SCUBA or not to SCUBA????

[thin_air]

i was just curious to how many freedivers are also scuba divers and how far they are certified, please vote in the pole and also write a little about how scuba has influenced your freediving and vice versa, how far you have come and what you plan on doing with either sport.

i will start with myself,
i have always wanted to be in the ocean, always wanting to stay down and go see what was there, i have always wanted to go deeper so as soon i had an oppurtunity to get certified i did and then i started freediving,
i find that my freediving has mostly helped my scuba diving by making me more comfortable in the water, with my scuba i hope to get into the techinical aspects of the sport (200-300ft, cave and wreck diving) but for now i am just to young to pursue that, however i also want to take freediving to a new level also, this summer i want to get to 20m and 4 minute apnea

anyway im out

 

[Jon]

I've been a certified diver for 22 years and an instructor for 18. I have done, and am certified for , technical diving.
Freediving is all I wish to do now. I gave up teaching scuba last July. If I had one good buddy to train, and dive, with I would sell of my scuba gear right now.
I am much more interested in expanding my capabilites in apnea then getting certified on another rebreather. It is the one type of diving that training means more than cash.
I was thinking of finishing up my trimix card ( I've dove it but don't have the "card") so that I might be able to be a safety diver, or photographer, for some of the really good divers out there. Otherwise scuba can't compare to freedivng.

Jon

 

[icarus pacific]

both ways...

Given the choice, I'd rather freedive, but...

I was doing statics in the bathtub, but got SCUBA cert'd in '72, and then had to have friends fill my tanks when I got found out to be underage... and SCUBA is still a kick in the ass for me. I had a great three day trip out at the Santa Barbara Channel Islands where, yeah I could have freedove for lobsters and scallops, but didn't because I was out there for a "meat run".

I enjoy photography and cruising around with tanks, and let's face it, there are times that having the ability to hang out and do something or watch something that takes some time, is a lot easier with some air on your back. But cruising through the kelp and going quiet while looking for white seabass is just the best sex...

sven

 

[SASpearo]

Was certified

Some 6 or 7 years ago - last time I blew bubbles was around the same time. Not interested in going for refreshers or what ever - I just don't blow bubbles.

 

[Jay Styron]

scuba or not

Hi all,
I've been certified for about 17 yrs now. I am presently trimix certified but don't have any desire to become an instructor. I work in the marine research field where scuba is the tool of choice. After tech diving w/ over 200# of gear just getting in w/ just mask,fins and speargun is like heaven. IMHO there's a time and place for both. After all it is pretty cool being able to spend 25 min at 250 fsw, something I'm not quite able to do freediving, yet! There's alot of cool stuff down there. But the serenity of freediving can't be matched either. I think the bottom line is that whether you scuba, freedive or both, you do it because you love the being in the water and that's the most important aspect. Take care everyone and safe diving.

 

[freediver48]

I like both

Hi,

I really like both. They are very different and both very cool in my mind. I was trained 38 years ago in scuba, and still have most of my initial gear, although it mostly hangs on the wall, except for one tank that I still use. I dove initally for the love of the water and being in it. I dove commercially as a salvage diver for a few years, and was mostly drawn by images of coins if not the real ones. I still have a Louis from 1792, but now I dive for the joy of being in the water. I find this joy both in freediving and scuba diving.

Fd48

 

[jvoets]

I like both Free and Scuba diving.
Freediving feels much more natural, no need for huge amount of gear on your body, especially in summer time when the water is warm.

But scuba is nice too. Staying down there for while, seeing things most people will never see. Just great! Although I do prefer the mentality of freedivers.

In scuba world there are a lot of people bragging around about the newest gear, their 60+ m dives and how you definitely need a smoke after being in the water :duh

 

[Walrus]

Ditto

Same as IFd48 and jvoets - I like both.

I scuba dive with a university club, cheap that way $7.50 a boat dive !
Been Scuba diving about 7 years, started freediving about 3 years ago. Usually the only oportunity I get to freedive off a boat is while other people are scuba diving. Closest thing I have to a buddy is hanging out with the scuba divers on the bottom as I don't know anyone else that can dive to 20m+, with up to 2 minutes bottom time.

On a really nice day I'll be out on the water most of the day, do a couple of scuba dives, and spend a few hours freediving....

 

[primoz kosak]

In the start (when I was young and fast) I was "fast freediver". Fast in, fast out.
About 8 years ago, I learn to be a scuba diver. And again a time lead my dives.
And now, with this forum, I learn freedivig secret: less you think about time, better and more beautiful the dive is!
And every year i become less scuba and more freediver!

 

[pim]

like both ways

I started of with tanks on my back and got hooked and went on to rescue-diver. Although the past year (besides the holiday) it was almost only completly freediving. Both diciplines are great, diving with a marine biologist on Bonaire was great. I learned a lot about the reefs and seen lot's of things a freediver can't see. Freediving gives me more pleasure because it is more physical.

The fun bit about the freediving in combination with diving is your air-consumption.

Greetings and keep breathing,

'Mad' Pim
:duh

 

[Pekka]

To make short story even shorter...I love the freeness in almost everything! rofl

 

[Neeka]

primarily scuba

Im ok to admit that I prefer scuba... cant help but blowing bubbles. I would prefer to scuba with some serious gear on... problem with a desire to have and use lots of gear! GEAR PIG! yep... but I am very interested in being in/on/near the water so whatever will get me there.

