Once again we take our teaching and training to sunny Dahab Egypt for winter season 2021-22! The One Breath Freediving centre in Malta is also open still in Malta via prearranged bookings and appointments for courses, training, coaching and of course equipment sales in the shop.

Enquire & Book:
(+356) 7980 1668 (phone & WhatsApp)
info@onebreathfreediving.com

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

Dahab on the Red Sea Sinai coast of Egypt has long been home to a thriving freediving scene. Let’s look at ten good reasons you should visit as a freediver this winter!

1. Blue Hole:
Visit the famous Blue Hole of Dahab which has 100m deep water just metres from the shore (see photo). Here you will find some of the world’s top freedivers training alongside the stunning scenery of the deep blue water and mountain back drop.

2. Tropical Water:
The red sea is the closest tropical water to Europe and it is very different to the Mediterranean Sea with much more colours and corals. Here water temperatures range from 22c-30c, so even at its coldest in winter, it is still much warmer than the nearby Mediterranean at the same time of year.

3. Winter Sun:
Dahab is lovely and sunny! While Northern Europe gets rain and darkness, Egypt is still a lovely 18c-28c which is perfect without feeling like it is too much. And being in a desert region there is virtually no rain.

4. Depth:
Very easy access to depth for deeper freediving. The bay where Dahab sits is sheltered from any wind and gives depths of up to 50m just metres from the shore. For depths over 50m, the Blue Hole is just a short taxi ride away. And all with no thermoclines.

5. Social – Lots of Freedivers!:
Dahab has to be one of, if not the only, place in the world where freedivers are not greatly outnumbered by scuba divers, and to talk to someone about freediving does not have to involve a long explanation about the sport (“No...... not cliff jumping”).

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

If there is one aspect in the sport of freediving that gets the most overlooked by new freedivers it has to be ear equalisation. Many people start freediving expecting it to be the physical breath hold or mental capacity to deal with being underwater to be the most challenging aspect of the sport, and are often surprised when it is actually  equalisation of the middle ear that proves to be the challenge. Because it’s just as simple as pinching your nose and blowing, right?

Well not exactly. Firstly lets refresh and look at Boyle's Law as to why we need to equalise our ears during a dive. On an airplane you can get away with a simple blow against a pinched nose (or sometimes just swallowing!) to help compensate for the change in pressure in the cabin, this because the pressure change in an airplane is relatively very small. In scuba diving, the other place where you might equalise your ears, you can descend slowly, come to a head up position (which makes it easier), wait some time for it to work (and breathe!) before carrying on. In freediving we are descending fast in a head down position which makes the whole process more difficult if not done correctly or efficiently.

So here are the six most common mistakes of equalising for freediving that I encounter with my students as a professional freediving instructor:

1) Not being relaxed: 
Suddenly finding yourself upside down underwater and holding your breath is not conducive to being relaxed! Then trying to add another complicated skill (equalisation) makes things even more difficult.
Solution: Practice breath holds dry to get used to that sensation and the urge to breathe. Practice pool dynamics or statics to get used to that sensation in the water. Use muscle relaxation exercises to give you greater awareness of your body and how you hold it.
 
2) Descending too fast:
The quicker you descend the quicker you need to equalise. Fine if you are proficient at it, otherwise it can be hard to keep pace.
Solution: Slow down the descent speed, use the discipline of Free Immersion where you can stop or slow easier using the line. Remember that as you get deeper you will become negatively buoyant so will still descend without even kicking or pulling.
 
3) Using the incorrect or an inefficient equalisation technique:
FRENZEL technique (not VALSALVA) is the best method of freediving equalisation. Some people do it automatically, and some people need to learn it.
Solution: Learn Frenzel technique and figure out the best tongue position that works for you and how to control the ‘gates’ (soft palette and glottis). You can do all of this away from the water.
 
4) Not equalising frequently enough:
Freediving equalisation has to be done fast so you need to be ready so as to do it as often and as quickly as possible.
Solution: Keep your fingers close to your nose ready to pinch quickly when needed. Equalise in a rhythm pattern in anticipation of greater pressure coming up, not just waiting to feel pressure before reacting to it, which will prove too slow.
 
