freediving

[vincent danna]

I had my first spearfishing trip last weekend at one of the rigs in the west delta blocks. No one other than myself is certified so i was just freediving at the rig. I had no problem shooting Mangrove snapper from the surface, all good size, 5-10lbs. I have a question for the more experienced freedivers out there. Since I dont see my friends getting certified anytime soon and I'm not gonna dive by myself, is there any way to increase my breath holding ability? I want to be able to go down for a few minutes at a time to do some hunting.

[Screen Name]

I dont think it a good idea to freedive alone. :eek: You need to have someone monitor you that has the ability to rescue you. The same goes for scuba, in my opinion. Diving alone on a boat full of fishermen tends to be a little more dangerous than average. The fishermen usually dont know what they are doing, they are preoccupied with fishing rather than monitoring you, and they tend not to run the boat like a diver would when picking you up etc.

My advice would be to get some friends that dive. :)

[rigdvr]

I will send you a pool training routine that will help. The biggest improvement will come with your increasing comfort level. Having almost entirely given up tank hunting this year, you will be amazed at the fish you will be able to land freediving. Good luck.

[jason33318]

my best advice is to relax, almost "sleepwalk" your way around underwater. keep your heartrate as low as possible and practice swimming laps underwater in a pool. always do this with another person though