In one breath: what freediving is and how to start practicing it

Water covers about 70% of the Earth’s surface. But not all of us can call seas and oceans a comfortable element for ourselves. What can not be said about freedivers – brave guys who without fear and scuba dive to amazing depths and overcome dozens of meters in length.

Recently, the AIDA Cherekel Challenge deep diving competition was held on Lake Chirik-Kyol in Kabardino-Balkaria, and we were lucky to meet one of the most famous freedivers on the planet – fourteen times world champion, holder of 20 world records and president of the Freediving Federation Alexey Molchanov. We asked Alexey to explain what freediving is and how to start practicing it correctly. To tell in such a way that even a person who is not familiar with swimming could understand and, most importantly, be interested in it.

Well, let’s start diving.

What is freediving and what is it like?

Freediving is different types of diving with breath-holding. In sport freediving there are three disciplines: breath-holding in the pool for time, long distance diving and deep diving. If you take freediving in a general sense, you can also compete, take photos or explore the underwater landscape, and socialize with animals.

There are eight official disciplines in freediving. Of these, four are in the pool:

• breath-holding for time;
• the breaststroke long dive without fins;
• long dive in bilasta (two fins) legs crawl;
• long dive in monolasta (one large fin) – a more complex instrument that requires mastery of the dolphin swimming technique.

The depth disciplines are also four:

• breaststroke deep dive without fins – physically demanding because you have to dive without an auxiliary rope and fins;
• the bilasta deep dive;
• deep diving in a monolast;
• hand rope diving is more of a tribute to tradition. For example, Japanese, Polynesian and Greek divers of ancient times fished for shells and sponges.

In the monolast discipline, the results tend to be greater. For example, in long diving in two fins, the absolute world record is 265 meters, and in monolasto – 318. In depth, the world record in bilasta is 113 meters, in monolasta – 130 meters. There is a difference!

Also one of the applied types of freediving is underwater hunting. It is an opportunity to hunt without breathing, to go under water with a pneumatic gun or crossbow gun with rubber rods. This kind of hunting from the point of view of ecology is the most honest.

Sometimes freedivers dive with a rope. What is it for?

A tether is a tool that helps to make the first steps, just like a training track in the pool. It is convenient to navigate around it, you can grab it, hang on to it, learn to compensate pressure and blow out your ears. And then you can dive along the reef, in the open sea without any ropes.

In freediving competitions, the rope is used as a guide, which helps to swim in one straight line, and to ensure safety. A special liner is attached to it so that athletes don’t get lost in the dark water. It also helps in case of underwater currents.

In addition, you should always dive with a partner. Doing it alone is not safe, as it can happen unconsciousness. If you swim incorrectly with a technique that consumes a lot of oxygen, unconsciousness is fraught with drowning. That’s why you need a partner – a qualified instructor.

Freediving appeared thousands of years ago

The very diving with breath-holding appeared thousands of years ago. People fished, hunted, got pearls, shells and sponges from the bottom. In Russia, however, there have always been rivers and outlets to the sea, freediving existed even in tsarist times and was used as a military skill. Units of underwater combat swimmers were created that could conduct special operations, damming and sabotaging ships. In addition, our country has always had a lot of underwater hunters.

The modern development of sport freediving came in Russia a little later than in the world. In Europe, such competitions appeared in the 60-70s of XX century. And when Luc Besson’s movie “The Blue Abyss” (1988) about the history of Jacques Mayol and Enzo Mallorca was released, interest in freediving grew and a special federation was formed, which began to develop the sport primarily in France.

In its pure form, freediving as a sport appeared in the late 90’s – early 2000’s. Then clubs of enthusiasts began to form, which traveled to competitions. For example, the current doctor of our national team Evgeny Butov even then traveled to Europe for training seminars to Umberto Pelizzari – the Italian champion of those times. And in 2005 the Freediving Federation was created – a non-profit association, which organizes championships and nowadays.

What is the right way to start freediving?

Freediving can be called a whole lifestyle, it unites people of all ages. This sport is not about doing something faster or showing explosive qualities, it is about relaxation – and it can be learned at any age.

The training system is built on the principle of courses (waves) and training process. Courses are intensives, which include lectures, theory, practice and passing norms. The very first ones are designed for complete beginners. Those who already have experience just pass them faster.