5) Not equalising the mask:
The mask often gets forgotten as an airspace and needs to be equalised via exhaling through the nose. If not done this can have a knock on effect to the ability to equalise the ears.
Solution: Exhale into the mask when you feel the pressure on the face increasing with depth.
 
6) Not training or practicing:
As with any skill, ear equalisation takes time to master. The control of the parts of the body involved does not often come naturally (who knew before how to ‘close your glotis’!?!). But practice makes perfect! You can’t expect to be good at something without practicing it repeatedly.
Solution: Learn and practice, practice, practice! Fortunately most ear equalisation training can be done dry so you can practice any time before even getting in the water. Doing a little bit of training every day will pay off greatly in the long term.
 
I hope this topic has provided some insight and will help you on your freediving journey! Of course the best way to learn a new skill is with an experienced freediving instructor that can observe and correct any mistakes and offer you correct advice and training solutions.

Monofin Training Drill:
Here Jose is using a kick board to help stabilise the upper body and a front snorkel to allow him to breath during the training exercise. This takes away the 'apnea' element away from this particular drill and allows him to focus on technique over breath hold while he adjusts to using the full sized monofin.

​How do you think he is doing?

The freefall can be one of the nicest aspects of depth freediving. The moment on the descent when you become 'negatively buoyant' and start to sink independently of effort. This of course has it's advantages, most prominently; saving energy (and therefore oxygen) and aiding relaxation (saving oxygen and facilitating ear equalisation).
So what is involved in a good freefall? Let's take a look:

• Correct weight: This allolws you to stop kicking at the correct point of the dive to start the freefall. Too light and you wont freefall early enough. Too heavy and you will waste energy on the ascent.
• Body position: Tucked in (elbows and knees), legs together, looking ahead (not down), and relaxed shoulders and neck.
• Equalisation: Remember to equalise! Use the movement of the lanyard or your fingers on the line to help judge the speed you are falling. Equalise frequently and before pressure is felt.
• Turn: With the correct hand position to turn, the momentum of the freefall can mean very little effort is needed to make a smooth turn at the bottom of the dive.
• .....and not forgetting..... The Way up!: Using POSITIVE buoyancy to finish your dive by stopping kicking in the last 3-8m  before the surface.

One Breath Freediving is now renting a full freediving set up (buoy/rope/bottom weights) as well as weights and weight belts, to certified freedivers (AIDA3 certified or above).
So if you are visiting Malta and want to do your own training and exploring, we can now accommodate your needs. Contact us for more information, or find the price list, here.

The Solution:
Training and coaching sessions!
Taking training sessions or a one-to-one coaching session with an experienced instructor can give invaluable feedback on your dive preparation and technique, give you new solutions to problems, give you feedback on your dives and give you the tools to perform at your best. For more experienced freedivers, coaching could help you overcome a plateau in your performance or open up new depths with easier equalisation methods, for beginners it could help refine your technique and increase your comfort and time underwater.

Freediving is a SPORT (unlike some other underwater activities that shall remain nameless :)), with strong mental and physical components and a high emphasis on technique. So to improve and achieve personal gains you need to practice and train yourself. Repetition and consistencey  are vital to see improvments in performance, there is no way around that. Remember, if it was easy and came with no real effort it would not be half as satisfying to reach new depths or times!

"Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect." 
- Vince Lombardi

+++ Training and Coaching sessions are available year round for certified freedivers. David is an experienced AIDA & PADI freediving instructor with additional qualifications in Sport & Exercise Science and Personal Training. +++

There can't be many places as alluring and iconic to freedivers as the Blue Hole in Dahab. With imposing, barren mountains just metres from deep blue water and a kaliedoscope of colours amongst the corals on the reef with every shape and colour of fish possible, it is a truely beautiful place and draws freedivers from accross the world.
A natural submarine sinkhole, the depth within the hole is 100m and just outside, on the reef's edge, the depth reaches over 1,000m. A sheltered location and lack of current just metres from shore means that this is a wonderful place to train for freediving.
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One Breath Freediving will be conducting a Training camp in in Dahab Egypt in January and February 2019. Enquire for further information.