Swansea/Gower

[Draenog]

Hi there

I'm looking for any snorkel / freedive buddies around Swansea / Gower.

I'm a competant snorkeller with plenty of experience, but I'm looking to push myself a little further and go a bit deeper and for longer etc..

Is there anyone around who wants to get together for a few trips? Maybe some training?

Currently I tend to be most comfortable at a measley 7 or 8 metres (if I want decent time on the bottom), but I'd like to go a little bit more adventurous. I'm intending to start CO2 and O2 training tables as seen on the learning to freedive thread.

Also happy to meet for a "normal" snorkel if anyone wants.

I'm not a spearo, and wont be taking it up, but happy to join others who are.

Adam

 

[welshmikey]

finally someone in swansea^_^ im a newbie to freediving, only started training three days ago but i need a buddy, my msn addy is lemon_flavoured_gremlins@hotmail.com wont post up my mobile number for obvious reasons but i will email it to u if u want.
im not a spearo either cus im vegetarian
i may be gettign into conatct with a more experienced freediver in swansea soon too

 

[welshmikey]

btw im 19, hope thats not a problem

 

[Draenog]

Hi Mikey

I'll email my number tonight.

So where are you at now? Do you snorkel around here or are you a complete beginner?

What are you aiming for? I just want to improve my snorkelling rather than do competitive style freediving (the idea of just heading up and down a line to notch up a particular depth doesn't interest me).

There are plenty of other snorkellers around, one or 2 of my snorkel buddies might be up for doing something a bit more intense - we usually have at least one person who's a relative newbie with us , and it's not much fun for them hanging around on the surface seeing everyone else disaaper into the blue when you can't get down there so we often stick to relatively shallow.

I'm also getting a dive torch and I'm hoping to do a few night dives.

 

[welshmikey]

i do not wish to compete my aim are to dive to 30 m and hold my breath for 4 minutes so i can take a look around. i just like exploring under the sea and it will help my degree perhaps (marine biology)
atm my max bretah hold is 2 minute 20 with an average of 2 minutes (land) atm when i train inwater i am just in shallow (few meteres) atm but will eventually go deeper (i will have a buddy in september who will go deeper with me but not before then as she is only with me in uni)

 

[welshmikey]

as for how much of a newbie i am ive done just 4 days trianing but can scuba dive

 

[Draenog]

Mikey

Have pm' d you my number. Too busy to actually get out and do stuff at the moment, but maybe at/after weekend.

What kind of training you thinking of?

I'm thinking of o2/co2 tables at home and snorkeling even when viz is terrible (most of the time!) - maybe pool time in winter?

I'm up for winter snorkeling - but we'd have to travel to cornwall, or west wales to get the viz. I think maybe you're being abit ambitious with your aims - just on the viz side of things - don't you need tropical style clarity for that kind of thing?

I've just got a primary dive light today - well up for a night dive when the viz is good.

PS - i'm a vegetarian marine biology graduate too, though i did my degree many years ago now.

 

[welshmikey]

cool did you get a job i namrine biology? as for my aims, no they are not ambitious this is by the end of next year im talking which means inland trainign in a tank and going out on a boat in pembrokshire, the vis can be excelenty there, i will no doubt be going there with my scuba club and wouldnt mind taking a day off scuba divng to do free diving, i have free dived to 6-9 m (somewhere inbetween) in a wetsuit without weights but due to boyancy that took it all out of me and i got launched straight back to the surface (this was before i knew free diving and scuab diving mixed was dangerous)
as for trainign pretty much the same training untill next summer where i will be doing much deeper dives. sticking to shallow/snorkelling for now

 

[Draenog]

cool did you get a job i namrine biology? as for my aims, no they are not ambitious this is by the end of next year im talking which means inland trainign in a tank and going out on a boat in pembrokshire, the vis can be excelenty there, i will no doubt be going there with my scuba club and wouldnt mind taking a day off scuba divng to do free diving, i have free dived to 6-9 m (somewhere inbetween) in a wetsuit without weights but due to boyancy that took it all out of me and i got launched straight back to the surface (this was before i knew free diving and scuab diving mixed was dangerous)
as for trainign pretty much the same training untill next summer where i will be doing much deeper dives. sticking to shallow/snorkelling for now

Mikey

Sorry I haven't rung - I've been really busy and undergoing a lot of upheaval at the moment.

I worked in Marine Conservation for 5 years, but now I do Environment Protection.

Anyway, what do you reckon we should do for waht's left of the summer? Obviously if there's viz we can just go snorkeling and push our depths/times. At the moment the viz is rubbish - we could just go out somewhere sheltered and practise diving into the murk? Bit dangerous maybe?

Im keen to do the saltfree freediving course, but I probably wont have the £175 for it this year.

By the way, my name's Adam

 

[welshmikey]

snorkelign sounds good i want to up my time before i up my depth that way i know i can get back up again^_^
where did you do marine conservation? i need work experience in that area

 

[welshmikey]

when i say conservation i dont mean fisheries i mean protecting coral reefs etc