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What is freediving?In a broad sense, putting your head in a basin of water and holding your breath is considered self-diving.If you don't want to carry too much equipment and want to try the freedom of diving into the sea and exploring the underwater world with one breath, then you definitely need this basic guide to freediving.let today TWOSEVENTHS Become your freediving navigator and answer the 10 most common questions about novice freediving for you!

This time TWOSEVENTHS Mysterio

Ling Ling

freediving expert
Opened a dive shop in Green IslandLing Ling

What is Mysterio?

As ordinary consumers who go to the store to experience activities, from online reservations to after experiencing the activities, they must keep a low profile and be like other guests, assisting TWOSEVENTHS When evaluating event stores, mystery guests can be college students, office workers, mothers, middle-aged and elderly people.

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Difference between freediving and scuba diving?

Diving is divided into two types: free diving and scuba diving. Although both are diving, they are two completely different sports.You can think of basketball and pool, both ball games, but in very different ways and with different levels of fun, as well as self-diving and scuba diving.

The simplest and best difference between self-diving and scuba diving lies in "breathing": scuba diving is to dive into the bottom of the sea with a gas cylinder on your back. A gas cylinder can provide about 1 hour of time, allowing you to breathe slowly and well Freediving is to dive in one breath. The depth and breath length are closely related to everyone's physical and mental exercise. Feel the sea in the most fish-like way.

Breathing is the difference that is best understood by everyone. There are other ways of diving, ascent, flattening, equipment operation, buddy system, etc. There are actually differences between scuba diving and self-diving. Big difference.

Is there a more detailed introduction to scuba diving?

Is freediving dangerous?

Freediving is regarded as the second most dangerous sport in the world. This sentence may scare away most of the friends who want to learn to dive by themselves.But in fact, engaging in any sport is inherently risky, and even we are in big and small risks every day. It is precisely because we know that there are risks that we need to sign up for free diving courses and learn professional self-diving knowledge. .After the class, you will find that as long as you follow the safe diving regulations and implement the buddy system, freediving is actually not that dangerous.

In addition to adhering to the knowledge learned in the class, remember not to "dive alone".Many people would like to say that it doesn’t matter if you don’t have a diving buddy just to play in the water in a very shallow place and practice holding your breath, right?But BO may occur at any depth, especially when the water pressure changes greatly when rising close to the water surface!Not only can you not dive alone when diving, but you may have regrets if you just practice holding your breath without a diving partner. The more it is considered safe, the more likely it is to underestimate the risk of accidents. Expose yourself to high risks, "Dive alone, die alone. (Diving alone, dying alone.)" Obeying the buddy system is definitely the first commandment of freediving.

Is Freediving Risky of Diver's Disease?

Because there is only one breath in the process of free diving, the nitrogen content is actually quite low. As long as the surface rest time between each dive is long enough, the problem of decompression sickness can be avoided.

Can I learn to freediving without swimming?

"Can I learn to freediving if I can't swim?" This is probably the top 1 question most frequently asked by all novices.Not being able to swim will definitely not be a stumbling block that hinders you from learning self-diving. In fact, many scuba and self-diving divers can't swim!But swimming is still very important in the sport of freediving. After all, freediving is an underwater activity. If something suddenly happens in the sea one day, it is definitely safer to have an extra self-rescue ability.Even if you don’t plan to touch self-diving today, I would suggest you to learn to swim. After all, if you usually go to play in the water, you may encounter a life problem where your mother and girlfriend fall into the sea at the same time, and you must go down to save one.

Will there be obstacles to learning freediving if you don't hold your breath for a long time?

Breath holding in free diving is also something that beginners often worry about. Breath holding is one of the important trainings in free diving courses, but holding your breath in free diving is different from our usual brute force holding your breath. During the course, the coach will teach you how to relax and breathe. In this way, the time of breath-holding can be greatly extended, so don't worry if you don't hold your breath for a long time, you can improve by working hard the day after tomorrow.

What is a freediving license for?

Free diving certificates are divided into different levels according to the level of ability. As long as you complete the course and pass the threshold set by the level, you can get the self-diving certificate after graduation.In Taiwan, if you want to go to deep-water swimming pools to practice and rent self-diving equipment from dive shops, usually such venues require a free diving license to rent and use.

Is there a minimum level of freediving certification required?

Self-diving certificates are very different from scuba diving certificates. There is no requirement for free diving to obtain a certain certificate level before you can engage in it. However, free diving courses are still a very important part, because after taking self-diving courses and actual exercises Only after the rescue can you learn the knowledge about freediving efficiently and solidly. Compared with the certificate itself, what you gain in the process of obtaining the diving certificate is more important!

What are the types of freediving licenses?

At present, the free diving systems commonly heard in Taiwan include AIDA, PADI, SSI, and Molchanovs (Matcha), etc. The grading and assessment standards of certificates between different systems are different.We can think of the free diving system as different universities. Each university has different graduation thresholds. Some universities are time-honored brands with a certain specialty and have many branches around the world.The same is true for free diving certificates. The differences between the various systems mainly lie in the level, course standards and teaching materials, but you will basically learn the self-diving skills that should be learned.

