Freediving, also known as breath-hold diving, is the fastest growing water sport in the world. A freediver relies on a single breath of air to take them to depths, some past recreational SCUBA diving limits.  A diver descends into the abyss slowly and as hydrodynamic as possible to explore the undersea world. A freediver tries to conserve energy to extend the time needed to reach target depths. Drag is a primary concern, rather than a bulky, self-contained underwater breathing apparatus or “SCUBA”, the freediver must streamline their profile. Moving gracefully without wasting energy, the freediver descends, becoming more adapted to the undersea environment with repetitive dives. Freedivers view the underwater world from the surface of the water as well as the depths. It is a natural form of diving, the way we are meant to dive. The brief time spent underwater on a freedive is a rich and intensely beautiful experience. Gracefully slipping underwater, hearing only their heart beat and the sounds of the sea, freedivers feel a pure connection to the ocean. Freediving is an aquatic adventure that allows enthusiastic men and women to experience the sights, sounds and challenges of the most natural of underwater experiences.

Fish respond to freedivers much better than scuba divers, thus allowing the freediver a closer and more intimate experience with marine life. With no bubbles and slow, graceful movements, the freediver resembles an aquatic mammal. The vast majority of freedivers claim to be able to approach and interact with fish much more intimately than when using scuba equipment. As hunters, we have found this fish interaction to be especially true in waters shallower than 100 feet immediately upon entry. Freediving is a way to visit this fantastic environment with nothing but a deep breath of air. These brief underwater encounters, whether 30 seconds or a few minutes, make free divers feel as though they are not just a visitor, but a member of the sea. Some freedivers can reach depths below 100 feet. Freediving is about the comfort and exploration of the ocean realm for recreation,, spearfishing, competition, photography and underwater videography or simply personal discovery. To purely freedive is not to compete with someone else, it is to compete with one’s self. To spearfish while freediving, however, has plenty of competition. Freediving is a journey, an exploration of one's capabilities and potentials. Freediving is a calm, peaceful and relatively safe activity. It can, however, be a potentially dangerous one depending on individual physiology and state of mind. Freediving while underwater hunting is constantly evolving from gear to technique every dive is a constant challenge and learning experience.

Because of today’s technology, freedive equipment has made huge advancements. A freediver no longer needs to kick hard to descend to a fixed neutral depth, remain negative throughout the bottom portion of the dive, or fight to ascend to the surface at the most critical time of a breath-hold. Freedivers use specialty fins known as long-blade fins, some of which are made of carbon fiber and other materials that were not available before. They also use compact or low-volume face masks, streamlined snorkels, rubber weight belts and wetsuits of various thicknesses and materials that aid in their movement through the water. The fins operate as extensions of the freediver’s legs. Freedivers depend on special European-style, long, flexible fins with lots of "memory" in their resilient blades. The wetsuit is the freediver's second skin as it helps keep the body warm while in the water. Wetsuits are always used on freedives even in the warmest water, because anything below 98.6 degrees Celsius will still leach energy from the diver over a period of time.  Wetsuits, when used in conjunction with a weight belt, will aid the diver on the descent because the increase of pressure shrinks the tiny air spaces in the suit making it less buoyant and allowing the led weights to take over. The rubber weight belt is put on tight at the surface and stays snug to the body as it is compressed with increasing depth and pressure, unlike nylon belts which lack this elasticity. Undistracted by a shifting weight belt, the diver is able to glide to the bottom with minimal effort, conserving energy and oxygen. The reverse happens on the way back to the surface as the diver becomes more buoyant. The mask enables the freediver to see this underwater environment clearly by creating an air space between the eyes and the water. To equalize, the free diver must simply blow a small amount of air out of their nose into the mask, therefore more air can be conserved with a lower volume mask. A mask with a nose pocket is also important for freediving as it allows the nostrils to be pinched off while equalizing the sinuses at increased depth and pressure. Freediving computers in the form of a wristwatch are available to give the diver essential information while keeping a logged history of dives, depths, time, and temperature. If a speargun is used, a low profile rounded Euro style gun creates less drag and gives more mobility, but sometimes lacks the power an American style enclosed track gun can offer. Combining the best of both worlds the evolution of the perfect speargun is now available with the “AMERO” exclusively through Blue Water Sensations. The appropriate equipment is vital to a successful freedive and hunt, but it is proper mental training, experience, technique and physical conditioning that determine the depths he or she can safely achieve.

Freedivers who spearfish have adapted new ways to hunt their prey on a breath of air. Underwater hunters will perform a stealthy descend for surprise attacks on unsuspecting prey. If an ambush is not available, the hunter will minimize their energy usage by picking a spot on the bottom of the sea floor to wait. Once settled on the bottom, they then call the fish in closer by making grunting noises from within themselves or using rocks against each other to attract a curious territorial fish within shooting range. If the fish are too deep, a freediver will use chum and flashers to bring the fish up to a manageable depth from the structure down below.  Proper training and education is mandatory to successfully understand proper breathing techniques, proper equalizing, proper underwater motions, and proper buddy techniques, including freediver rescue. Advanced freedivers conducting repetitive deep dives with long periods underwater and little recovery time at the surface can develop decompression sickness from an accumulation of nitrogen in the body, but most recreational freedivers do not come close to suffering from this phenomenon.

Freedivers who pit themselves against the elements of the sea with one breath of air must channel stress properly while being cognizant of the risks involved and always respecting the ocean and ocean life. Especially if spearfishing is involved, a freediver must always be aware of their surroundings and the higher risk of entanglement. In hunting, even with the best abilities and equipment, repeated success will be awarded to those who study fish patterns specific to water temperature, moon phase, and time of year. These things considered, freediving can be an incredibly beautiful journey filled with extreme and otherwise unattainable encounters with sea life which can significantly enhance a diver’s love for the ocean.

Despite any diver’s ability or personal experience level, we at Blue Water Sensations recommend professional training before attempting open water freedives for educational and safety reasons.