Subcurrent
Registered
Hi,
Even though I've been diving my whole life, I'm definitely new to freediving. Bottom line: I want to find a training agency and course that doesn't cost $400 dollars or more, plus requires me to travel great distances.
Backstory: I grew up on a lake in South Florida so I was always in the water every chance I could get. I never pushed myself deep or did really long dives even though later, I found out the lake was about 40ft deep. I easily could dive that, even using just snorkeling fins, which is allI had at the time. It took me a little while to take the plunge and move the next level: Scuba Diving. I moved to Jacksonville, FL and was PADI certified in 2007 and currently have about 80-100 scuba dives under my belt. My current certification is Advanced Open Water Diver and Nitrox. Then I moved back to South Florida.
As I researched and dove further into the sport, I came across two other types of diving: spearfishing and freediving. The camo look and the higher quality gear prompted me to get some my own equipment in 2015. I've always had a passion to explore the water as an underwater photographer would, shooting with a camera instead of a speargun. I plan to continue my training at a later date when I have saved enough to for the Rescue course and my own side-mount gear, with one exception. I'll be sporting two-piece camo suit, low volume mask, and freediving fins. My goal is to get a Solo Diver Certification card so I can go out whenever I want, where-ever I want. And to be perfectly blunt, every scuba diver should know how to be self sufficient instead of relying on their buddy to get them out of trouble.
And let's face it, freediving gear is just made better, period because it's all about diving fast and efficient, conserving the most air possible. Scuba divers would be fools not to follow this logic. The suits are warmer, the fins are more efficient and you can get modified carbon/fiberglass fins that are shorter for more penetration dives, if you're into that. Plus, that camo look is so damn cool looking.
SWEEEET!
Currently,I have open-cell 3mm black spearfishing two-piece suit, a 5mm 2 piece camo suit, weights, omar rubber belt, Aqualung Sphera and snorkel, Cressi 3000 LDs, as well as dive socks, boots, and gloves, basic dive flag/float, bag/backpack and of course, dive lights.
If I had to classify my type of diving whether with a tank or freediving, I'd say I'm an Underwater Urban Explorer. I once found an old 1970s style Taxi sunk in the back of a small condo in a retention pond. Also, the bottom topography of a lake or waterway can really transport you back in time and reveal how that system was built, not to mention all the sea critters in the nooks and crannies. I could spend hours just looking at the little things. I once saw a tiny sea horse at night. So I like to explore wrecks, submerged structures, fish, coral, etc, just as a scuba divers usually do, but with freediving vs a sidemount rig on my back.
At midnight, I was swimming in a lake with a colored waterfall in the center and it turned on while I was diving. I just watched it from underneath as long as possible in awe.
Imagine looking up at that underwater.
So I guess I'm not your typical diver but I like it that way.
I'm only interested in learning the safety aspect so I can be safe freediving with a new buddy. I don't have any interest in spearfishing or hunting nor do I have any desire to improve my bottom time freediving or getting into competition/dynamic/static apnea and training. I can always decide later if I want to pursue more advanced freediving courses. If I can dive for 1 minute or so safely, I'll be happy. I'm looking for a Safe Freediver and Intro to Freediving course, if that even exists. I want to see how deep I can go without training and know what my current breath hold time is without training.
What concerns me is I've talked a couple of instructors and DeeperBlue members who are all telling me the same thing: a freedive course pushes you to your limit and works with you to improve you breathing and safety so you can dive deeper and longer. This includes FFI courses which seem to focus on going deeper and deeper, longer which each level. You learn how to dive using a line down to your pre-determined depth limit and you hold the line going back up, with your buddy watching you for the last 5 or so meters to surface. How wonderfully interesting! If I planned on every going deep or long enough to get even remotely close to blacking out, I might discipline myself to do it.
In saying that, I REALLY need to get some things off my chest so I can relax again so please bare with me. The following is not meant to offend anyone. Enjoy... :LOL:
I get being all "one with the water zen-thing." Believe me, I'm a big fan! I rest frequently at the bottom or hang in mid-water just because I like to feel weightless.
But I seriously digress this type of supervision and training. Following a line to the depths, not the bottom and going back up again is so boring-sounding to me. And these photos are to convince me to get into freediving???? It looks like a Yoga class underwater. Plus, the guy in that 2nd pic has something VERY STRANGE sticking out of his private area. I don't even want to know...
OMG... OPEN YOUR EYES! 
NO LIGHT, NO CAMERA... 
No, I don't care if you're trying to improve my breath hold time, if you hold me down like this...
....or this
YOU'RE GETTING PUNCHED!!!!
So as Wendy would say...
...DON'T &%#$ WITH ME.
Okay, I'm calm now. Back on topic.
