How much can a Professional free diver earn?

[MatthewD]

Hi, I'm new to free diving and was just wondering how much these top freedivers earn with all their sponsorships etc.
Obviously you dont get into free diving to get rich but does anyone have any idea?
Also Is it dangerous to free dive while taking medication? I have ADD so I take prozac to help me concentrate not for depression fortunantly!
Your advice would be appreciated.

Matt

[efattah]

Few few people have managed to survive by just freediving competitively. Most are barely paying their bills. The three main divers who managed to go beyond the 'standard' are Tanya Streeter, Umberto Pelizzari and Pipin Ferreras. To my knowledge the biggest single 'deal' any freediver made was the movie OceanMen (IMAX), which starred Umberto and Pipin. They each received $250K USD for the movie, which took a long time to make. These days there appears to be the most promise if you are a beautiful woman and you can challenge men's records. Then you have a good chance to make a living from the sport, although much of your income would come from TV/magazine appearances, rather than sponsorship.

I'm uncertain exactly who is currently making a living by competitive diving; Carlos Coste and Ryuzo Shinomiya and two that come to mind (in addition to Tanya).

BTW, have you tried taking essential fats (flax/hemp oil/fish oil) for your ADD? You might be able to avoid the prozac.

[Alun]

i think a more realistic and viable way to make a living as a freediver is somewhat less glamorous but perhaps far more fulfilling - and that is to become an instructor. i think it can be hard to be a financially successful freediving instructor... you need to have access to the right locations (which are not too remote/expensive) and be able to tap into a decent sized market. maybe another option would be as a commercial spearfisherman or 'shellfisherman' (if there is such a term!)?

if you become a world class diver and money comes your way then that's a great bonus, but if your ultimate goal is to become a professional full-time world class freediver then you're probably in for a bumpy ride...

regarding your condition i would seek the advice of a doctor who specialises in diving medicine.

[superhornet59]

i think you could get a fair amount of money off freediving, in terms of sponsors and the sort. but considering your going to be using a boat, equipment, gas, ect. you sort of balance out with the money. a freediving INSTRUCTOR on the other hand would make enough money to live an okay life, but indeed nobody has really gotten into freediving for the money, unless it was a chick, which just HAD to spend money (i never said which way the money flow with you ladies!). shopping deprivation i would imagine .

and the ADD thing, indeed oils are good for it. technicly i have it as well (and my name is Matt too! COOL!) but i think freediving has given me the mental strength to cope with it, and ive been able to suppress it.

welcome to freediving (and the site i believe)

best of luck -Matt

[deeppeace]

Hi

Just thought I would respond to this thread seeing as my name has come up. I don't want anyone to be mislead about how money can be made in this sport. In my experience, sponsorship opportunities are the most lucrative. Appearances can also bring in some cash, but don't expect to make money on print interviews (I have only ever been paid for print interviews once or twice in the event of exclusive interviews), and very seldom for TV interviews (talk shows, etc). Of course, my expenses are always covered in conjunction with these interviews, either by the media outlet or by my sponsors. Another potential earner will be your participation in documentary-style television productions and sale of your own freediving footage for such films.

It did take me a long time and several world records before sponsorship and other remuneration opportunities came my way, however. So to begin with I was forced to do a lot of stuff either for nothing or just for my expenses.

I hope this information helps you to have a realistic view of what kind of money can be made and how. Just keep in mind at all times that any media outlet, company etc that approaches you for your involvment is because you bring something to their end product. Only work for nothing if it is really good exposure relating to your ultimate freediving career objectives. Whenever a production company approached me for my involvement in a film but said they had no budget to pay me, I would only agree to take part if everyone else (camera, director, editor, etc) were working for free. Naturally, I was being sarcastic.....there is money in their budget for you, you just have to show them you are worth it and that you know what you are doing! Good luck.

My two cents worth regarding taking any kind of medication while freediving - consult your physician and proceed with absolute caution.

Tanya Streeter

[Fondueset]

Sort of off topic but: It happens I've done some research on the Prozac family, though I've never used them myself.

5-htp is an amino acid and seratonin precursor that is sometimes used to replace SRIs. It essentially boosts seratonin levels through the body's natural digestive mechanism whereas drugs like prozac increase seratonin levels by inhibiting it's reabsorbtion. I think the reason Prozac etc. work in cases of adhd etc. is that they lower the overall level of agitation/anxiety through the seratonin mechanism - which can also help with depression.

