Diving noob. What do I need to know???

[S.L.I]

Hi,
I recently became extremely interested in freediving. I'm about a month away from going on a trip to Cancun, Mexico, and I'm planning on doing a bit of diving. Is there anything i should know beforehand?

Also, I really appreciate it if someone could help me out with finding some nice places to freedive out here by Santa Monica.

Thanks

 

[cdavis]

No offense, but its kind of like asking whats in the Encyclopedia Britannica. Hard to answer. A course is always a good idea, but may not be worth the $ at this point.

Go and enjoy yourself. Always dive with a buddy. If freediving really turns you on, a brief experience will give you a base to ask questions from.

One thing, get a weight belt with 2 or 3, 1 lb weights, 4 is you plan to wear a wetsuit. When you get there play with them(how many to use) in the pool until you are comfortable floating on the surface(still buoyant) but can dive to the bottom of the deep end without having to fight to get down or stay down. You should still be buoyant in 10 ft, but not a lot. A little bit of weight will allow you to dive in 10-20 ft of water without having to fight your buoyancy so hard it ruins the experience. Be sure not to overweight.

Have fun

Connor

 

[Kars]

The biggest gain in enjoyment is learning how to relax in water.
Flexibility helps a lot, being in reasonable shape.

In general freediving requires practitioners to choose the smart way, the forceful way is most often counter productive.

Practising dry Co2 tables 2-5 times a week really helps a lot to explore your mind and body, and to learn to remain relaxed even with elevated CO2 levels.

Practice swimming, seek to learn to move slow, smooth and efficient, avoiding tension in neck, chest, head.

Get and understanding of the freedivers needs for their equipment, so you know what to look for at the local store. Perhaps already buy a good mask at home. At good mask is one that: you forget you have on, low volume, large field of view, sturdy.

For fins, snorkel you can get away with cheap stuff for now. Later as your technique and preferences get developed, you can buy the more expensive stuff to match.

Find a local freediving course. This knowledge saves you years of searching, and may save your life.

In all take time to go slow, truly take the experience in, enjoy your sensations and thoughts and forget time.


Love, Courage and Water,

Kars

 

[S.L.I]

Thank you so much for the help.