Newbie alert! Help me get into freediving?

[Morgan]

I've been an advanced Scuba diver for years, and instead of becoming bored, I'm more interested than ever in expanding my abilities.
Right now I have no desire to see how far I can go on a single breath, or in competition (but who knows, right?). But I can't help thinking that some freediving training or skill could not only be worthwhile, but also of benefit to the scuba diving that I do (which is primarily wreck diving/penetrating).
Am I wrong?

If I do get started with freediving, what kind of course should i take?
What can I expect to learn, and how long would it take?
Gear requirements?
Any courses available in the Vancouver BC area?

Thanks in advance for your replies!:t

 

[Stephan Whelan]

Morgan,

Welcome to the freediving club!

There is tons of excellent advice in these forums and on the main Deeper Blue site.

We also have several of the Canadian contingent frequenting these boards - however, you might want to check out the Freedive Vancouver website as well.

I look forward to seeing you around the forums!

 

[Erik]

Hi from Alberta

Hi Morgan, welcome to the best source of info on the web. After you look at Pete's site at FreediveVancouver, look up www.freedivecanada.com . It's a great source as well, with people like Kirk Krack, Mady-Rae Cruickshank, and Eric Fattah frequently involved. Mandy runs a shop on Granville called Rowand's Reef, which is probably the only store in Canada that does some specialising in freediving gear. I bought world-class fins there; she is knowledgeable and friendly. Plus she's the world's deepest woman at 136 metres! You might be Canadian Freediver # 51 or something similar, so it's a fairly small and friendly community. Hope to meet you sometime, maybe in March at the Regional Competition .
Cheers,
Erik Y.

 

[freediver48]

Hi Morgan,

Welcome from B.C., as Erik has already mentioned, there are not a lot of freedivers
in Canada, so this list and the freedive net are likely your best initial sources of info.
Terry Maas's book would also help a lot. You might also want to hook-up with other members
where the water stays open all year, unless you fancy ice diving, like the Minewanka Challenge.

Welcome and safe diving,

Freediver48