You mean, "I haven't died yet." ?
Looking at how strange your response is, I take it that you mistook my comment. Is anyone diving without redundant gas is suppose to die? I am just pointing out that in reality 50% of the time you have direct access to the surface within your basic owd training.
Associating free diving skills with scuba depths is going backwards to the days when we would spend extensive time in the water practicing all sorts of shite. The expectation would be that you would be special forces ready when you got your certification.
I hear you and I somewhat agree. But I am a generation after and not rarely given the task to teach to folks who are in danger of drowning when they held a glass of water. Making a diver out of them in 3-4 days is tough. For them as well, so, in water prep as a part of basic training would have come handy.
What does "being able to freedive to your confidence as a scuba diver" mean?
1. Equalisation, you learn more ways to equlise, even hands free, which is a great asset especially in an emergency
2. You will learn to slow down your pulse, breathing and relax, if you are already good with your buoyancy yet still cannot further reduce your sac, this will get you to the next level.
3. You learn/get used to perform under time pressure, this is what usually happens during scuba accident, you cannot get gas, you will either swim up or to your buddy.
4. You learn to weigh your self perfectly for your target depth, you get a great understanding on correct weighting as there is no bcd to compensate.
5. More I free dive to the depths I scuba dive, the more I feel confident I can make it to the surface in an emergency. This is great way of preparing for an emergency without actually practicing cesa with scuba gear from depth.
...and it says nothing of your ability to do an emergency ascent from that depth, since you are supposed to be exhaling all the way. Anyone can do that, with or without freediving experience.
How do you practice it? Do you think it will work if you have not practiced it?
When I worked as a guide during the years solo diving was considered a sin, I would do safety briefing for every diver who checks in on the boat, often in groups. Usual warnings, such as watch your spg stay with your buddy etc. I also told the divers in case they want to abandon their buddy or solo dive, they are allowed to do so, only after they can demonstrate me a perfect cesa from 18m in their check dive. This was obviously a bluff (Its a quirk I learned from a colleague who was guiding on lob), my employer would probably let me go if I did anything of that sort . But it is quite remarkable that out of thousands of divers, noone actually called my bluff.
Anyone can do cesa? Well, I guess you have to swim up it no other option but more likely that one with free diving experience will be keeping his composure during that swim.
Freediving experience may even be a detriment, as the habit is to hold the breath on the way up.
So is swimming. We will not instinctively breath out, it is given you have to do it purposefully.
Not a big difference but the last one is 2019.
Sorry not on purpose, I had just scrolled down to the list in the pate. As you say, does not make a lot of difference. In 2019 there is another incident where diver run out of air because of using pony instead of main gas supply by mistake, so, 2019 is not a year of pony, either.