Learning to freedive can have many different benefits for different people. Here's just a few. 5 Benefits of Learning to Freedive: 1. You will be safer 2. You will be more relaxed 3. You will have more successful dives 4. You will learn a better way to breathe 5. You will meet other divers
A group of level 1 freedivers pose before getting in the water to start their course
"At it's essence this is really what the freediving mentality is all about: How you can go diving while staying relaxed, being safe, and achieving your goals."
Safety
Let's face it. Like rock climbing, when done incorrectly the consequences can be fatal. That's why when you learn to freedive the first thing we teach you is how to do it safely. By getting in the right mindset you can dive for the rest of your life with the assurance that you will be safe. Freediving is a team sport. Unlike the movies The Big Blue and others that focus on a single diver plunging into the depths, freediving is all about having a competent buddy who can provide safety for you while you dive. It's that simple.
Relaxation
Much of the benefetis of learning to freedive come from point number 4. learning to breathe correctly. This is one of them. Because you have a good safety in place 1. you will have the confidence to explore your limits. This will allow you to focus on the task at hand, diving! When you learn how to properly prepare for a dive it means you begin your dive in the right state of mind and with your physiology prepared for the task at hand. With the proper freediving techniques, you'll be able to move more efficiently through the water which means you'll get where you're going with ease and as a result you'll be more relaxed when you get there. By learning to breathe correctly you will be more relaxed at the start of your dive which leads into the next point, you will have more successful dives.
Success
Success isn't always about depth. Some people want to go deeper and that's what they identify freediving with. It's as if going from an extreme snorkeler to a freediver is defined by some imaginary depth marker. Really, learning to freedive doesn't have to be about any depth at all as holding your breath can be done in the comfort of your own pool sitting completely still while doing a static breath-hold. Many students will be amazed at their ability to hold their breath much longer than they previously anticipated. This makes it possible to have longer dives, deeper dives, or just more relaxing dives. Either way a large part of your success as someone learning to freedive depends on your ability to sustain the 'dive'. At it's essence this is really what the freediving mentality is all about. How you can go diving and be successful while staying relaxed, being safe, and achieving your goals. Some people's goals are about how long they can hold thier breath. Others want to go deep. Some use it in thier line of work. And many more just want to have fun in a healthy way.
A level 1 student practices her static breath hold in the pool
Breathing By learning to freedive we can also learn proper breathing technique. Breathing is pretty important when learning to freedive. Proper breathing technique will set you up for a more relaxed, and successful dive. As freedivers our dives are limited by the time we can spend underwater as our bodies consume the limited stores of oxygen we carry with us. This means we can set ourselves up in a way that leads to longer, and more successful dives just by doing something we already do all day every day, breathing!
Don't be fooled. Learning to breathe correctly is not only applicable to freediving. It can also be used in your everyday life. With relaxed breathing like you will learn in a freediving course you can use it to reduce stress and oxygenate your body with very little effort. It can help in yoga, stressful situations, when you're tired, or even when you're sick and your lungs aren't working as well. There are so many applications for something as simple as breathing!
Meeting People
Like any sport, freediving has it's very own community growing around it. It's one of the fastest growing sports and here in Kona the number of divers is growing quickly. People are moving from other parts of the United States and even the world because the diving is so good here in Kona. My mother-in-law Annabel Edwards began freediving here in Kona in the year 2000. Since she started it the group of freedivers she meets with every sunday for 'Church' has grown. The event is well attended by all kinds of freedivers from around the world. Young and seasoned, man and woman everyone comes to dive and have fun. At the end of the gathering there is a potluck when everyone brings something to share with the group. It's been fun to see the sport grow over the years. Funny enough I also met my wife freediving, and we now have 2 sons who ove the water at least as much as we do! As an avid freediver since the age of 1 I consider it my life's mission to share the sport with as many people as possible because I believe it's one of the best ways to see nature, meet people, get a great workout, and most importantly have fun!
Learn to Freedive Now If you want to learn to freedive there is no better time than right now. Connect with other divers and learn to freedive correctly. You may not know it yet but there are groups of divers around the world beginning to get together and form clubs and groups who dive regularly. All you need is some water and with the right education you can turn it into a fun way to practice this amazing sport together. Join Kona Freedivers in our next level 1 course. Course dates and info is listed on our website here.