Freediving Tips

Free diving is the perfect way to experience the beauty of underwater realms. Unfettered by clunky scuba gear, the free diver swims as long as he can hold his breath before returning to the surface. A face mask, snorkel, fins and an adventurous spirit are all that you'll need to get started free diving. There are a few tips, though, worth considering.

  1. Choose the Right Mask

    • There are many different kinds of diving masks for different applications. Choosing the right one is important, and not only for reasons of comfort. Bluewater Hunter, an online resource for free divers, recommends a low-volume mask for free diving. "Low volume" refers to the amount of air a face mask can hold. Free divers want low-volume masks because as they dive to greater depths, water pressure pushing against the mask makes it necessary to expel air into the mask (through the nose) to clear the pressure. Low-volume masks require less air to equalize the pressure inside the mask, meaning that air stays in the diver's lungs, extending the amount of time he can stay submerged.

    Clear Your Ears Early and Often

    • Water pressure is the free diver's constant nemesis. Pressure pushing on a diver's eardrums can cause pain and damage to the ear. To avoid this, you must equalize the pressure inside your ears, just as you must equalize pressure in your mask. According to Freedive.net, clearing your ears of pressure early and often is an important thing to remember when free diving. Don't wait until you feel pain or building pressure to clear your ears. Also, don't continue the dive until you have fully cleared your ears, to avoid pain or ear damage.

    Breathing Training

    • To maximize your ability to dive deep and hold your breath for long periods of time, Bluewater Hunters recommends using an air restricting device, or ARD, to condition your lungs. The air restricting device adds resistance to your breathing, and is like weight training for your lungs. Bluewater Hunters advises developing a regimen of breathing cycles that force you to exhale and inhale very strongly, both with and without the ARD. Stick to your regimen seven days a week.

    Choose the Right Fins

    • According to the South Florida Dive Journal, the choice of fins for free diving is critical. Traditional short, stiff scuba diving fins are not what you want to use when free diving. Extremely stiff fins may deliver more speed and power, the Journal reports, but these types of fins also require strength and techniques that most non-professional free divers don't have. Flexible fins may be slower, but will be more comfortable for long days in the water.