The first course is focused on building proper breathing, relaxation, compensation for the pressure we face at depth, thanks to ear blowing. The norms of the first level are: holding your breath for 1.5 minutes, swimming 30 meters long in the pool and 12 meters deep. This is achievable by any student with a small number of exceptions, when more time is needed to overcome strong fears or deal with blowout problems. But on the whole it is really a task of a few days – not months or years of training.

Dry land training with breathing exercises is there too, and they complement the main water part. Having practiced for one month, you can be ready for the second level. Here the standards are more complicated: breath-holding for 2.5 minutes, diving in length for two pools, in depth – 24-30 meters.

However, the norms are not the most important part of the second course. Its importance is to understand how to prepare further, to lay the right foundation in terms of relaxation and blowing technique. The standards should be performed easily and without violence. That is why the first three levels are amateur, recreational, they are about laying the right foundation and about being relaxed in the first place.

In total, there are 12 courses for students, depending on combinations and availability: four theoretical, four in swimming pools and four deep sea courses. Then there are six instructor levels: three in the pool and three deep sea. There is also an Instructor Trainer level, and the top level is called ITD – Instructor Trainer Developer. Those who achieve it teach Instructor Trainers.

Skills that are essential for a successful dive

Among the most important are relaxation, including emotional relaxation, and compensating for ear pressure. Also important are the ability to move underwater in breaststroke or fins, diving technique and coordination.

We must not forget about flexibility, chest mobility. Developing the elasticity of our breathing muscles (diaphragm, intercostal muscles, shoulder girdle) is done with the help of breathing exercises.

What equipment should a beginner buy?

Basic equipment

To begin with, it is worth taking a mask for diving and the usual accessories for the pool (swimsuit, cap, swim trunks, slippers and towel). If training takes place in a club or school, a wetsuit and fins are often given out. Therefore, it is perfectly normal to use “school equipment” for the first steps.

Wetsuit

In freediving, any weather conditions are tolerated quite calmly. If the suit is properly selected in thickness and fit, there is no struggle with cold. Often freedivers make their suits according to individual measurements, but at the first stage you can use common ones. Then, when there will be an understanding at what water temperature will be most practiced, you can buy your own.

There are no universal wetsuits, they go by increasing thickness. There are thin (1-1,5 mm) for pools and warm seas, where the water temperature is 27-30 degrees. Where it is colder, you will need suits with a thickness of 3 mm. For water up to 10 degrees – already 5-7 mm. And 9 mm – for icy water and longer stay in it.

Flippers

At first, training ones are used – rubber and soft. In them the best technique is put and memorized movements. And long fins of more complex design (carbon, fiberglass or monolast) – this is the further logical development of the freediver.

What is the most difficult and dangerous in freediving?

The most difficult thing when diving deep is to learn how to compensate for ear pressure, relax the chest and respiratory muscles. If you don’t do this, you may feel like you’ve run out of air – you’ll feel like your lungs are empty.

In long diving in the pool it is difficult to work with the desire to breathe. When you swim, it becomes very pronounced. You need to be able to relax technically, to work with this desire and to develop economy of movement. It is also important to understand its cause: why does it arise, what provokes it? We are not always aware of our capabilities, and in freediving they are studied. For example, we have a huge supply of oxygen not only in our lungs but also in our blood. We can use it economically, for a very long time, if we do it right.

If we talk about scary moments, it can be frightening to meet marine animals. For example, with sharks – I’ve dived with bull sharks. Although when you are in clear water, they see you, do not perceive you as prey and react quite calmly. We are not part of their diet. When I swam in clear water with sharks, they would just swim up, look and swim away.

However, the most dangerous places are where visibility is poor. That’s when sharks can make a mistake and attack.

Lastly: 3 tips from a pro for a beginner.

If there is a desire to practice, the very first rule is not to start with independent attempts to hold your breath in the bathtub or in the pool. Because you need to learn the basics.

The second advice is to find an instructor. Maybe go to another city, if there are no schools in your own – it is worth it. Freediving is a very cool sport, but it requires a thorough approach with getting a good base from experienced people.

And the third lifehack is to strive not for results, but to learn to dive with pleasure and quality. Evaluate everything not in numbers, but in feelings. And then, when experience is accumulated, you can progress.