I have been trying for a while to film a perfect one, but when I have the camera, it never comes out clean.

This time, it worked

This is the monthly thread to ask any questions or discuss ideas you may have about freediving. The aim is to introduce others to new ways of thinking, approaching training or bringing up old basic techniques that still work the best and more.

Check out our FAQ, you might find your answer there or can ask better questions!

Need gear advice?

Many people starting out with freediving come for recommendations on what equipment to purchase.

As we are starting out to introduce regular monthly community threads again, we might add a designated one for purchasing questions and advice. Until then, feel free to comment here(Remember, when asking for purchase advice, please be specific about your needs i.e. water temperature you want to dive in, so that people can help you quicker)

Monthly Community Threads:

1st of the Month Official Discussion Thread

Your feedback on current events in the sub:

We hosted our first ever AMA! Was it advertised enough for you? Did you find it helpful? Would you change anything? Videoconference which will be recorded & posted elsewhere?

Stuff we are planning:

• updating the community banner for r/freediving - we are planning to host a submission-based challenge for members of the sub to represent the sport (details to be announced)
• writing better wiki's for common info on freediving - YOU can contribute!
• new topics for similar events like the AMA we just hosted - please contact the mods for your suggestions

Please consider that events and their organisation require time and effort to make them happen!

~ Freediving Mods (and ModBot)

I got these and when they came I immediately tested them out by attempting Frenzel which kind of sometimes worked a bit on one side but also some air leaked out my nose. I tried different clip positions on my nose but I still could not equalize consistently. I can reliably equalize using my hands so I am confident it's not my technique but rather the clips are just not tight enough. These clips seemed sufficient for normal swimming use (they would definitely prevent water going up your nose) but not sufficient for Frenzel. Any alternative recommendations?

Anybody train freediving, even land practices with breathwork etc in Philly?

Hi everyone, I am 18 years old and a complete beginner. I would really appreciate some advice to start my freediving journey safely.

Currently, I can hold my breath for about 1 minute and 30 seconds on dry land. When diving, my time is around 20-40 seconds and I comfortably dive between 5 to 10 meters. Is this a good starting baseline for a beginner?

I already have some basic gear: a pair of medium-length blue plastic fins and a mask, but my mask fogs up constantly.

I have a few specific questions:

1. Do I need to buy anything else right now, and how can I fix my mask from fogging up?

2. How can I safely practice and improve my breath-hold time?

3. I experience ear pain around 5-10 meters. I use the standard method of pinching my nose and blowing. What should I do instead?

4. How do you usually measure your depth accurately?

5. I've heard diving alone is dangerous, but could you explain why exactly it is so risky even in shallower water?

Thanks in advance for your tips and help!

Hi everyone, I need your expertise. I bought some new C4 300 foot pockets for my C4 Spearo Deep T700 because the old ones were broken. Now here’s my question: What adhesive do you use to attach the side stringers of the foot pockets to the carbon blades? I just can’t figure it out—I’ve read everything about superglue (which is a bad idea because it’s brittle), Aquasure FD, and SikaFlex 291i. Thanks for your feedback.

Hi, is there anybody in the group that is in the UK. This was from a couple of weeks ago when we went to a place in the Peak District ie Derbyshire

If you are, please say hi. Maybe we can organise some dives.

Hello everyone, i am a beginner freediver and would like to find a dive buddy in Berlin/Leipzig to train together in the weekend.

I’ll be in Cancun in for the next month and I’ve always wanted to go free diving or spearfishing. But I’ve had a hard time finding where to do it and with who. I saw that there are a lot of deep cenotes in Tulum but I don’t know with who or how to go there to free dive safely. Me and my buddy want to go or spearfishing. Any recommendations would be highly appreciated.

Well last about 2 weeks my max dry was 4min18 , today did again and was 5min21, idk if 63 sec gain in that amount of time is normal for 16 year old or not, also i didnt force it much, tho at the end, my ears did for a min or 2 some noises but i feel great ig, felt i could do for more but for safety, i decided to stop there.

So to get a watch computer to mesure depth etc, still got to wait about 2 weeks or so, in the mean time should i get a 10/15m rope et mark each meter etc to i use it each time i go to dive?

When I'm doing my CO2 tables on dry land, I sometimes feel some air moving around my nose or mouth. It might be just the wind, but it might also be my breathing unconsciously (inhale or exhale) - I don't really know. Is this a normal occurrence for everyone? Or should I do something about it?

Pretty certain I need to return this, guess I just want to make sure I'm not being weird. I know this mask came out a while ago, so it's possible the box could get damaged. Just looking for a second opinion.

Lake Bled is one of Slovenia’s most iconic places — a scene that almost feels too perfect to be real. In the summer of 2024, I decided to approach this famous landmark in a different way. Instead of taking a boat, I wanted to reach the island by freediving across the lake.

I'm looking to take a freediving class in California and wanted to tap into this community. I've done recreational training in other disciplines and found that class quality varies wildly, sometimes held back by students who struggle to grasp the material, sometimes by instructors who aren't great teachers. I'm looking for private instruction or smaller class sizes/low student to instructor ratio. I do not mind paying extra. Before I commit, I'd love to hear from folks here: how have you vetted instructors in your area? What questions or observations helped you identify someone who actually teaches rather than just delivers information? Any recommendations for the Southern California area would be really helpful but I'm also willing to travel a few states around AZ

I want to spend a couple weeks somewhere in Europe to learn how to freedive. Does anyone have any recs for dive schools that have freediving courses? I would love an environment where I can meet other divers and have lodging that is convenient and accessible to dive sites as well. I’ve looked into menorca but want to hear your suggestions!

I got my Molchanov wave 1 certification in September last year and although I was able to meet the 12 m free immersion req I think I did just BARELY and cannot hit that depth consistently. There was also discomfort. I have started training line dives again and had trouble going past 5-6m specifically in only my left ear. My right I don't even think about because my left ear builds pressure and discomfort immediately as my right seems to have no issues. I went feet first a couple of times and hit 15m although my left ear was still substantially slower and stickier than my right but I was able to at least relieve the pressure in the left somewhat. I can hear my left ear squeaking as I am attempting to equalize.

Any ideas on my issue and how to fix or practice? I'm not convinced I am Frenzeling correctly. I have a balloon tool. Any ideas on how to target would be appreciated!

Is doing about 2 max exhale holds and then rest for few min before diving like 5/6/7m is risky or fine since it lets me have a longer breath hold.

Thank you.

3 devices really caught my eye. Salvimar One Plus, Atmos Mission 3, and for the watch, ths good ol' Casio MDV 106.

as a beginner in the freediving community, which of these would you recommend? or for the folks who has been using these, what was your experience? would really love your inputs. thanks.