This thread is inspired by the one dealing with the current state of freediving competitions.
Another concern I have is with the current practices of most freediving schools I'm familiar with.
As I have expressed before, I believe the freediving world to be somewhat obsessed with numbers.
Most known freediving schools around the world, will happily take a completely ignorant backpacker off the street, sell him the freediving story of "you too can be an instant hero" (after of course parting him with the required fees) and proceed to the following.
A bit of rushed theory, off to the water for FIM to ten meters the first day and twenty the second !
Add to that, a static session where everyone is pushed till explosion (in order to achieve a much coveted number, again).
Diving to twenty meters (if we are to consider FIM, feet first for the most part, freediving) ! After only a few hours of exposure to the sport ? Are you serious ?!?
Looking at pictures posted by freediving schools on social media sites, one gets flooded with snapshots of "divers" holding a dive watch to exhibit an attained depth. Really...?
How much attention does the human ego require ? And is that all there is to freediving, how deep a newbie managed to get pushed in feet first FIM ???
Is there some kind of race between schools and instructors, to dump absolute newbies who have no idea what's happening to them, the deepest they can ? What for ? So they can promote their operation as the most wreckless one ?
Sorry for being so critical, but it all seams like an unscrupulous travesty to me.
To actually safely educate a prospective beginner in the sport, an instructor would, and should really slow the whole process down. But of course, in our world of instant gratification, we want it all yesterday.
And if the school across the road is prepaired to promise the average Joe off the street, that they can make them perform miracles, well guess who's going to get the business.
At least the short term, Mickey Mouse business.
I would go as far as to express that until one reaches an advanced intermediate stage, of both theoretic and practical proficiency (which takes a good deal of time), one should only really dive no fins.
Being by far the most demanding discipline, it's also the one that can develop the best diving foundation.
FIM is brilliant for practicing equalizing or warming up, and should ideally be kept for just that.
Until a freediver can comfortably take himself down to around twenty meters and back, without fins or any other aid, I see no reason to engage in finned disciplines.
This is of course just one opinion out of so many.
I would love to hear more points of view on the subject...
Another concern I have is with the current practices of most freediving schools I'm familiar with.
As I have expressed before, I believe the freediving world to be somewhat obsessed with numbers.
Most known freediving schools around the world, will happily take a completely ignorant backpacker off the street, sell him the freediving story of "you too can be an instant hero" (after of course parting him with the required fees) and proceed to the following.
A bit of rushed theory, off to the water for FIM to ten meters the first day and twenty the second !
Add to that, a static session where everyone is pushed till explosion (in order to achieve a much coveted number, again).
Diving to twenty meters (if we are to consider FIM, feet first for the most part, freediving) ! After only a few hours of exposure to the sport ? Are you serious ?!?
Looking at pictures posted by freediving schools on social media sites, one gets flooded with snapshots of "divers" holding a dive watch to exhibit an attained depth. Really...?
How much attention does the human ego require ? And is that all there is to freediving, how deep a newbie managed to get pushed in feet first FIM ???
Is there some kind of race between schools and instructors, to dump absolute newbies who have no idea what's happening to them, the deepest they can ? What for ? So they can promote their operation as the most wreckless one ?
Sorry for being so critical, but it all seams like an unscrupulous travesty to me.
To actually safely educate a prospective beginner in the sport, an instructor would, and should really slow the whole process down. But of course, in our world of instant gratification, we want it all yesterday.
And if the school across the road is prepaired to promise the average Joe off the street, that they can make them perform miracles, well guess who's going to get the business.
At least the short term, Mickey Mouse business.
I would go as far as to express that until one reaches an advanced intermediate stage, of both theoretic and practical proficiency (which takes a good deal of time), one should only really dive no fins.
Being by far the most demanding discipline, it's also the one that can develop the best diving foundation.
FIM is brilliant for practicing equalizing or warming up, and should ideally be kept for just that.
Until a freediver can comfortably take himself down to around twenty meters and back, without fins or any other aid, I see no reason to engage in finned disciplines.
This is of course just one opinion out of so many.
I would love to hear more points of view on the subject...
