'One Breath Freediving is pleased and very excited to announce a new partnership with Malta a Vela (Malta by Sail). Together we will be offering freediving excursions and courses from the 41ft sailing boat 'Eau d' As', owned and crewed by Laurent & Rosa. This partnership is a first for Malta and an amazing opportunity to experience the sea around the Maltese Islands in the most natural and serene way possible, both above and below the water.
We start our 2017 summer programme with a freediving trip to Comino on Sunday May 28th. There are limited allocations (only 6 spaces!), making this a really exclusive and personalised experience. Plus, we are offering a special introductory price of only €100 per person for this day trip. Contact me as soon as possible to book your space, and look out for more exciting activities coming soon.' Regards David, Laurent & Rosa' We have some great news: One Breath Freediving is pleased to announce that it is now an official PADI Freediver Centre!
We now offer PADI freediver courses from 'PADI Basic Freediver', a one day introduction to freediving, right up to the advanced 'PADI Master Freediver' course. This nicely compliments the AIDA freediving courses we already offer and makes One Breath Freediving the top destination for freediving, and the only place to learn PADI or AIDA freediving course from beginner to advanced, in Malta & Gozo David Watson (PADI Master Freediver Instructor #650697) One Breath Freediving (PADI Freediver Centre #s26038)
Welcome to a series of new blog posts where we follow the experience of a scuba diver as he learns to freedive properly for the first time! Here is part one: ![]() I started scuba diving in September 2011 and have done 400 dives. I've completed the PADI divemaster qualification as well as the SDI Solo diver, PADI tec 40 and I'm currently studying for Tec 45. I like to learn from every dive and always look at ways to improve. I'm currently working on kit configuration and practising technical diving procedures and methods. I've thought about doing a freediving course for the last 2 years, although I've not taken it any further than that.... until now. In about six weeks I'll be doing my AIDA2 with One Breath Freediving in Malta. A couple of days ago I went to my local 6m deep pool where I was able to prepare for the course. I just wanted to practice The Frenzel Maneuver for equalising. This is how I equalise when scuba diving, but when scuba diving the decent rate is a lot slower and I'm horizontal, not head first. After 15 minutes in the pool the equalising was going well and towards of the session I could manage 30-40 seconds under water. This was without knowing any relaxation, breathing techniques or how to efficiently duck dive. At this point I hadn't read anything about freediving. I used a 5mm wetsuit, 3kg weights, scuba fins and mask. Over the next few weeks I'm going to be studying the AIDA2 manual and spend some time practising breathing and relaxation. I'll update my experiences here in a couple of weeks while I progress through the freediving manual. - IAN Great conditions at Cirkewwa as Vitalijus & Bruno complete the final open water requirements for the AIDA3 course.
The Mammalian Diving Response (MDR)How the Human Body Responds to Submersion in Water: A Summery One of the questions I get asked most frequently as a freediving instructor is about HOW we can hold our breath longer. What is the 'trick', the 'secret' that can make it easier for us to be underwater deeper or longer. What many people don't realise is the the human body already holds most of the answers!
Here is an overview of the four main diving responses of the human body, collectively known as 'Mammalian Diving Response' (MDR): Peripheral Vasoconstriction Trigger: Breath-holding, facial immersion in water, increased pressure Response: Blood vessels in the extremities of the body (arms, legs) constrict to keep blood prioritised for the vital organs of the body FACT: A disadvantage of reduced blood flow is increased carbon dioxide and lactic acid build up, but tolerance to these can be increased through training Bradycardia Trigger: Facial Immersion in (cold) water, breath-holding Response: Heart rate slows down by 10-25% in untrained, or up to 50% in trained freedivers, thus conserving blood Oxygen FACT: In diving seals, heart rate has been measured going from 125bpm to below 10bpm during a dive! Spleen Effect Trigger: Breath holding and increased pressure on repetitive deep dives Response: The spleen contracts and releases more red blood cells which aid oxygen transportation in the blood FACT: The spleen is not an essential organ, but holds a reserve of blood and is important as part of the bodies immune system Blood Shift Trigger: Increased pressure on deeper dives Response: Blood plasma swells the alveoli of the lungs filling the chest cavity area to prevent barotrauma injury from increased pressure at depth FACT: Only as recently as the 1970's did scientists begin to understand this phenomenon once divers such as Enzo Maiorca returned from 50m+ dives, injury free! Sign up for AIDA3 (Intermediate) Course at One Breath Freediving to learn more about the Mammalian Diving Response and to reach new depths underwater. |
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