I'd like to find a course that will do what I'm wanting to accomplish and leave out all of the hardcore, freedive, competitive, breathhold/apnea training that I'm not interested in. So I have no desire whatsoever to do any of that, though I think it's important to know one's limitations and how to be safe in the water but it will be on my terms. Also, I'm hoping there's a course that won't cost me a fortune since I'm only asking for the safety essentials. I know there's a spearfishing only course that focuses more on being safe while diving rather than apnea training. But again, I do not spearfish so it would be a waste of money unless the course was tailored to specifically to remove that and focus on exploration instead.
I don't expect to find any buddy until I have at least gone through the basics of freediving training so I can be safe, if only for my buddy who insists on pushing themselves to the point of blacking out. :cautious:
Yeah, if I want to be down longer than a minute or so, I'll use a Hookah. I see many spearos using them as an alternative to heavy scuba gear. What I don't see is a level of backup in case the Hookah suddenly stops working...
UPDATE: I just learned that some LDS teach this FFI Level 1 Freediving course but you don't have to reach the maximum depth of the course, only what you're comfortable reaching. I would assume that you that might go for maximum breath hold time too. This is conflicting information from what I've heard previously.
I'm not sure exactly how deep I can go freediving because I've never measured it. If it was close to the 66 ft mark, I'd be happy. I suspect it might be as I used to use heavy scuba fins. With freediving fins, I can go even deeper in about the same time. But since most of my dives are not with a buddy, I don't feel comfortable learning how to push myself past my limit into the danger zone. The fear is getting too confident and ignoring my body's natural reaction. This would severely limit my diving which I don't want to happen. I'm perfectly happy diving in the shallows, cruising the bottom, looking at fish and stuff. The type of diving I want to do which is closer to dynamic apnea but with a safety margin. I'd rather scuba dive if I want a longer bottom time. Sorry but that's the way I feel. But on the other hand, I want to be a safe freediver so I can get a buddy who doesn't mind diving with me. Unlike scuba diving courses, none of the freediving courses I've looked at seem to fit the type of diving I'm doing. I'm really at a loss for which to try. The one thing I'd be interested in is finding out how deep I can go without any additional training. As an added bonus, I'd learn how to dive safely if I ever wanted to dive with a buddy.
So if you've managed to read this far down the page, I want to thank you. By now, you should understand what I'm looking for, the type of diving I want to do, and which training and agency would be the best relative to my area.
I'm calling to all the experts and experienced divers to guide me. I'm greatly looking forward to reading your responses. Until then, I wish you safe and happy diving!
Thank You Again,
Sub
Even though I've been diving my whole life, I'm definitely new to freediving. Bottom line: I want to find a training agency and course that doesn't cost $400 dollars or more, plus requires me to travel great distances.
Backstory: I grew up on a lake in South Florida so I was always in the water every chance I could get. I never pushed myself deep or did really long dives even though later, I found out the lake was about 40ft deep. I easily could dive that, even using just snorkeling fins, which is allI had at the time. It took me a little while to take the plunge and move the next level: Scuba Diving. I moved to Jacksonville, FL and was PADI certified in 2007 and currently have about 80-100 scuba dives under my belt. My current certification is Advanced Open Water Diver and Nitrox. Then I moved back to South Florida.
As I researched and dove further into the sport, I came across two other types of diving: spearfishing and freediving. The camo look and the higher quality gear prompted me to get some my own equipment in 2015. I've always had a passion to explore the water as an underwater photographer would, shooting with a camera instead of a speargun. I plan to continue my training at a later date when I have saved enough to for the Rescue course and my own side-mount gear, with one exception. I'll be sporting two-piece camo suit, low volume mask, and freediving fins. My goal is to get a Solo Diver Certification card so I can go out whenever I want, where-ever I want. And to be perfectly blunt, every scuba diver should know how to be self sufficient instead of relying on their buddy to get them out of trouble.
And let's face it, freediving gear is just made better, period because it's all about diving fast and efficient, conserving the most air possible. Scuba divers would be fools not to follow this logic. The suits are warmer, the fins are more efficient and you can get modified carbon/fiberglass fins that are shorter for more penetration dives, if you're into that. Plus, that camo look is so damn cool looking.
Currently,I have open-cell 3mm black spearfishing two-piece suit, a 5mm 2 piece camo suit, weights, omar rubber belt, Aqualung Sphera and snorkel, Cressi 3000 LDs, as well as dive socks, boots, and gloves, basic dive flag/float, bag/backpack and of course, dive lights.
If I had to classify my type of diving whether with a tank or freediving, I'd say I'm an Underwater Urban Explorer. I once found an old 1970s style Taxi sunk in the back of a small condo in a retention pond. Also, the bottom topography of a lake or waterway can really transport you back in time and reveal how that system was built, not to mention all the sea critters in the nooks and crannies. I could spend hours just looking at the little things. I once saw a tiny sea horse at night. So I like to explore wrecks, submerged structures, fish, coral, etc, just as a scuba divers usually do, but with freediving vs a sidemount rig on my back.
