Hi.
Very new to this sport, stoked to find a website all about it.
I think I decided I wanted to be a free diver by accident at the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of New South Wales in Australia. I was on a snorkelling tour.
Having recently been diving in the icy waters of Bass Strait, I was immediately comfortable with the warm water with only shorts on. The scenery was amazing and vis was great - about 30m. The rest of the group were really just floating but I wanted to go deeper and see the reef up close.
After about 10 deep dives and just before the end of the day I experienced something I will never forget...
The boat was moored just next to a steep section of reef teeming with marine life. I felt the urge to see how deep I could go before we left for the day. The sun was shining and I could see the bottom clearly about 9m down below me. I calmed myself untill my heartbeat was as slow as I could get it (I had done some reading on free diving) and tipped over in the water, letting my legs push me down the first metre. I swam down to the bottom calmly rocking my hips back and forth, the dolphin style kick.
Once there I touched the sand and stood up. Glancing up to the surface I could see the hull of the boat almost directly above. The sun was shining down through the water in huge beams and the surface vibrated with lightning coloured flecks of sunlight. I could scarcely believe how deep I was. The pressure was intense and so was my need to breathe.
The moment lasted perhaps two seconds. That was it for me - I was hooked.
Very new to this sport, stoked to find a website all about it.
I think I decided I wanted to be a free diver by accident at the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of New South Wales in Australia. I was on a snorkelling tour.
Having recently been diving in the icy waters of Bass Strait, I was immediately comfortable with the warm water with only shorts on. The scenery was amazing and vis was great - about 30m. The rest of the group were really just floating but I wanted to go deeper and see the reef up close.
After about 10 deep dives and just before the end of the day I experienced something I will never forget...
The boat was moored just next to a steep section of reef teeming with marine life. I felt the urge to see how deep I could go before we left for the day. The sun was shining and I could see the bottom clearly about 9m down below me. I calmed myself untill my heartbeat was as slow as I could get it (I had done some reading on free diving) and tipped over in the water, letting my legs push me down the first metre. I swam down to the bottom calmly rocking my hips back and forth, the dolphin style kick.
Once there I touched the sand and stood up. Glancing up to the surface I could see the hull of the boat almost directly above. The sun was shining down through the water in huge beams and the surface vibrated with lightning coloured flecks of sunlight. I could scarcely believe how deep I was. The pressure was intense and so was my need to breathe.
The moment lasted perhaps two seconds. That was it for me - I was hooked.
