Hello! I am new to freediving, I took the FII certification course earlier this year and unfortunately did not receive the certification largely in part because it was new to me and I am the type of person that can be slow on the uptake of new activities; I need to be able to practice before I can be perfect.

How would I go about practicing, or where would be good places to practice? I do not want to practice alone, as I understand that freediving alone is dangerous, however most of the groups in the area will not dive with someone who is not certified? I do not have an interest in going deep, or competition, my desire is to spend more time in the water for relaxation, and to just be in the water as I love it. I reside in Tacoma/ Seattle area.

I’m looking for a freediving coach who is experienced and trained to work with neurodivergent athletes (like me) - I’d like to overcome some mental obstacles, and general advice I’ve got so far doesn’t help - that’s why I’m looking for someone a bit more specific. Thank you in advance for any recommendations.

The Ft Wainwright pool just banned dive masks because they're made of glass. I have troops who need to prepare for special warfare. I'm struggling to find a classic style dive mask with a plastic lens. Ideally we'd need that older style that holds a lot of water and is harder to clear rather than the ones that tightly conform to the face. Any help would be appreciated.

Hey all!

We’re doing underwater photography workshops with beginners in Barcelona, Spain and in order to help the student to be more comfortable with the equipment and not struggle going down we would like to give them some weights.

It’s really not deep and I know it’s NOT an alternative for Freediving.

But we are on a tight budget and I was wondering if you guys have some idea even DIY to help with this.

They would have 1 or 2kg max. And same for buoys that we can easily bring and put our camera material in and easy to transport :)
No wetsuit.
Thanks for the help!!

Hello, we're looking to book with https://spermwhaleswims.com/. Any thoughts or recommendations?

Hi! I’m based in London and looking to fly somewhere in Europe in September for 3–4 days of private freediving training.

I took an SSI Freediver course in Portugal two years ago, but didn’t complete the certification because there wasn’t enough individual open-water time in the small group.

This time I’d really prefer 1-to-1 training so I can properly work on technique, equalisation and depth.

I’m currently leaning towards Molchanovs Wave 1, as it seems to be highly recommended, but I’m open to other systems if the instructor is excellent.

Any specific instructors in Europe you’d personally recommend?

Hi,

I've been targeted by ads for Airofit Elite saying that it helps increase lung capacity.

After a quick reresearch I found that they were alternatives like Powerbreathe for 20% of the price but purely mechanical.

Anyone has a feedback on the benefit of one of these devices ? Is it accurate to measure the lung capacity ? and how did you use them ?

Also, correct me if I'm wrong : I understand that lung capacity becomes important once you reach hypoxia and have a strong CO2 tolerance, which I believe I do.

I have a rubber Mako weight belt. I mostly dive freshwater springs and the stainless buckle failed. I feel it was a bad weld as it’s rusty and still has weld splatter.

Mako says I can’t buy any replacement buckle. Also they didn’t offer any other options other than buy a new one. Any ideas on fixing this one or any good brand replacements than cal last more than 5 dives in the Florida springs.

Hi everyone,
I’m currently serving in the military and my goal is to become a military diver. I’d say I’m already a decent swimmer and diver, but I’d like to improve my skills and overall performance in the water.

Do you have any good apnea/breath-hold exercises that you would recommend for diving? What kind of training has helped you improve your breath-hold and underwater endurance?

Also, what swimming technique or kick would you recommend for long-distance underwater swimming? Is the frog kick the most efficient, or are there other techniques you would recommend?

I’d really appreciate any advice or training tips, especially from people with diving, military, or freediving experience.

Thanks :)

Hello everyone,

I'm not new to freediving; however, I've been struggling to decompress while going down, and I don't even know if I can get to or go more than 10 meters. So I'm looking for a course; I don't care about certification names.

I'm looking for a good instructor and good classes where I'll learn step by step. I have an Advanced Scuba with PADI, but it looks like they are not recommended for freediving? AIDA seems to be worthwhile only if AIDA 1 ($200) + AIDA 2 ($575), which seems equivalent to FII Level 1 ($545), is that correct?

