What is freediving?: Taking the plunge on a single breath
Take a dip into this extreme sport and see what drives divers deeper into the underwater world
Breathing techniques are methods used by many to instil calmness into the body and mind. Breathing draws in life-essential oxygen, which fuels every one of our cells. For some, however, true peace can be found 100 metres below the ocean’s surface.
Freediving is an underwater sport and activity that includes any dive taken without any breathing apparatus. It’s also part of ancient history, and evidence shows that people have been freediving for over 8,000 years. Our ancestors relied on diving underwater to harvest valuable natural resources, including sea sponges found on the seafloor, which communities used as padding for helmets and as cleaning tools. Ancient divers also gathered food underwater and hunted for precious pearls.
Today the sport may seem simplistic, as its participants usually wear just a wetsuit, mask and fin. But to be an expert freediver requires exceptional fitness and knowledge of your body’s personal capabilities, like breath-holding, as allowing oxygen levels to get too low in the body’s tissues leads to hypoxia. This is the term given to severely low levels of oxygen, which can result in a person losing consciousness. One of the most important rules of freediving is to always have a ‘buddy’– someone who dives with you and can access when danger is near.
Is freediving dangerous?
As freediving involves any dive underwater in a single breath, for some freedivers their next lung full of air is never too far away. However, freediving is still classed as an extreme sport, and for good reason. When over 100 metres below the surface, the pressure poses some serious risks.
One of the main dangers is nitrogen narcosis. This is when the concentration of nitrogen in the bloodstream increases the deeper you dive. At the surface, the air you breathe is made up of 78 percent nitrogen, but this doesn’t enter the bloodstream until it’s under high pressure. The deeper someone dives, the more nitrogen can enter the blood, giving the diver similar symptoms to someone who is drunk. Some of the symptoms include impaired judgment, difficulty concentrating, drowsiness, overconfidence and euphoria.
Read more: What is the diving reflex?
Competition time: Freediving disciplines
Competitive freediving has several categories, each designed to challenge a slightly different element of the sport – whether that’s a time trial, distance or depth achieved.
Static apnea is the discipline to test breath control alone. Athletes lie near the surface of a pool, face down. Whoever holds their breath for the longest time while still remaining in control after surfacing wins. In the distance category, athletes are judged based on how far they can travel in a pool on one breath. These competitions include swimming with a monofin, one large fin; bi-fins, two smaller fins, and no fins.
Depth competitions take place at sea and either require athletes to meet a predetermined depth or to set new records with an unlimited depth challenge. In these competitions, athletes dive next to a rope that they can use to guide themselves back to the surface.
Read more: How do decompression chambers work?
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