Hello from Santa Barbara/Los Angeles

[Dane_the_Meng]

Hello,

I was certified to scuba 16 years ago but never really felt natural with all the heavy gear and extra parts. I have always thoroughly enjoyed snorkeling in shallow waters where I could see the ocean life, enjoy the scenery, and wear minimalist gear. It’s been a very long time and I’ve recently found a new fascination with freediving that coincides with my future wife’s dreams and career path. It’s something we can share together and travel around the world doing.

When I was a child I was always jealous of my father and my older brothers abilities to dive down and hang out beneath the sea on a single breath of air. With no instruction, terrible equalization technique, and very bouyant gear I found it terribly frustrating and never advanced past 20 or 30 second breath holds. I’m the kind of person who loves a challenge though and I enjoy projects and self-improvement, so naturally these all go together quite well.

I’m very excited to start freediving but am trying my best to stay rational, because for all I know, I could end up not enjoying it as much as I think I will. Since none of my old gear fits right anymore or is applicable to freediving, I’m getting together new bits and doing lots of research. I found one of my old wetsuits that fits, a 3.2mm that I think was for surfing. I’ve bought a new mask and snorkel specifically for freediving. I’m going to also pick up some freediving fins, some gloves, booties, and a dive knife. I’ve got my dads old weight belt around here somewhere and a hood I believe. If I find freediving as enjoyable as I hope, then I’ll eventually be moving on to spearfishing and bringing home some supper! Truthfully I don’t eat seafood that often because I don’t quite trust not knowing where it came from. But the idea of hunting and catching some myself is quite satisfying.

If there’s anyone in my area or if anybody has useful resources and information please share!

Have a good one,
-Dane

 

[BatRay]

Welcome to Deeperblue! If you haven't already taken one, I highly recommend that you take a freediving class. A variety of organizations offer them, and you'll make great strides in just a few days.

You may want to peruse the forums in your search for locals, as there are many from California, including SoCal. The MPAs have greatly impinged on the areas where we are allowed to hunt and dive, but there are still some options.

 

[Dane_the_Meng]

Thank you very much for all the info! I didn’t even know about MPAs and had to do some research. I would really love to take a freediving class. I’ve been asking people around here and apparently none of the dive shops offer any classes and the few instructors I’ve found are not in the area anymore. I might have to go down to LA to find something.

In the meantime I’ve been doing TONS of research. I’m very thorough. I timed my first static dry breath hold after a proper breathe up and got to 1:30 without feeling any contractions. As the was the first time I had done this, and obviously the longest I had ever held my breathe, I stopped there. I did it again the next day and found myself having lung contractions at around 1:20 that time, and made it to 1:48 before feeling too uncomfortable with the contractions.

This is all very exciting for me as I didn’t know I could even make it to a minute!! I found my old scuba 7mm booties and 5(?)mm gloves and they still fit and are in nice condition!I went to the local spearfishing dive shop the their day and picked up a weight belt, knife, flexible j snorkel. I did find my old scuba fins which are nice but I really want some freediving fins so I ordered some cressi ones from the shop that will come in this week.

It’s just rained a ton here and will for the next few days so I might not be able to dive for a few days from nasty runoff. But I’m itching to go!

 

[BatRay]

There should be some classes in LA. If not, I know James and Joseph in San Diego offers them. It's a bit of a drive, but it is one possible option.

Congrats on the static time, by the way. Keep at it and you'll continue to improve. That is another area that the classes will help with. Most people improve by leaps and bounds after a bit of training.

 

[Jiminca]

Hey Dane,
I 've lived in the SB area most of my life, I used to dive this area quite a bit but for the last few years i've been line fishing mostly Santa Rosa and San Miguel island, I've been thinking about getting back into freediving, we live so close to some of the most spectacular diving in the world, I'm not sure if it's in spite of or because of the MPA's but I've caught some of the biggest rock fish In my life over the last two years. There is a couple of local Freedive clubs in the area I plan on connecting with them when the water cleans up. check out Santa Barbara Freedivers and Lompoc dive club.

 

[Dane_the_Meng]

There should be some classes in LA. If not, I know James and Joseph in San Diego offers them. It's a bit of a drive, but it is one possible option.

Congrats on the static time, by the way. Keep at it and you'll continue to improve. That is another area that the classes will help with. Most people improve by leaps and bounds after a bit of training.

Thanks! I’m going to checkout LA soon. I’m sure I can find something. I did my first breath hold exercise the other day, 8 sets of 4 minute intervals with max holds and remaining time of the interval for recovery breathing before the next interval. I found myself getting consistently over 2 minutes before contractions, with one being 3 minutes long, and the final hold maxing out at 3:18!! The lung contractions got too intense and I had to stop. I was completely shocked and amazed though. I was going to do some diving with family this weekend out at the islands but I caught a bad cold.

Hey Dane,
I 've lived in the SB area most of my life, I used to dive this area quite a bit but for the last few years i've been line fishing mostly Santa Rosa and San Miguel island, I've been thinking about getting back into freediving, we live so close to some of the most spectacular diving in the world, I'm not sure if it's in spite of or because of the MPA's but I've caught some of the biggest rock fish In my life over the last two years. There is a couple of local Freedive clubs in the area I plan on connecting with them when the water cleans up. check out Santa Barbara Freedivers and Lompoc dive club.

Thank you for the info! I’ll make sure to check them out!

 

[JanelleS]

Curious about who you mentioned offer trainings in San Diego? I'm in LA and haven't been able to find any.
thanks!

 

[BatRay]

James & Joseph offers classes on a fairly regular basis. Check Performance Freediving International.

 

[Jiminca]

Hello,

I was certified to scuba 16 years ago but never really felt natural with all the heavy gear and extra parts. I have always thoroughly enjoyed snorkeling in shallow waters where I could see the ocean life, enjoy the scenery, and wear minimalist gear. It’s been a very long time and I’ve recently found a new fascination with freediving that coincides with my future wife’s dreams and career path. It’s something we can share together and travel around the world doing.

When I was a child I was always jealous of my father and my older brothers abilities to dive down and hang out beneath the sea on a single breath of air. With no instruction, terrible equalization technique, and very bouyant gear I found it terribly frustrating and never advanced past 20 or 30 second breath holds. I’m the kind of person who loves a challenge though and I enjoy projects and self-improvement, so naturally these all go together quite well.

I’m very excited to start freediving but am trying my best to stay rational, because for all I know, I could end up not enjoying it as much as I think I will. Since none of my old gear fits right anymore or is applicable to freediving, I’m getting together new bits and doing lots of research. I found one of my old wetsuits that fits, a 3.2mm that I think was for surfing. I’ve bought a new mask and snorkel specifically for freediving. I’m going to also pick up some freediving fins, some gloves, booties, and a dive knife. I’ve got my dads old weight belt around here somewhere and a hood I believe. If I find freediving as enjoyable as I hope, then I’ll eventually be moving on to spearfishing and bringing home some supper! Truthfully I don’t eat seafood that often because I don’t quite trust not knowing where it came from. But the idea of hunting and catching some myself is quite satisfying.

If there’s anyone in my area or if anybody has useful resources and information please share!

Have a good one,
-Dane

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