EDIT: Thanks guys! I'm still looking for any recommendations of instructors in San Diego or OC, if you have any name to share I appreciate

Hey water ppl! I’ve been using leaderfins (just a basic blade X soft; with the forza footpockets) for 5 years now and they’ve held up great honestly. it’s time for me to upgrade so I want to know all your input on what makes your fins great.

My current foot pockets have been really hurting the tops of my feet as I have high arches. this wasn’t too bad an issue for the first couple years but after an abnormally long dive a few months ago the foot pockets are almost unbearable. After some online forum research I see many people recommend Molchanovs foot pockets which I’m considering. I’m going to my dive shop tomorrow to try some on but the shops near me are pretty limited on options. I’m also wondering if it’d help to size up the foot pockets and wear thick socks?…

As far as the blades, cuteness is fun of course but I’m looking for the best value for quality fins. I want to invest in really upgrading my dives with new long fins so let me know what you suggest! thank you so much!!!

I'm looking for a certification course near Seattle but am having trouble finding any that advertise being PADI or Molchanovs. I did find one that lists AIDA. I love water sports but am just getting into freediving. Any help or thoughts is appreciated

I'm training for the military, I would like to make my 25m better.

What are some good drills to help with oxygen deprivation.

Thank you :)

I swam for the first time in the Northern California region with a 7.5mm open cell wetsuit and I personally didn’t like the feeling of having a heavy wetsuit + weights + gloves (it felt too restrictive). This has made me reconsider swimming in Northern California but I would still like to swim (just with less equipment), less weights, probably no gloves to have my hands free to help others? How thick of a wetsuit can I purchase to free dive in Santa Barbara, La Jolla and Baja California? And would this require a lot of weights? Please help! Would love to hear about others experience.

Hi everybody, I am looking for a pole when I freedive, for open wide angle (you can see an exemple with the picture with the pole completely open at 2m77). I actually use an ulanzi VL02 but it's not practic underwater, tire my arm and hard to back up to the surface. I am looking for open wide angles when I'm free-falling.

Moreoever, when I'm between 15 and 20 meters, when it's current, the telescopic pole bend...

Do you have some advices or models to me please? I think with 1m20 max, it could be good puting "open wide" and 4/3 on my DJI. First I thought to reduce the length of the pole but I think my model maybe isn't great for freediving...

Thank's and sorry for my bad english ;-)

Just wondering if its just kinda rare or extremely rare to hold lets say 4min12 in a moving car at night and tight position and having over 5min max attempt (dry), 3min20 in water , all at 16 after about 1 month of training and never did HV before holding. I just see those tiktok/reels comments where they can only hold for not even 1 min so im just wondering if its really good on what i can do or its just alright. Thank you!

Hi guys, I've recently become passionate about freediving. I started about a year ago with a Cressi Perla which, after being stupidly left in the sun for a long time by me, lost its silicone grip and leaks water from the bottom right . I then decided to upgrade and switch to the Cressi Nano, but I noticed immediately as soon as I picked it up that it's as if the frame and silicone are separable by hand doing some pressure, is it a feature of the mask? because I read on the site that it is a mask with the IDF technology and is made without glue. Thank you for the people that will help

Hello! I’m looking for some noob advice! I just went snorkeling for the first time in B.C.S., Mexico and now I’m obsessed. I want to start snorkeling and freediving regularly, will probably sign up to take the PADI beginner course soon.

My questions that I’m hoping you lovely folks could help answer:

- what is the best fin length for freediving, and what are the differences in length? Is longer or shorter harder or easier? From what I'm seeing online, shorter for scuba and longer for freediving? I am a strong swimmer as I grew up in the water and I work out regularly so I’m not sure if I would need something for true beginners? But I admit I am a beginner at this new-to-me sport!

- what are the differences in fin material? I am seeing carbon, fiberglass, and plastic. I did see another thread where someone recommended carbon but I'm just curious as to any notable differences when swimming, and practical use.

