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Chicago: Learn Freediving?
- Thread startermaytag
- Start date
Thread Status: Hello
, There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
Maytag this forum has lots of good info and is priced right keeping reading and you will learn lots Jon who has thousands of posts lives in Madison has the most knowledge the begining site by Akona is great as well . I plan to be at Atwater Beach tommorow Aug 26 which is north of Milwaukee if Weather is good your welcome to join me. I live in Rockford
Yo dude! I live in the chicagoland area and am not a real good freediver but have been freediving, scuba diving and spearfishing since childhood (gracious parents). I just happened on to this board myself and finding out how much I don't know about this sport.
I am also looking for people in the area to grow with and that cat Jon seems to be the almighty of everything midwest! I like the clear water lakes (not interested in murky water) and have looking around to go up north to a couple of the lakes that those boys frequent. They look to be real gems.
Hope to hear from ya and well get something going if there are enough of us. Also keep your eyes peeled in the buddy section under the USA/Canada section there you will find a lot going on.
Cheers :friday
I am also looking for people in the area to grow with and that cat Jon seems to be the almighty of everything midwest! I like the clear water lakes (not interested in murky water) and have looking around to go up north to a couple of the lakes that those boys frequent. They look to be real gems.
Hope to hear from ya and well get something going if there are enough of us. Also keep your eyes peeled in the buddy section under the USA/Canada section there you will find a lot going on.
Cheers :friday
Hi Cigarlung and Trident,
Thanks a lot for your helpful information and offers to let me tag along. I'm a total newbie who has not yet gotten wet so to speak (I can swim). Primarily doing a lot of reading and dry breath-holding. Eager to learn...
I live in Chicago. Unfortunately, I never learned to drive (yes, priorities, freediving is more important to learn first) - if ever you might be diving near the city, please let me know!
New to posting, so I hope you get this note of thanks.
Cheers,
Maytag
Thanks a lot for your helpful information and offers to let me tag along. I'm a total newbie who has not yet gotten wet so to speak (I can swim). Primarily doing a lot of reading and dry breath-holding. Eager to learn...
I live in Chicago. Unfortunately, I never learned to drive (yes, priorities, freediving is more important to learn first) - if ever you might be diving near the city, please let me know!
New to posting, so I hope you get this note of thanks.
Cheers,
Maytag
Maytag,
If you can't drive you might have a hard time making it to the dive locations where other freedivers meet up at.
There are a number of nice, shallow, wrecks off of Chicago that would be great for freediving- all less than 66' and many less than 33'. In addition to that there are vast areas of old building wreckage because that's where the barges dumped everything after the Great Chicago Fire. Seeing as it take a Long boat ride to get to any depth that far south on Lake Michigan you'll find lots of spots- if you can get onto a charter boat.
There are a few other freedivers down your way. One of the better ones that i know is named Jim (freedivechicago) and he posts on this board. He brought a few other divers up with him this year to Freedive-a-palooza and they all seemed very nice and very safety mined. Cedric is actually a rescue diver for the city of Chicago and is one of the most "squared away" dive team member I've ever met- and I've met more than my fair share.
There really aren't any dive shops down there that have a clue about freediving. You could try and contact Larry and Nancy out at Scuba Systems- they can at least order you some of the IANTD freediving books that Kirk Krack helped write.
Other than that your best off going to Florida and taking the Performance Freediving clinic or hooking up with some of the locals and learning from them how to dive safely.
Jon
If you can't drive you might have a hard time making it to the dive locations where other freedivers meet up at.
There are a number of nice, shallow, wrecks off of Chicago that would be great for freediving- all less than 66' and many less than 33'. In addition to that there are vast areas of old building wreckage because that's where the barges dumped everything after the Great Chicago Fire. Seeing as it take a Long boat ride to get to any depth that far south on Lake Michigan you'll find lots of spots- if you can get onto a charter boat.
There are a few other freedivers down your way. One of the better ones that i know is named Jim (freedivechicago) and he posts on this board. He brought a few other divers up with him this year to Freedive-a-palooza and they all seemed very nice and very safety mined. Cedric is actually a rescue diver for the city of Chicago and is one of the most "squared away" dive team member I've ever met- and I've met more than my fair share.
There really aren't any dive shops down there that have a clue about freediving. You could try and contact Larry and Nancy out at Scuba Systems- they can at least order you some of the IANTD freediving books that Kirk Krack helped write.
Other than that your best off going to Florida and taking the Performance Freediving clinic or hooking up with some of the locals and learning from them how to dive safely.
Jon
Thanks, Jon Re: Chicago: Learn Freediving?
Hi Jon,
Thanks so much for your very thoughtful and helpful response. Maybe I should work on the driver's license...
Are you also a technical scuba diver? I'd heard about the wrecks, but didn't realize some of them were shallow.
I've heard about the performance dive clinic - have you had any direct experience with them?
I will keep my eyes peeled for news of/from chicagofreediver and cedric.
Thanks for the tips and for taking the time to read and reply - I really appreciate it!
Best,
Maytag
Hi Jon,
Thanks so much for your very thoughtful and helpful response. Maybe I should work on the driver's license...
Are you also a technical scuba diver? I'd heard about the wrecks, but didn't realize some of them were shallow.
