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Freediving in Canada vs Tropics

 

With freediving gaining popularity recently there is also a dangerous trend that must not be ignored.

Thera are much more freediving instructors available nowadays and more people are jumping on a “Look, I am a freediver now” bandwagon. Who would resist looking cool posing amongst corals and big marine mammals on Instagram or FB with no scuba tanks?

Resorts and diving centres offer freediving courses all over Caribbean and Tropics all over the World. Dive centres accept certified freedivers for dive trips alongside scuba folks if you flash your freediving C-card. All seems to be going in the right direction. But…

Same certified freedivers come back home to Canada and now venture in very-very different environment.

Fresh water, cold water, less visibility to name a few.

All of a sudden 7 mm wetsuit is needed (and not always freediving suit, but clumsy rental scuba wetsuit).

Fins that were flexible and easy to swim in +30 degree water become stiff like a plywood.

Excessive extra weights are often put without checking safe buoyance and nylon weight belts are used instead of rubber.

Cold water troughs off equalization, cold contractions increase risk of lung squeeze, bulky suit and rigid fins increase workload dramatically and all of a sudden certified freediver can not “duck dive” any more, can not descent below 10-15 feet or does it with tremendous effort, stressing out and risking blackout.

Adding to the problem is often less than adequate educational process. It is not uncommon to hear that freediving certification was done on a weekend, sometimes with just one day in open water (warm tropical water that was!) “Freedivers” lack basic skills like “duck dive”, line orientation, buddy communication, properly weighing themselves, safety technique etc.

If you got certified “down South”, please spend another day (at least) with Freediving Instructor in Canadian open waters

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Freeze Dive 2017 – Ice diving in Canada

Freedivers gathering at Morrison Quarry for the 9th annual Freeze Dive.

Ice diving is a bit cold, but a great experience. It is an interesting feeling being under the ice. The light coming through the holes and through the ice itself combined with the bubbles under the ice play with your senses.

Crawling along under the ice and having a ceiling above you while diving is a great way to test how calm you are while diving. You know it is only 5-10 seconds to the nearest hole, but will your rational mind be in charge.

Take a course with us and come out and try ice diving next year.

Thanks to our friends at CASM for organizing this great day.

 

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Family Snorkeling on Roatán, Honduras

We have just come pack from our great family vacation on Roatán, Honduras. We were joined on the trip by our good friends, whom we have traveled with before and the ages of our combined 4 kids are 6-11 years old.

In the West Bay of Roatan there is easy access to great snorkeling. As can be seen from the video below all our kids came out with us and enjoyed all the fish, coral reef and variety of life we got to see in the ocean.

The staff at the Henry Morgan resort were we stayed in West Bay were very friendly, the food was good and I can only recommend the island to any family who wants to enjoy a vacation in or close to the ocean.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/Tae5AnWnqeI]

Roatan Wikipedia

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Breathe – Great Freediving Movie with William Trubridge

I just finished watching Breathe, which arrived in my mailbox earlier today.

Great movie….

It is inspirational, funny, informative, beautifully filmed  and I enjoyed it throughout.

Dean’s blue hole is spectacular place to dive  and I don’t think anyone can watch this movie without being fascinated with freediving and what William is able to do.

I was on the Safety Team for the Freediving World championship at Deans Blue hole in 2009 so this stunning footage brought back lots of awesome memories.

I recommend that you buy this movie and watch it.

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/44963798]

SYNOPSIS

Martin Khodabakhshian (9-Time Emmy Award-winning ESPN producer) directs and produces this fascinating documentary that truly goes to new depths in the search for man’s physical and mental limits. Breathefollows New Zealander, William Trubridge as he attempts to break his own world record in the extreme sport of Freediving. William attempts to dive completely unaided to a depth of 300ft, almost to the bottom of the deepest blue hole in the world – “Dean’s Blue Hole” in the Bahamas.

Featuring candid interviews with locals who live in fear of the hole, interviews with William’s family members who are in constant fear for his life and stunning underwater footage of William in action, Breathe will literally leave you holding your own breath as William takes us on a journey to the depths of mankind’s fascination with the underwater world.

http://filmworksent.com/Breathe.html

 

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Freedive Toronto on Citytv’s Breakfast Television

Toronto, Friday August 5, 2011
It was an early rise for the Freediving National Championships organizers, crew and athlete this morning as they appeared in today’s Breakfast Television show with Sangita Patell and the LiveEye crew at the Etobicoke Olympium Pool. Under the watchful eye of Freedive Toronto President and AIDA Instructor Doug Sitter, Sangita faced her long-standing fear of water and attempted a breath-hold performance called static apnea, which is a discipline of freediving done on one breath of air, face down in the water without the exertion of movement. This discipline is measure of time spent on a breath-hold (also called sportive apnea). For a first timer, Sangita did really well in her attempt, reaching a personal best of 56 seconds.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYK3FTlnVqA]