In any case - I added an amino acid supplement containing a low dose of 5htp to my son's diet and did see an immediate improvement. (there is an hypothesis that some individuals suffer from a seratonin deficiency quite probably as a result of problems breaking down protiens in the gut) (I also give him a teaspoon of cod-liver oil daily - and further improvement in mood stability/attention was observed after this was implemented. This is pretty safe as long as you watch the vitamin A!!)

There is a potential problem, however, implementing 5-htp in combination with ssris and that is what is called 'seratonin syndrom' - this results from increasing the level of seratonin while simultaneously inhibiting it's reabsorbtion and is a dangerous toxic condition which could easily prove fatal if combined with freediving.

It would be important to monitor your seratonin levels frequently and, to this end, I echo Tanya's advice re-doctors.

[Mr. X]

Originally Posted by Fondueset

...In any case - I added an amino acid supplement containing a low dose of 5htp to my son's diet and did see an immediate improvement...

They had a very good TV program in the UK recently where they took 4 young boys with severe behavioral problems and had a special physician analyze their diets, blood, hair, allergies and a number of other things. He also talked to the boys and their families. They all had awful diets (but only one was fat). Some drank vast amounts of soda, they all ate huge amounts of sugar in various forms and most of their food was fast/processed/nutritionally empty. When they examined the blood, hair, etc. tests all of the boys had nutritional deficiencies and such like, of various kinds (each boy had different issues). By providing them with a much healthier, nutrition rich diet (lots of fresh fruit, veg, meat & fish - no fast food, processed food or soda), & specific supplementation for a couple of them where there was a particularly severe deficiency in certain minerals and encouraging the parents to share positive activities with them (walking the dog while the obese child jogged & took a dance/drama class) the improvements over several weeks were dramatics. A significant improvement was seen even in the first week. The parents ate (& prepared, sometimes with the boys) the healthier food too & some gave up smoking (or maybe that was another program!). At the start, I think all of the boys had been barred from school because of their unruly behaviour. At the end, all had been accepted back at school, the parents' lives were drastically improved (more peace, kids in school, kids behaving like calm,good, kind, helpful human beings), the teachers were astonished by the improvement. So I think Fondueset is on to something with the diet, supplementation thing. Probably worth getting some tests done for vitamin & mineral levels.

I was given occasional cod liver oil as a child & ate fresh fish twice a week - that used to be normal. Modern diets are often lacking some essential oils; most of us have to make an effort to get them. Having read up on essential oils as an adult -- I now eat fish whenever I can & occasionally use things like Devon Good Oil (hemp oil with Omega3,6 & 9) & flax oil - and eat nuts of various kinds. I also take a fish oil capsule several days a week* (usually when I haven't had fish) & a multivitamin (not mega dose, just a Centrum like product). I try to eat healthy -- not always successfully. Now if only I could give up tea & coffee!

*Probably should not overdo anything, fish oil included. Although there are some benefits to mega doses of fish oil, I read about some recent research. Fish oil is often said to be good for the heart & brain by, among other things, reducing the likelihood of clotting. Eskimos/inuits are often given as an example of people who suffer little heart disease due to a diet rich in fish oil, HOWEVER some follow up research pointed out that mortality rates for inuits were much the same as for anyone else. So heart disease didn't get them but something else did -- apparently things where the body needed its clotting mechanisms, such as haemoraging.

[Olga]

Sorry for another off-topic, again on fish oil
When I started to freedive a year ago, I suddenly found a real craving for fish oil. I asked for it at the drug-store, and they offered fish oil in capsules, but I felt I absolutely needed a natural one to drink, so I asked for bottle, and they were quite surprised
Maybe it's my water genes triggered off?

[Mr. X]

Originally Posted by Olga

...so I asked for bottle, and they were quite surprised
Maybe it's my water genes triggered off?

The cod liver oil that we took from a teaspoon as children tasted absolutely disgusting & strong & was swallowed right down. I seem to recall the smell was quite distinctive too. [Cough mixture was a different story, they generally tasted good -- but medicine was flavoured with an odd distinctive taste...which most Brits recognise the first time they try American root beer, like Dr. Pepper -- a reaction always worth seeing!]