Freediving on Snorkel/Dive Tour?

[dudemind]

First post. I'm hoping I don't start this off on the wrong foot.

My girlfriend and I have recently gotten into the world of freediving for the sole purpose of expanding our vacation options/activities. After weighing the pros and cons of scuba vs freediving, the latter won by a landslide. So, here we are, freshly Fii certified (well, she's technically retaking the dive portion in the couple weeks) and ready to start planning our first dive-focused vacation. Neither of us have any ambitions of turning this into a competitive hobby, nor any real desire to hit particular personal records. We simply want to get out there, take some dives, get some cool pictures, and enjoy ourselves at a comfortable pace. It's really like "snorkeling plus" for us. That said, I'm not sure what the rule is for freedivers in general on snorkeling/diving tours. Many tour companies are silent on the matter. We're looking into Cozumel in particular, if it helps anybody with experience answer the following questions...

If we went out on a snorkeling tour, brought our freediving gear, and ended up taking a bunch of dives, would they be upset? Would that be considered gaming the system in any way? Should we be very clear that we plan to dive ahead of time? Or is it silly to think that they'd even care what we do in the water?

And/or...

If we contacted some scuba tour companies, would they generally be open to allowing us to tag along on the boat? Would they typically charge the same rate, or is there some discount for not needing any of air/gear/etc? Is there some kind of animosity between scuba and freedivers (silly question, but I remember getting into snowboarding back in the '90s and almost getting into a fist fight with unnecessarily angry/territorial skiers)?

Any information is greatly appreciated!

Moderators: If this has already been answered elsewhere, please feel free to delete this thread. I did a quick search but couldn't seem to find a good thread on it.

 

[J Campbell]

Show them your FII card and sign their waver - they will most likely be glad to take your money!

 

[Kiekerjan]

Snorkel tours should be fine. Most of the time they indeed won't really care what you're doing. However, they are unlikely to go anywhere deeper than a few meters, and going off by yourself to find more depth can be dangerous with the passing boats.

Scuba companies most likely won't allow it because they would not be able to supervise you and would not want to take any risks. There are not really any specific rules against it though, so you can always ask. I have never experienced any animosity between freedivers and scuba divers. In fact, scuba divers are usually quite enthusiastic about meeting freedivers under water, and most freedivers were at some point also scuba divers.

Another thing you could consider is to join some fun-dives with a freediving agency. I think there actually is a freediving school on Cozumel. Also nearby on the mainland you can freedive in the cenotes (underwater caves) which is really cool! Freedive Tulum organizes freediving trips in the cenotes, and I think there are some freedivers in Playa del Carmen that do it as well.

 

[dudemind]

Thank you for the replies! Will call up a few companies and see what they say. Cheers.

 

[Davos]

My gf and I revelry went on a dive and snorkel boat and the only limitation was on using weight belts (they weren't allowed). We were limited to about 20m depth, but it was still reasonable. This was in Australia, but we tend to have stricter rules here anyway.


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[cdavis]

Cosumel has some fantastic freediving, but the boat traffic can be fierce. I'd be hesitant to go with a scuba boat for that reason. Snorkel tours will normally be in much shallow water and not in areas with bad boat traffic. They probably won't care about your gear or how long you stay down.