Freediving classes?

[masterlucas3]

any one know a shop that teaches freediving classes around nj???

 

[nereas]

NAUI Hq sells a book on it. It explains virtually everything, including drills. Then you can teach yourself.

NAUI Worldwide Dive Safety Through Education

Here is a summary:

1) Adjust your weighting to be neutral at your anticipated maximum depth, taking into account wetsuit compression, together with a full breath of air in your lungs.

2) Cautiously take a few breaths while you relax on the surface before your breathhold dive.

3) Use the one-leg lift method to propel yourself downward from the surface during your breathhold dive.

4) Keep all your movements simple and minimal to reduce O2 consumption during your breathhold dive. Foot sculling and/or dolphin kicks are examples of good technique.

5) Start out diving to an easy depth, and then extend your subsequent depths gradually with practice.

6) Never practice or freedive alone; always take turns with a buddy watching you from the surface who is ready to dive down to retrieve you if you pass out.

7) Perform breathing drills where you extend your breathholding time in your living room at home. But do not do more than 4 of these on any given day.

Note that freediving fins are longer than ordinary fins, and that low volume masks work best. And if you use a snorkel, then remember to spit it out automatically during your descent and close your mouth.

 

[masterlucas3]

cool thanks

 

[Chad Carney]

NAUI Hq sells a book on it. It explains virtually everything, including drills. Then you can teach yourself.

NAUI Worldwide Dive Safety Through Education

Here is a summary:

1) Adjust your weighting to be neutral at your anticipated maximum depth, taking into account wetsuit compression, together with a full breath of air in your lungs.

nereas,

No offense intended, but I can't believe NAUI's book would say that about weighting. If it does, that's really dated material.

A freediver would be working way too hard with that little weight on, making the dives far too difficult, greatly reducing the ability to relax throughout the dive.

1/3 to 1/2 the depth is closer to the general working neutral buoyancy depth for most average freedivers. In my Performance Freediving International course we were taught to weight for 33' neutral depth, while training at depths of 50' to 125'.

masterlucas3,

There is a tremendous amount of cutting edge information taught in a quality freediving course. Much of the information about freediving in many scuba texts is very old and incorrect.

I'd highly recommend PFI, but unfortunately they do not teach anywhere near you.
Check the schedule and information here... Performance Freediving | home |

Chad

 

[pir8]

I'd reccommend TraceMalin up at Dutch Springs. Contact him through Lehigh Valley Dive Center.
Lehigh Valley Dive Center

 

[nereas]

nereas,

No offense intended, but I can't believe NAUI's book would say that about weighting. If it does, that's really dated material.

A freediver would be working way too hard with that little weight on, making the dives far too difficult, greatly reducing the ability to relax throughout the dive.

1/3 to 1/2 the depth is closer to the general working neutral buoyancy depth for most average freedivers. In my Performance Freediving International course we were taught to weight for 33' neutral depth, while training at depths of 50' to 125'.

...Chad

In warm waters this would not be as significant an issue as in cold waters.

And for cold waters, I did not want this person to start out weighting himself negatively for his maximum depth.

The manual sold by NAUI is privately published, and the weighting adjustment recommended by the author may very well allow for some negative weighting, as you have suggested. I simply do not recall, however.

I believe everyone needs to determine based on their own swimming strength and other breathing factors what their own weighting adjustment should be. But I still suggest starting out with neutral buoyancy at maximum depth, and then making whatever adjustments in small increments starting from there, if desired.

I can think of nothing more hazardous to a beginning freediver than to be negatively buoyant at any time during the dive. Of course, an advanced freediver would likely take the liberty.

Thanks for your clarification, however. I am sure it will give our O/P something to think about.

 

[Chad Carney]

And for cold waters, I did not want this person to start out weighting himself negatively for his maximum depth.

But I still suggest starting out with neutral buoyancy at maximum depth, and then making whatever adjustments in small increments starting from there, if desired.

I can think of nothing more hazardous to a beginning freediver than to be negatively buoyant at any time during the dive.

nereas,

We'll just have to politely disagree about weighting.

I had no problem with your other points, although "cautiously take a few breaths" does come across as a somewhat jaded view of breathing up.

Modern freediving training does not dumb-down the content or recommend training wheels the way scuba programs and non-freedivers have addressed the subject for decades.

I've used my 7/5mm one piece suit & hooded vest since late fall and throughout winter and have worn 12 to 14 lbs of weight freediving, (more shallower), and most of my freediving has been from 30' to 80'. Yes, warm water is nice but we don't have it all year either. Fortunately part of the year it does allow for much less buoyancy change.

It's that change in buoyancy that is at the heart of our disagreement. The diver wearing thick suits will work the hardest on a dive if too lightly weighted. If he weights himself for a mid point in the dive he will have a compromise, less work getting down, a good neutral hang depth above the bottom, a negative max depth that allows bottom resting, and finally a good amount of positive buoyancy again at the critical point... 15 feet to the surface.

Modern freedive training is rich with current knowledge about physiology, physics, black out and samba information and safety training to prevent accidents. In the past 7 years Performance Freediving has trained over 2300 people and become known for their quality programs that stress safety as well as performance. Performance Freediving | home |


The OP is an experienced scuba diver asking about freediving training with an expressed interest in fishing and hunting, so he'll be wanting to level off above his max depth most of the time, or laying on the bottom to let fish come back in.

My main point is that freedivers, even beginners, deal with positive, neutral and negative buoyancy every time they dive whether they are in FL, HI, CA or BC. The top trainers in the sport, such as Kirk Krack (PFI) and Martin Stepanek (both of whom I trained under) and others, all teach under all 3 conditions. I'll go with the freedive training leaders every time. Martin has gone independent now. FIT - freediving, monofin, breath hold, spearfishing, snorkeling

Wow, I wish I had a confined water site like Dutch Springs to train freedivers!

Chad

 

[Chad Carney]

please delete

 

[pir8]

Wow, I wish I had a confined water site like Dutch Springs to train freedivers!

Chad

Comeon up and visit us

 

[OceanObsessed]

any one know a shop that teaches freediving classes around nj???

If you ever come down to SE Florida there is also FIT in Fort Lauderdale. It is taught by Martin Stepanek, whom Chad already mentioned. It is another top notch course on the same level as PFI.
-Chris