The #1 reason why Scuba Divers shouldn’t Freedive

Could not agree more with the idea that freediving after scuba is a bad idea. The statement that freediving before scuba is ok seems dicy to me, and very situation dependent. Consider the moderate skilled diver who does a long session of repeat dives in 15-20 meters. Not hard to spend enough time at depth to accumulate a significant gas load. Scuba shortly after that and tables or computers assuming surface gas load as an initial condition should be way too optimistic.

Connor

I was weary of scuba in general after reading threads on this topic here before. and on trips free diving always was priority not wanting to have downtime from scuba before getting back in. last year i decided after some coaxing from a friend in kona that i should try and get a dive master before moving to increase my opportunities for working in the water. I asked allot of questions on this subject before signing up and got no real awnsers on the scuba end, they don't seem to address it in there courses either in fact in the open water padi course in the first pool session there is a skin dive portion which was done at the very end after all the scuba-granted it was in a 15foot pool but probably not setting up good habits and still never was dangers of mixing the 2 addressed. I have not used tanks since moving to kona A. I like free diving better B. Can't follow dolphins with scuba gear C. Cant transport tanks on a bicycle and why pay for $$$ scuba charters when I can dive everything from shore here---basically right now If i scuba I go by the no-fly time before free diving i've heard 24hours as well but have not heard much in the way of solid info on this-----suunto and other dive computers do warn about it in the user manuals

Hi Connor, thanks for the input. I am of the opinion ( and its only that no hard evidence) that the safety stop built into every scuba dive should suffice. These are just atht a safety stop. If you follow the Buhlman tables they are actually calculated so you can proceed direct to surface but are also calculated for fit navy divers rather than joe bloggs and take no account of effort or work at depth and so nitrogen loading. I think the 3 min stop at 3-6m would suffice off gassing but have no way of proving it, its an educated guess at best.

I'd like to see/hear some evidence as well. For sure, before scuba is less dangerous, but how much less? I've not seem anything on it either, but I know from experience(a buddies,not mine) that you can get bent after the session I described above, if you get right on a non pressurized airplane. I would not want to try a scuba dive to much of any depth or time after that.

If you start a Scuba table assuming no Nitrogen uptake, that is what you should do.

Taravana can occur Freediving in the absence of Scuba.

Its apples and pears.

A good Freediver with a short surface interval between Apnea and Scuba could take themselves off tested scales.

Good article to point out the biggest problem which is Freediving between Scuba dives.

no joke just got back from the ocean and as i was coming in saw a guy on scuba and his buddy free diving and sucking off his alternate regulator that can't be good. both surfaced without any safety stop and headed for shore rather quickly.

And they will probably get away with it a bunch of times. . . . . until they don't.

Truth is, I've wanted to do that. . . . until I did a little DB research.

unrelated but i think the scariest thing I've seen lately is that reality show where rednecks go and mine for gold under ice in alaska they had one guy who had never dove in his life using unserviced garage sale gear people panicking and bolting for the surface all the time its shocking half of them didn't die just on the episode i saw at one point there was a generator fire pumping smoke directly into the guys hooka.