I've heard about the performance dive clinic - have you had any direct experience with them?
I will keep my eyes peeled for news of/from chicagofreediver and cedric.
Thanks for the tips and for taking the time to read and reply - I really appreciate it!
Best,
Maytag
I'm also a trimix diver and have been wreck diving in Lake Michigan for over 25 years. The lake is deep towards the north end (927') and gets shallower, and wider, as you move further south. In the Chicago area you must go out many miles to get to 100'. In northern Wisconsin you can hit 100' less than a mile off shore.
As a result there are a lot of great technical dives to the north and a lot of nice recreational stuff to the south- which also makes for nice freediving. freedivechicago, Jim, posts on here so if you do a search you should find his email and can contact him directly. He knows of a few other divers in that area. some of them have emailed me in the past but i have lost track of who they all are.
I did the PFD clinic with Kirk a little over 5 years ago and learned a LOT- more than in ANY technical or instructor course I have ever taken. they are top notch and worth the cash if you can make it to one of their courses. One of these days, when my kids are older, I plan on going back to them for an update.
I've heard that Lake Michigan has been running in the 70's for temp lately so you don't need much of a wetsuit, if any at all. Vis has also gotten MUCH better over the past 20 year. It's gone from just a few feet to over 100' on the good days.
Jon
As a result there are a lot of great technical dives to the north and a lot of nice recreational stuff to the south- which also makes for nice freediving. freedivechicago, Jim, posts on here so if you do a search you should find his email and can contact him directly. He knows of a few other divers in that area. some of them have emailed me in the past but i have lost track of who they all are.
I did the PFD clinic with Kirk a little over 5 years ago and learned a LOT- more than in ANY technical or instructor course I have ever taken. they are top notch and worth the cash if you can make it to one of their courses. One of these days, when my kids are older, I plan on going back to them for an update.
I've heard that Lake Michigan has been running in the 70's for temp lately so you don't need much of a wetsuit, if any at all. Vis has also gotten MUCH better over the past 20 year. It's gone from just a few feet to over 100' on the good days.
Jon
Thx again Re: Chicago: Learn Freediving?
WOW. Awesome. I'm impressed. I'd ask a bizillion questions, but I don't want to be annoying. People keep telling me the wreck diving here is great. I have a great deal of admiration for tech divers. I'm extremely interested in cave, wreck penetration, and ice diving. Also rescue and recovery/hyperbaric medicine. However, it's all book-ish/armchair interest at present. One of my best friends in L.A. and I used to talk about diving all the time (she's HIGHLY qualified OW) and I miss having people to chat with now that I've moved to the Midwest.
I'll try look Jim up in this group and ask him if he knows of any people here who teach beginning freediving. Thanks for sharing your experience with PFD. Others have also spoken highly of the operation. It's just difficult because they offer so few courses each year in the U.S. I had thought about the program at the Submarine Escape Training Tank in the U.K., but Florida would be much closer!
Anyway, thank you for the great post. Safe and happy diving!
Cheers, Jeanette
WOW. Awesome. I'm impressed. I'd ask a bizillion questions, but I don't want to be annoying. People keep telling me the wreck diving here is great. I have a great deal of admiration for tech divers. I'm extremely interested in cave, wreck penetration, and ice diving. Also rescue and recovery/hyperbaric medicine. However, it's all book-ish/armchair interest at present. One of my best friends in L.A. and I used to talk about diving all the time (she's HIGHLY qualified OW) and I miss having people to chat with now that I've moved to the Midwest.
I'll try look Jim up in this group and ask him if he knows of any people here who teach beginning freediving. Thanks for sharing your experience with PFD. Others have also spoken highly of the operation. It's just difficult because they offer so few courses each year in the U.S. I had thought about the program at the Submarine Escape Training Tank in the U.K., but Florida would be much closer!
Anyway, thank you for the great post. Safe and happy diving!
Cheers, Jeanette
Hi !
I just want to introduce myself.
I see You are from Chicago and I finally had a chance to meet some of the Chicagoland's freedeivers, now I see there is even more people interrested like Jessemc. It looks like we might have awesome summer season if we could all meet and dive together, I think Jim (FreediveChicago) knows You (if it was You he was talking about) Aftter all it is small world. Did You go to Performance course already? I am signed for intermediate in Miami in March, too bad Jim can't make it. OK, just wanted to say Hi and I said more already take care Peter
I just want to introduce myself.
I see You are from Chicago and I finally had a chance to meet some of the Chicagoland's freedeivers, now I see there is even more people interrested like Jessemc. It looks like we might have awesome summer season if we could all meet and dive together, I think Jim (FreediveChicago) knows You (if it was You he was talking about) Aftter all it is small world. Did You go to Performance course already? I am signed for intermediate in Miami in March, too bad Jim can't make it. OK, just wanted to say Hi and I said more already take care Peter
Check out the new hosted fourm on Wisconsin for threads about future events. Come on up for any. We are trying to have 1 gathering/month.
We are also looking for some to host an event or two throughout the year...we could even come to the Chicago area.
Keep in touch,
Gene
We are also looking for some to host an event or two throughout the year...we could even come to the Chicago area.
Keep in touch,
Gene