| ABC in plain English | ||
| “ABC” is not the acronym for Airways, Bleeding and Coma that is typically taught to Scandinavians in terms of administrating first aid to trauma patients. It is instead an attempt to clarify and demystify the language and vocabulary commonly used in Free-diving circles. | ||
| What exactly is Free-diving? | ||
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Basically, all diving that does not use any externally supplied air supply. It might sound too technical and is probably not what most people would say, or think, when asked to define the sport. Free-diving is huge. There are a lot of people and organizations out there that use the Dolphin as a symbol to represent the sport. |
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On the other hand, there are others who would much rather talk about the characters from the Big Blue movie to attempt to represent the sport and what it is all about. Even the most novice diver will have heard the names of Jagques Mayol and Enzo Mayorca and can easily imagine the sport thru their eyes. It is however virtually impossible to convey the feeling either via words or pictures from a free-diver to a non-free-diver. It just has to be experienced first hand. | |
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Why education and training? |
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1)To become a better free diver. Now, “better” does not necessarily mean to just go deeper or to hold your breath longer. A good free diver has a sense of own potential but even more importantly, understands the current physiological limits. You need to bring respect for the depth and above all, be a safe dive partner in order to enjoy this sport over the long run. 2) To fully appreciate the risks associated with free diving/APNEA. You have
to distinguish between recreational snorkeling and APNEA. They are two
completely separate events. I don’t intend to over dramatize free diving,
or APNEA, as advanced free diving is better known as, but I don’t want to
understate it either. There are impacts to the body from APENA that you
need to be aware of and seriously consider before participating in this
sport. For example, you would not expect anyone to participate in scuba
diving without being properly trained and certified. Why would APNEA be
any different in that regards? There are certain inherent risks in both
sports that one has to get educated about in order to make the activities
more fun, safer and more accessible to more people. |
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| Different levels and categories within Free-diving | ||
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Most people
will try some free-diving while on a nice sunny vacation or whenever they
feel like it and the environment is available. There are others who are
even more serious about the sport. Some of them intend to simply get better
and some eventually intend to compete in the sport. Over the years, certain
categories of free-diving have emerged. Some categories are for Competition
purposes and others for Exhibition purposes only. Below, I have summarized
the main activities of the officially recognized categories.
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Constant Weight |
Variable Weight |
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| This category is by far the most physically challenging within the sport of Free-diving. Here you have to descend and then ascend under your own propulsion. It is called “Constant Weight” because you’re not allowed to alter your weight once you start your dive. You can’t for example drop your weight-belt at the bottom to make your ascent easier. What goes down must come up. | In this category, you’re allowed to alter your weight during the descent and ascent of the dive profile. Typically, you’ll descend, headfirst, holding on to a weighted sled down to your maximum depth. The weight on the sled can not be more than 30kg or one third of the divers weight whichever is more. For the ascent, the free-diver comes up alongside a rope using fins to propel upwards. | |
| No Limit |
Static Apnea |
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If you mention the movie, the Big Blue, most people will
recognize this category as the most dramatic and spectacular category of
free-diving. In this category, the free-diver descends using a weighted
sled and then ascends up using an inflatable airbag that pulls him up
alongside a rope. I highly recommend that you click on the link here to
read the story on how the current Swedish record in this category was
set. It really gives you the insight on what is involved. |
In short, hold your breath for as long as possible while in a resting, stationary, position. You’re essentially face down in the water while floating on the surface. It is incredible the times you can achieve with proper training and technique. |
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Dynamic Apnea |
Free Immersson |
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Dynamic is the terminology to describe someone swimming under the surface in a pool. It is a matter of preference if you do it in a 25meter or 50meter swimming pool. It is just a matter of availability. There is even a category of Dynamic Apnea that does not make use of fins. The records show category with fins. |
This category is not particularly well known even within Free-diving. In this category you can not use fins at all. To descend, you have to pull yourself downwards alongside a rope and to ascend, you either swim or pull yourself up to the surface |
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| Productinformation | ||
| ABC courses focus on free-diving. If you’re interested in product information, please visit our Webshop where you’ll find ABC about products and all the rest. the >>the shop<< |
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