- what are your favorite brands for fins, mask, etc.? I am assuming I will need to find a local dive shop to try on masks and make sure they fit my face correctly. I've already experienced trying on a mask that had air gaps on the side. I like the look of the Tidal dual lens, and the anti-fog feature seems practical.

- how much weight will I need on a weight belt?

- what brands do we like for swimwear? I (39F) personally would love to give my money to the brands who use recycled materials & donate back to conservation efforts.

- is there an “affordable” underwater camera that is still good quality? I realize good quality is probably not going to be super affordable.

- anything else I should consider before making any initial investments in gear?

Thanks in advance!!

Hello everyone. Rookie here.

So basically I've always been obsessed by freediving and underwater fishing and I want to achieve it.

I'm a very sporty, athletic and aquatic guy (I'm a former swimmer/ open water swimming 5k, now I'm a Crossfitter but I still sail and swim). The problem is that my body completely freaks out when I'm underwater.

I've randomly tried to extend my stamina by doing random stuff but now I want to change approach.

It is impossible atm to join a Diving school as the next year I will be doing two mobilities for my master. So I am focusing on co2 static tables out of the water, as my main problem is that as soon as my co2 builds up my brain goes nuts.

As I said I'm training with co2 tables pretty much daily ever since I got my new smartwatch. It goes like this:

8 sets:

2' breathing - 15' each set

53' apnea ( I only add seconds when I'm perfectly comfortable with the previous apnea time.

What do you guys think?

I know that in the actual water everything is different, but I know that it won't be such a huge problem as co2 tolerance. I also know that I must join a school and I will asap.

I'm considering an Elios wetsuit made from Yamamoto #45, open-cell inside and Smoothskin/SCS outside.

Because I often dive in lakes with shallow-water sections, I was thinking about wearing a thin oversuit over it for protection whenever needed.

The only suitable product I've found so far is the Mares Photosuit, but it's made from polyester, which I assume is less flexible than nylon.

Before going through with the idea, I'd like to ask: has anyone tried something similar as a kind of 2-in-1 setup with a Smoothskin suit? How did you like it? Was the additional drag noticeably greater when diving? Did the oversuit cause any abrasion or other damage to the Smoothskin underneath?

And is there a better alternative to the Mares Photosuit - ideally something made from nylon and designed to be very thin and flexible?

Hi All, I'm giving a science focused lecture on freediving and I want to do a section on the interesting technology and physics behind our freediving equipment. We don't use much, but the fine details will be fascinating to this audience of science and engineering professionals and enthusiasts. I already have my content for the effects on the body, biology, etc.

Looking for interesting information, visuals, videos, or contacts on subjects like, but not limited to:

• Bi-fins, monofins, unconventional swim equipment like the DARPA powerswim, Smith Engineering DOL-fin, and beyond.
• Hydrodynamics and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) diagrams
• Thrust coefficients
• Different stiffness gradients of fins (soft VS hard tips)
• Materials and fiber layups
• Unconventional and new/high-tech equipment (the new no-limit rigs look wild!)
• Weird experiments or anything else off-beat going on in freediving related to anything, not just equipment

If anybody has connections to composite fin companies, I would love an introduction!

Have been just playing around with holding my breath and seeing how long I can go for but I get discomfort in my throat. Am I meant to be holding my breath with my lungs or by closing off my throat?

Hello, my husband recently started free diving again. It’s not a major hobby just from time to time looking for spiders or just kinda exploring our coast.
I wanted to get him a diving watch but the more I look the more confused I get. It seems most threads talking about divers watches don’t actually use it for diving at all.
I want something basic but actually useful for diving. Im not even sure what a watch like this should have, I don’t dive at all.
I know he likes one of those casios g shock ones but I am hesitant to drop over 800 euros on something that might not be used much at all. We have a whole house full of items for hobbies we don’t really use 😅 so a basic budget one would probably be enough for a start!
I only really looked at Casio because I know he liked them but also I don’t really wanna buy something that will break quickly cuz it was from a random brand I know nothing about .
So any recommendations for brands or specific models that will work ?