AIDA and PADI each have the most basic certificates, namely AIDA 1 and PADI Basic Freediver, but both of them are mainly in calm waters (mostly swimming pools), which are more suitable for people who simply want to experience self-diving; if If you want to directly learn freediving skills that can go into the sea, it is recommended to directly choose the next stage, which is AIDA 2, PADI Freediver, SSI Level 1, and Molchanovs Wave 1.The following are the assessment thresholds of the four main types of free diving licenses. In fact, they are all similar, with only slight differences in depth and time:

License name AIDA 2 PADI Freediver SSI Level 1 Molchanovs Wave 1
age limit At least 16 years old (under 18 requires parental consent) At least 15 years old (under 18 requires parental consent) At least 12 years old (under 18 requires parental consent) At least 16 years old (under 18 requires parental consent)
swimming needs Have the ability to swim continuously for 200m or complete 300m with snorkeling samurai Have adequate swimming skills and good health No Ability to swim continuously for 200m
Class time 18-20hrs 18-20hrs 18-20hrs 18-20hrs
subject test 75 points 75 points 80 points 80 points
static apnea 2 minutes 1 minute 30 seconds No 1 minute 30 seconds
dynamic level diving 40 m 25 m 30 m 30 m
constant weight dive 12-20 meters 10-16 meters 10-20 meters 12-20 meters
underwater rescue 5-10 meters 5 m 10 m 6-10 meters

Which freediving certification is better?

So is the free diving system and the type of free diving certificate important?Seriously, not that important.

Even if you meet a good teacher, you may still be dismissed if you don’t make progress and skip classes every day.Therefore, when signing up for a freediving course, the primary consideration is to find a professional and caring coach and to be willing to work hard, rather than picking the system.Unless you plan to use freediving as a career in the future, some dive shops may require a specific freediving system, so you need to pay attention when choosing (but you can transfer to another school later), if you just want to dive for leisure, you don’t have to worry too much about AIDA , SSI or PADI freediving certification.

What is the procedure for obtaining a free diving license?

The simple freediving certification process is usually divided into three courses: calm water (swimming pool class), open water (sea training) and disciplines.After completing all the courses, there will be subject and technical examinations, and the thresholds for each free diving system are slightly different. As long as you pass the thresholds set by the system, you can successfully complete the course.

What if I do not pass the exam?

In fact, very few people can successfully pass the test once after completing the self-diving course, and there is a very high possibility that they will get stuck in a certain project.But in fact, don’t worry too much. Generally speaking, free diving exams can be retaken. The method of making up the test depends on the instructor. Therefore, before signing up for the course, remember to ask your instructor about the retake method, whether there is a fee, and so on.

How to choose a freediving school?

The free diving course will probably take 3 or 4 days. It is recommended that you start from the area where you are convenient to take the class, and you can also refer to the evaluations of various students.In addition, don't forget to ask, except during the certification period, can you go back to the coach to practice in the future?How to charge for practice, how to charge for using self-diving equipment, etc.Here is a list of things you can pay special attention to when choosing a freediving shop:

class locations

  • Where are the subject classrooms located?
  • Which swimming pool does the surgery department use?
  • What are the options for sea training locations?

Curriculum System

  • Which freediving system to use
  • Whether the system has open cross-certification
  • How many students per coach
  • How long is the total course hours

Course fee

  • Is equipment rental included?
  • Do you need to pay extra venue fees?
  • Does sea training include transportation and accommodation?
  • Is there any group discount

practice system

  • Is there any other practice time outside of class?
  • Can I ask a coach to practice alone?
  • Is there a fixed group training
  • Is there a premium for extra practice?

Make-up method

  • There is no limit to the number of retakes
  • Is there an additional charge

Others

  • Do you provide underwater photography?

Any recommendations for freediving shops?

How much does a freediving course cost?

In Taiwan, the cost of self-diving courses ranges from about $10,000 to $15,000, but some courses, in addition to the cost of the free diving course itself, may also require additional fees for accommodation and swimming pool tickets.If you want to choose the recently popular outlying island sea training itinerary, go to Xiaoliuqiu or Lanyu, and take a self-diving certificate by the way, the cost will be different.In addition, most stores offer discounted prices for groups of people, so you can ask multiple parties to compare prices, or refer to this articleTaipei self-diving course arrangement,Taichung self-diving course recommendation,Kenting free diving recommendation.

What is the best season to learn freediving?

Now that we are all going to play in the water, of course we must enjoy the summer full of sunshine and beach bikinis!Most people worry that learning to dive in winter is too cold, so they choose to take classes in summer, but in fact, winter clothing is usually provided in freediving courses. If you are not afraid of the cold, it is actually a good choice to avoid the overcrowded summer.

In addition to the season, are there any other considerations for class time?

You can also take the visibility and climate of the sea training location into consideration. For example, the northeast corner, Green Island, and Orchid Island are affected by the northeast monsoon, so the waves and temperature in winter will be relatively unstable. Spring and summer are the most suitable time to go ; Xiaoliuqiu and Kenting are affected by the southwest airflow, and the visibility in summer is relatively poor, so it is more suitable to go in autumn and winter.

The above is the basic guide for free diving. TWOSEVENTHS List out the top 10 common problems when learning free diving for novices, and answer these headaches one by one. After reading this introduction, you will immediately have a closer understanding of free diving.Whether you want to be a mermaid swimming leisurely in the sea, or you want to challenge your limits, when embarking on the road of free diving, only by learning the most solid and safe self-diving knowledge can you do this in the sea without any worries in the future. sport.At the same time, don't forget to continue to practice free diving after class, improve your water skills, and learn from time to time, so that you can dive happily and at ease.

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