And skin diving is doing something in between 
Proper use of Snorkel in Free Diving
- Thread starter BoltSnap
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
Arubandi07
Contributor
Yesss, by all means!!! Otherwise, Eeeel Bait ...
ImmersionFreediving
Registered
A freediver looks at the surface as a resting zone where they are refueling and breathing up so they can get back to where they want to be which is underwater.
thanks, I think those are great answers. I didn't realize it, but I guess I am a freediver 
I would agree that 20feet is pretty deep (for non-competitive freedivers like me). 20feet is about my max, I usually take along my dive computer when snorkeling, and have checked depths at times, but mostly for temperature and time (so I am not late for dinner)
I would agree that 20feet is pretty deep (for non-competitive freedivers like me). 20feet is about my max, I usually take along my dive computer when snorkeling, and have checked depths at times, but mostly for temperature and time (so I am not late for dinner)
Hank49
Contributor
Your scuba computer must freak out on the rapid ascents from 20 feet.
It takes me a long time to warm up to my max dives. My first 4-5 dives of the day are short. But after about an hour I really get relaxed. Then I hit a peak and begin to tire a bit and my times become shorter. Maybe because I don't eat all day when free diving. I just drink a lot of water. If I eat, I get heartburn.
It takes me a long time to warm up to my max dives. My first 4-5 dives of the day are short. But after about an hour I really get relaxed. Then I hit a peak and begin to tire a bit and my times become shorter. Maybe because I don't eat all day when free diving. I just drink a lot of water. If I eat, I get heartburn.
Bob DBF
Contributor
I am an Abalone diver in NorCal for the past 30 years or so. Abalone legally has to be taken without the use of SCUBA or any compressed air so I have done a bit of snorkeling / freediving. Competitave freediving is a whole different cat and although I have learned from them, I don't engage in the activity.
Abalone eat kelp so they live in and around kelp forests and the thicker the kelp the less likley someone has gone in and disturbed them (taken and eaten). This is also true wirh turbulent water and rockpiles.
I have an Abalone iron (prybar) bungied on one wrist and an Abalone gage bungied on the other, and should I take an Abalone, I look like a reciever juggling the Abalone and tucking it away on the way to the surface. I explain this because it impacts how I dive.
I weight so that I am neutral at 15 - 25' depending on the depth I'm diving. I don't want to kick up more than once to reach the point where I am buoyant and need not do any work to surface.
On the surface I am face down, breathing thru the snorkle, and relax and rest from the last dive. Other than relaxing, making sure my breathing is regular and taking a larger breath before I dive, I have no workup.
On the way up, I look for a hole in the kelp, since the snorkle is angled down any air I breathe out clears the snorkle, and I put the now clear snorkle up through the hole and breathe. This keeps me under the kelp and there is no fighting the kelp to get above it and back down through it each dive. When diving without the kelp it is that much easier and I dive the same out of habit and practice.
I keep the snorkle in my mouth at all times. I never use my tongue to block the snorkle. I have not had or ever seen a case of shallow water blackout, which is seen in competative circles caused by aggressive breathe up routines with longer and deeper diving.
If anyone wants to extend their time/depth freediving, before you start making up your own version of hyperventelation, find a freedive class 'cause they know their s**t.
Bob
---------------------------
I may be old, but Im not dead yet.
A man's got to know his limitations.
Harry Callahan
Abalone eat kelp so they live in and around kelp forests and the thicker the kelp the less likley someone has gone in and disturbed them (taken and eaten). This is also true wirh turbulent water and rockpiles.
I have an Abalone iron (prybar) bungied on one wrist and an Abalone gage bungied on the other, and should I take an Abalone, I look like a reciever juggling the Abalone and tucking it away on the way to the surface. I explain this because it impacts how I dive.
I weight so that I am neutral at 15 - 25' depending on the depth I'm diving. I don't want to kick up more than once to reach the point where I am buoyant and need not do any work to surface.
On the surface I am face down, breathing thru the snorkle, and relax and rest from the last dive. Other than relaxing, making sure my breathing is regular and taking a larger breath before I dive, I have no workup.
On the way up, I look for a hole in the kelp, since the snorkle is angled down any air I breathe out clears the snorkle, and I put the now clear snorkle up through the hole and breathe. This keeps me under the kelp and there is no fighting the kelp to get above it and back down through it each dive. When diving without the kelp it is that much easier and I dive the same out of habit and practice.
I keep the snorkle in my mouth at all times. I never use my tongue to block the snorkle. I have not had or ever seen a case of shallow water blackout, which is seen in competative circles caused by aggressive breathe up routines with longer and deeper diving.
If anyone wants to extend their time/depth freediving, before you start making up your own version of hyperventelation, find a freedive class 'cause they know their s**t.
Bob
---------------------------
I may be old, but Im not dead yet.
A man's got to know his limitations.
Harry Callahan
Bob, have you ever been tangled in the kelp and had to free yourself before ascending?
Hank49
Contributor
The only blackout I've seen WAS IN the PFI course I took last June. Kirk told us it might happen. My son and I did the course together since we spearfish together and the main thing I wanted to get out of the course was the safety aspect, since my son is a testosterone loaded 22 year old who thinks he's bullet proof.
We were doing the static breath hold in four feet of water while hanging onto the steps off the stern of a boat. Slowly building up on day 2, I made it to 5 minutes. Naturally Jake had to beat the old man so he makes to to 5 min 8 sec, popped up, took one breath and blacked out. I grabbed his head like they showed us and he came to in seconds wondering why I was holding him. At first he didn't believe he blacked out. A REAL eye opener....for us both.
Now we dive strictly one up, one down. If he surfaces and I'm more than 15 feet away, he yells at me. haha. Sometimes I lose sight of him in not so good vis when he goes deep.
The course was very good. You do have to make adaptations for spearfishing though. They use a strict weight protocol that doesn't apply if you're hunting on the bottom in only 30-40 feet. I add more weight.
Similar threads
