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Snorkel: The most underrated piece of freediving equipment?

30/7/2019

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By David Watson, AIDA & PADI Master Freediver Instructor and Owner & Founder at One Breath Freediving, based in Malta

The snorkel has to be one of the most maligned or taken for granted piece of equipment in the kit bag of a freediver. It is great for buddying or extended periods of waiting, watching or relaxing on the surface, and although some freediving agencies and some individual instructors seem to teach freediving with little or no snorkel use, for me it is one of the pieces of equipment that can make the biggest difference to the experience of our wonderful sport, especially to beginners and relatively inexperienced freedivers. But, its correct use is not often taught it is just assumed that it is known!

5 Things to look for in a good freediving snorkel:
  • Simple tube design (no valves or caps needed)
  • Rigid or moderately rigid material (silicone is good)
  • An attachment to clip it to the mask if and when required
  • Wide opening and bore diameter to allow good air flow
  • Adjustable mouth section can be desirable to create the optimum angle

​So what can go wrong with such a seemingly simple piece of equipment? Well, as just one example, bad positioning or incorrect angle can lead to swallowing some water, especially if an unexpected wave arrives. This can result in a reduction in confidence in equipment and/or ability,  which leads to a reduction in relaxation and consequently an increase in anxiety levels before the freedive. You get the picture. This knock on effect can quickly reduce the enjoyment of a freediving session.
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Keeping it simple.............
​5 Tips for good snorkel use and control:
  • Hold it loosely in your jaw, not clenched (there is no bonus for biting through it!) And let the tip of your tongue sit at the entrance to the snorkel mouth piece (between your teeth), to sense any water that enters before you inadvertently breathe it in
  • Angle it correctly so it points up (not forward) when you are relaxing and lying face down on the surface before your dive. Turn more with your whole body if you need to look a long way to the sides. This avoids dipping the top of the snorkel in the water
  • Always inhale a little more cautiously than normal and remember to keep the breathing slow and calm, using the diaphragm, with longer exhales
  • Take it out the mouth during the dive! It is no use underwater and can in fact be dangerous to leave it in your mouth as it is a passageway for water into the lungs if you black out
  • Use it! I often see people during the session, such as when putting on fins, and they struggle for breath and to complete a task when they could be using the snorkel to breathe AND be face down in the water doing what they need to do
One Breath Freediving stocks a range of freediving snorkels, prices ranging €14-€20
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Product Review: Octopus Pulling System

5/7/2019

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By David Watson, AIDA & PADI Master Freediver Instructor and Owner & Founder at One Breath Freediving, based in Malta

Octopus is a company producing innovative freediving equipment, and is owned by Swiss freediver and designer, Pascal Berger. Best known for their high quality products especially the nose clips which have proved to be extremely popular, the Octopus line now includes lanyards, an equalisation tool and the newest product in the range, the pulling system.
​
The pulling system is a smart product designed to allow you to pull up or let out the freediving rope in a controlled, safe and more energy efficient manner. Made from the strongest and lightest and strongest possible materials (including aluminium and carbon fibre), the first thing you notice is the size and the quality of the material. It is significantly smaller than other similar pully systems that are now on the market, and much more compact. The ergonomic triangle shape allows one handed, handling using a ‘trigger’ hand position as you release the line. Pull the trigger and the line flows through and release to let the tension stop the rope dead. 
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To pull up you can put one foot on the carbineer (that the tool is clipped on to under the buoy), lean back and pull the rope towards you in a ‘left/right’ alternate pull. The great thing here is that with every release of the tension after each pull, the weight is taken back by the locking mechanism, allowing you to take a break every so often.  This is a huge improvement on the traditional bottom weight lifting method of climbing on top of the buoy and lying face down pulling the rope up, with no chance of a break and the potential of falling off / getting tangled in the line / swallowing sea water / losing your weight belt (as you get on or off), all of which I have seen happen or experienced myself!

Post dive maintenance is minimal and it is advertised as requiring very little care: “It is so resistant that you can just leave it hanging under your buoy. No real need to rinse in fresh water.” Says the marketing, and so far this has proved absolutely true.
 
PROS:
  • Great energy saver, especially when pulling up rope from depth
  • Small and compact and ergonomic design (one handed use)
  • Very easy to adjust the depth of the rope up or down
  • Added safety for deeper divers (250kg load capacity)
  • Works with ropes 8-12mm

​CONS:
  • Can pull off the rope length markers that are electrical tape
  • Not so easy to transfer it between ropes
  • Can make for a lazy freediver! :D  

​Final Thoughts:

A great addition to a freediving buoy set up. Very easy to use and requiring little or no maintenance, it is easy to have and forget about but adds a lot to the organisation of a freediving. Overall, a great solution for much easier rope handing for freediving training and a very well designed product.
 
The Octopus Pulling System is available now at One Breath Freediving
RRP: €50
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