is vital that you be a strong swimmer who is comfortable with the idea of spending time underwater with nothing to support you other than your own two lungs and the air you breathed in last time you were at the surface. If you’re ready for a new physical and mental challenge, give this unique underwater sport a try.