I started to freedive when I was young.. we used to play the game where you "like to go swimming with bowlegged women and swim between their legs".... and then forgot about it until I met my husband ERIK and thought he was NUTS for diving without gear...At that time he still was into scuba and into being a tekkie for diving. Lucky for me that he lost the thrill of going deep and I got all his gear... haha gear.. yeah.. more gear...hee hee.

I recently did a personal best of 60feet and a max breath hold of 2 mins... YEAH... amazing.. yeah.. not exactly in the same league as the hubby who is at the moment competing.. but I appreciate it all the same. My biggest problem is rapid descent and very bad sinus' for equalizing. Probably why I like diving and having the ability to stop and clear. Sort of not an option with fdiving.

Plus, I LIKE GEAR.. and fdiving doesnt have as much.. although I do have a nifty pair of OMER Ice tuna fins that I use when I scuba!

Maybe one day I will cross over.. but not anytime soon.
Send good energies out to ERIK so he can kick some butt and do well in the comp!
Neeka

 

[narked]

Love both freediving and scuba. Hopefully next year I'll be a Navy Diver, so then scuba (and surface supplied) is gonna be my job. Then as I'll be living on the coast, I'll be able to freedive more often, and hopefully it'll be even more relaxing after spending the day defusing mines underwater.
Once I am in the navy and I have the cash saved up, and going for a rebreather. Won't need to pay for my nitrox and trimix training, all get's covered in my navy diver training. Probably go for the Ambient Pressure Inspiration (used to be the Buddy Inspiration, as the previous manufacturer was AP Valves, maker of the Buddy line of stabbies). Don't fancy the idea of a semi-closed, so I'm going fully closed.

Don't EVER want to get into scuba instruction. Firstly as hopefully I'll be in the navy, I'll never be able to actually give any instruction at the dive club I'm a member of, and there's already too many people there with the instructor qualifications so they can just say "look at me, I'm an instructor". After I've finished my Sports Diver course, I may not bother doing any more of the BSAC training, my HSE qualifications will be more than adequate for any recreational diving I do, as well as having the ability to get me into a commercial diving job if I leave the navy.

Safe diving of any kind (even the pervy kind)
Matt

 

[Abriapnea]

Have been freediving 24 years ; scuba 20 years . Got involved in teaching almost from the start . Although I do enjoy the teaching , it is mainly a means to an end : to be close to the water so I can hunt .
Got suckered into competitive freediving for a couple of years , but find it difficult to remain focused if there isn't a fish at the bottom of the line ...
Have tech rating , its good to have to concentrate a bit more .. , aahh but the beauty of freediving is the simplicity and purity

 

[M-2]

A lot of these stories sound similar and I have to admit mine isn't much different. I enjoyed freediving when I was younger, but couldn't identify really what it was that I enjoyed. I didn't know freediving really existed then and figured the choices were snorkeling or scuba. Things are different when you grow up in a landlocked state. I got into scuba and unintentionally ended up becoming an instructor. I was a school teacher at the time, so it seemed natural. I slowly became more familiar with freediving not long after becoming an instructor. Since then I have slowly become more and more of a freediver.

Now I prefer to freedive, but seldom have access to deeper waters. It's been neat to feel as if I've come full circle and to have that connection with the water that you only get from freediving. I still scuba for work or to do the long visits to the blue that you can't do freediving. But my preference is definitely the freedom of freediving.

One thing that's amazing to me is that there are so many egos in scuba and surprisingly fewer in freediving. I attribute it to freedivers generally placing the ocean before themselves whereas in scuba it becomes a contest to see who can collect the most certifications.

Happy diving all!

-Mike

 

[EdHand]

No influence...

I've been freediving for many, many years. Though most of it, I didn't know that what I was doing had a name.

I only just started SCUBA this year. My wife and I got our Open Water certification in May. We both plan to get our Advanced certification in the near future. And once our daughter is old enough to get certified, we will probably go through the Rescue Diver course if we have not before then.

I tend to view them as complementary activities now that I'm getting into SCUBA as well as Freediving. I see the advantages to both sides.

 

[JMD]

lack of buddies...

I was certified to scuba at 17 and did it off and on for years.

At 27 I discovered freediving and would rather freedive than scuba given the opportunity.

Do to lack of dive partners here in landlocked alberta I've redone my scuba card with the idea that being underwater with scuba is better than not be underwater at all!

I'm training in the pool currently and plan to sometimes freedive while my newly certified wife scubas.

 

[Griff]

scuba = (some) money

I much prefer freediving to scuba. i would however like to get my DM or even instructor rating so that if i get fed up with "real" life here and the 9-5 slog, there are other opportunities out there.
its a question that i havent answered yet. have a good carrer and the cash that comes with it, sit at a desk during the week and dive the weekend, or have a lesser paying job and more time in the water. but maybe the life of the instructor is not that great from an excitement point of view. do you ever get bored of it?
anyone going to burst my bubble?

Mark

 

[Abriapnea]

Hi Griff . Don't plan on becoming an instructor for the wrong reasons . Do you really want to teach , or just use the qualification as an excuse to travel , strut your stuff and bag the babes
Not saying you do , it's just that I see many of that kind of instructor around here .
Sure you get opportunities to travel all over the place , but teaching O/W 's day after day can take it's toll on you . Its also definitely not a shortcut to material wealth . Having said that , I love it and as you rightly pointed out , it keeps me close to the water so I can HUNT

 

[TMcKee]

I had to get SCUBA certified to recieve my diploma from my commercial diving school(6 years ago). I haven't dove scuba since. Not that I dont like it, I just dont like to do it.