Should I take a freediving class?
The short answer is simply, YES!!
No matter what your age or freediving ability, a freediving class will improve your skills as a diver. This is the best investment you can make in your freediving or spearfishing career. Even better than that new pair of carbon fins you have been drooling over.
Safety: Freediving is a great sport but everyone that participates should know that freediving is not without risk. A freediving class will teach you the safest way to enjoy the sport of freediving. You will learn the proper way to dive with a buddy. Most importantly you will learn what to do if your dive partner experiences shallow water blackout or a samba.
Learn the physiology of breath hold diving: A freediving class will teach you about the “Mammalian Diving Reflex.” By learning what happens to the body during apnea (breath holding) we can learn to recognize what our body is telling us. Also, by understanding how the human body reacts during apnea we can use it to our advantage while freediving.
Perfecting your technique: Many divers want to dive deeper and longer to chase fish. Most people associate depth and time underwater with only breath hold capacity. You can increase bottom time substantially by working to perfect your technique. A proper breath up, a smooth duck dive, proper finning, proper weighting and proper body alignment are all basic aspects of a dive that should be covered.
A safe environment to push your limits: A freediving class is the best environment to push your limits. Most people who take a class walk away with a new personal best static breath hold and a personal best deepest dive. You will be under the supervision of multiple divers along with the instructor in a controlled environment.
Back to the basics: In order to spearfish effectively you must be a proficient freediver. Any improvement in your freediving capabilities will allow you to become a better, more efficient spearfisher.
Now that you know you should take a freediving class, make sure to bring your dive partner along with you.
I was lucky enough to take the FII Level 2 course with founder Martin Stepanek.
My FII Level 2 Freediver Card.