Freediving 101

1. Fun Dive

Difficulty: ★☆☆☆☆

Fun dive is the most common way for freedivers to enjoy freediving. Fin dive could be enjoyed at almost any time and at any place compared to other types of dive. Sometimes only few essential equipment is enough for fun dives lasting for hours long. It is strongly suggested by FiDive that freediving newbies should have fun dives as much as possible so as to improve their underwater skills and build their trust to be in and under the water. Many high-level freedivers stepped on the road of becoming masters from having fun dives.

2. Shore Diving

Difficulty: ★★★☆☆

Shore diving is accessible to most of freedivers. It is relatively convenient and economical since freedivers only need to reach the sea shore, enter the water, and then kick toward to their diving destinations. However, shore diving could be perilous in certain occasions. For example, not every coast line is friendly for walking. Hidden dangers could happen to freedivers in the shallow water area such as sharp rocks, slippery moss, and urchins that would hurt your feet. Kicking from shore to diving sites could consume unnecessary energy as well. Despite shore diving is common and practical, FiDive strongly suggests that freedivers should be extra vigilant to its hidden dangers and always go with experienced freedivers.

3. Boat Diving

Difficulty: ★★★☆☆

Boat diving is an ideal way to approach diving sites. It is convenient and can save time.. Sometimes, it is the only way to reach sites in distant. With a captain and their crew, freedivers do not need to worry about finding the location of diving sites. Nonetheless, boat diving costs more for its manpower resources and gasoline. The fee for boat diving usually depends on the number of passengers and the total distance of driving. If it is a charter boat, the expense could be staggeringly high, but diving sites and diving duration could all be customized. FiDive recommends always find boat diving operators with good reputation because it does happen that captain lost their ways and couldn’t find the destination, or still taking customers even though they know the water condition could be risky to freedive on that day, especially in Southeast Asia.

4. Liveaboard

Difficulty: ★★★☆☆

Liveaboard, as it suggests, is that freedivers can live on a boat used for recreational diving expeditions or cruises for the duration of the cruise and use it as a diving support vessel. For those addicted to freediving, Liveaboard offers a heaven to freedive until the world ends. It is actually a pragmatic and economical way to move around those diving sites in the middle of the sea, saving land traveling time and other transpiration cost. But the price of Liveaboard is relatively higher than other types of dive for its goods supply and gasoline fee. Also, freedivers suffer from sea sick may think twice before joining this program. FiDive suggests to join Liveaboard when you plan to visit multiple destinations that are scattered across various territories such as freediving around the Mediterranean Sea.

5. Night Diving

Difficulty: ★★★☆☆

Night Diving is one of the best choice for spearfishing as most of the fishes sleep during this time. To freedive at night, it is strongly suggested to go with experienced freedivers and to go ashore at exactly the same place where you entered the water. Night dive offers so much fun that is disparate from freediving during daytime. Some marine species become visible or more easily to be found at night. Generally speaking, night dive requires better diving skills as freediver’s one hand is occupied by an underwater flashlight. If spearfishing, the spare hand of a freediver may also need to hold the speargun. Some freedivers may use BTV to fix the issue of no free hands to do equalization. FiDive encourages freedivers to try night dive to see the different face of our Inner Space.

6. Wreck Diving

Difficulty: ★★★★☆

Wreck diving is very amusing. Underwater wrecks always raise our curiosity and attract us to see what is inside them, bringing us excitement. However, freedivers must pay attention to the condition of the wrecks they dive in/around. Some wrecks had been sunk into the water for decades and their structure could be fragile. Always confirm the path for both enter and out before indeed diving in. FiDive suggests freedivers not freeive with bare skin when doing wreck diving. If can’t control body balance well when being underwater, there are risks to be cut by the sharp objects inside the wrecks.

