What is freediving?
Hold your breath, put your face in the water, and you're freediving! If you've ever tried to dive deep on a single breath, got below the surface while snorkelling, or tried to swim as far as you can underwater in a pool - you can call yourself a freediver.
At SaltFree we teach and train many of the disciplines of freediving. In the lake at NDAC, most of our dives are in the Constant Weight or Free Immersion categories. From time to time, we also experiment with Constant Weight No Fins and occasionally, we have a go at Variable Weight.
At a pool near to Chepstow, we also teach Static and Dynamic Apnea and the SaltFree posse train all over the country at local pools including Manchester, Leicester, Sheffield, London, Brighton and deepest Cornwall.
Most of our events tend to focus on depth disciplines - seeing as we do have 80m to play with but if you just want to be able to be more comfortable in the water, maybe for surfing, spearfishing, snorkelling or just for the hell of it, we'll find a discipline you are good at and help you along.
Constant Weight - With or without fins, two fins or a monofin, you dive as deep as you can and back up on a single breath using just the power of your swim stroke.
Free Immersion - Leave the fins up top and pull yourself up and down the line using your arms only - great for beginners, as a warm up dive, or as a discipline of its own.
Static Apnea - Float face down in a pool for as long as you can on one breath - with a buddy watching you carefully of course. You'll be amazed how long you can go!
Dynamic Apnea - With or without your fins/monofin - swim as far as you can on one breath. Learn to do it safely and it's much more fun than challenging your Dad when you were 6.
Variable Weight - Ride down with a weight and swim or pull yourself back up - you've just got to persuade someone to help get the weight back afterwards
No Limits - Ride down with a weight and back up on a balloon - or any other way you fancy, there are no rules!
SaltFree regulars hold UK records for some of these:
Static Apnea
Liv Philip - 5 minutes 32 seconds
Dynamic Apnea No Fins
Liv Philip - 104m
Dynamic Apnea with Fins
Dave King - 156m
Constant Weight with Fins
Dave King - 78m
Remember - whatever discipline you are doing, you should have had some formal training in it and always be with a buddy who knows how to look after you - so that means NO, don't try static apnea in the bath!