At midnight, I was swimming in a lake with a colored waterfall in the center and it turned on while I was diving. I just watched it from underneath as long as possible in awe.
So I guess I'm not your typical diver but I like it that way.
I'm only interested in learning the safety aspect so I can be safe freediving with a new buddy. I don't have any interest in spearfishing or hunting nor do I have any desire to improve my bottom time freediving or getting into competition/dynamic/static apnea and training. I can always decide later if I want to pursue more advanced freediving courses. If I can dive for 1 minute or so safely, I'll be happy. I'm looking for a Safe Freediver and Intro to Freediving course, if that even exists. I want to see how deep I can go without training and know what my current breath hold time is without training.
What concerns me is I've talked a couple of instructors and DeeperBlue members who are all telling me the same thing: a freedive course pushes you to your limit and works with you to improve you breathing and safety so you can dive deeper and longer. This includes FFI courses which seem to focus on going deeper and deeper, longer which each level. You learn how to dive using a line down to your pre-determined depth limit and you hold the line going back up, with your buddy watching you for the last 5 or so meters to surface. How wonderfully interesting! If I planned on every going deep or long enough to get even remotely close to blacking out, I might discipline myself to do it.
In saying that, I REALLY need to get some things off my chest so I can relax again so please bare with me. The following is not meant to offend anyone. Enjoy... :LOL:
I get being all "one with the water zen-thing." Believe me, I'm a big fan! I rest frequently at the bottom or hang in mid-water just because I like to feel weightless.
But I seriously digress this type of supervision and training. Following a line to the depths, not the bottom and going back up again is so boring-sounding to me. And these photos are to convince me to get into freediving???? It looks like a Yoga class underwater. Plus, the guy in that 2nd pic has something VERY STRANGE sticking out of his private area. I don't even want to know...
No, I don't care if you're trying to improve my breath hold time, if you hold me down like this...
....or this
YOU'RE GETTING PUNCHED!!!!
So as Wendy would say...
...DON'T &%#$ WITH ME.
Okay, I'm calm now. Back on topic.
I'd like to find a course that will do what I'm wanting to accomplish and leave out all of the hardcore, freedive, competitive, breathhold/apnea training that I'm not interested in. So I have no desire whatsoever to do any of that, though I think it's important to know one's limitations and how to be safe in the water but it will be on my terms. Also, I'm hoping there's a course that won't cost me a fortune since I'm only asking for the safety essentials. I know there's a spearfishing only course that focuses more on being safe while diving rather than apnea training. But again, I do not spearfish so it would be a waste of money unless the course was tailored to specifically to remove that and focus on exploration instead.
I don't expect to find any buddy until I have at least gone through the basics of freediving training so I can be safe, if only for my buddy who insists on pushing themselves to the point of blacking out. :cautious:
Yeah, if I want to be down longer than a minute or so, I'll use a Hookah. I see many spearos using them as an alternative to heavy scuba gear. What I don't see is a level of backup in case the Hookah suddenly stops working...
UPDATE: I just learned that some LDS teach this FFI Level 1 Freediving course but you don't have to reach the maximum depth of the course, only what you're comfortable reaching. I would assume that you that might go for maximum breath hold time too. This is conflicting information from what I've heard previously.
I'm not sure exactly how deep I can go freediving because I've never measured it. If it was close to the 66 ft mark, I'd be happy. I suspect it might be as I used to use heavy scuba fins. With freediving fins, I can go even deeper in about the same time. But since most of my dives are not with a buddy, I don't feel comfortable learning how to push myself past my limit into the danger zone. The fear is getting too confident and ignoring my body's natural reaction. This would severely limit my diving which I don't want to happen. I'm perfectly happy diving in the shallows, cruising the bottom, looking at fish and stuff. The type of diving I want to do which is closer to dynamic apnea but with a safety margin. I'd rather scuba dive if I want a longer bottom time. Sorry but that's the way I feel. But on the other hand, I want to be a safe freediver so I can get a buddy who doesn't mind diving with me. Unlike scuba diving courses, none of the freediving courses I've looked at seem to fit the type of diving I'm doing. I'm really at a loss for which to try. The one thing I'd be interested in is finding out how deep I can go without any additional training. As an added bonus, I'd learn how to dive safely if I ever wanted to dive with a buddy.
So if you've managed to read this far down the page, I want to thank you. By now, you should understand what I'm looking for, the type of diving I want to do, and which training and agency would be the best relative to my area.
I'm calling to all the experts and experienced divers to guide me. I'm greatly looking forward to reading your responses. Until then, I wish you safe and happy diving!
Thank You Again,
Sub
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