7. Cave Diving

Difficulty: ★★★★☆

Cave diving is as exciting as wreck dive. Like wreck diving, freedivers should confirm their way in and out before really diving into one cave. The major concern is not for the collapse issue, but for the limited air freedivers have when any accident occurs. Some caves are huge and are with intricate, long tunnels. If getting lost or run out of the air before diving out, the consequence is serious. Also, many caves are accompanied by currents. If encountering strong ones and the tunnel of the cave is not allowed for returning, it could be fatal to freedivers as well. FiDive warms you this much for your own safety concern, cave diving is still a wonderful experience. Don’t miss the chance to try it if you have one!

8. Drift Diving

Difficulty: ★★★★☆

Drift diving is a super fun way to browse the colorful marine world. The place allows for drift diving usually boasts regular current with the same directions for drifting. Freedivers don’t need to bother kicking for moving, but simply floating in or under the water and will be pushed forward by the current. Famous place for drift diving including Palau’s Big Dropoff. If enjoying drift diving by boat diving, freedivers could find their boats await for them at the terminal point for drifting. Drift diving definitely requires experienced guide to lead and not every place is okay for drift diving. Once be taken by strong current from the outer ocean, no one could find you. FiDive does not recommend freedivers to do this activity by themselves without a professional guide.

9. Competitive Dive

Difficulty: ★★★★★

Competitive dive could be seen as the modern model of freediving. People tried to break human’s limitation and wanted to observe human body reaction when exposing to extreme environment. Today, freediving has been developed into a friendly sport that welcome common people to join for fun, and even for competitive dive. Most people remain the former status while a minority of our kind choose the latter. Competitive dive requires more discipline, training, and a more strict body condition. Like mentioned in any learning system’s textbook, FiDive urges that do not try any bold attempts (including competitive dive) without enough knowledge, skills, and safety precaution.

10. Ice Diving

Difficulty: ★★★★★

Ice diving is an ultimate dive for its extreme temperature. Usually freedivers wear dry suit to keep themselves from fast losing body heat. It is risky to do ice dive not only because of the frigid water temperature, but also the surface is blocked by the ice. If not freedive in an open space with many gaps between ices to reach to the surface, freedivers must come up at the exactly same place where they dive down, and had better not wandering too far away from that place when being underwater. FiDive dreams of doing ice diving one day and then share this uncommon experience with you guys!

1. Diving with a Diver propulsion vehicle

Difficulty: ★★★☆☆

A diver propulsion vehicle (DPV), also known as an underwater propulsion vehicle or underwater scooter, or swimmer delivery vehicle by armed forces, is an item of diving equipment used by scuba divers to increase range underwater but now is widely applied by freedivers as well. A torpedo shaped design with a propeller mounted at the rear is a common design. They can provide divers with greater mobility and less air consumption, thus enabling divers to travel farther or move through strong currents. It is not difficult to use, however, for beginners it would be a bit danger because most of the DPV design designs require both hands pressing the buttons. FiDive suggests you dive down slowly if your equalization skills are not stable because it could pose you in danger of rapid pressure change and get you unnecessary injuries.

2. Spearfishing

Difficulty: ★★★★☆

Spearfishing is a method of fishing through freediving. It is eco-friendly and aligns with the spirit of sustainability. However, since spearfishing activities would be built upon freediving skills, you shall not try spearfishing without a proper training and enough freediving experiences. FiDive integrates all you have to know about spearfishing into four categories, visit each session to find the information you need. FiDive also offers spearfishing scenarios based on real experiences for your reference. You may see what are so-called spearfishing activities in different areas and cultures with spearfishing 101.

3. Live Off the Ocean

Difficulty: ★★★★★

Many cultures have developed living ways to obtain food or commodities from the sea. For example, Ama are Japanese divers, famous for collecting pearls, and Haenyeo are female divers in the Korean province of Jeju whose livelihood consists of harvesting a variety of mollusks, seaweed, and other sea life from the ocean. Known for their independent spirit, iron will and determination, the haenyeo are representative of the semi-matriarchal family structure of Jeju. These groups often use minimum equipment to dive. There are hidden dangers in their working environment including fish nets. They are very respectable in FiDive‘s opinions!