Freediving Makes a Splash on Adelaide

Day one

Day one started off with an introduction to Freediving, with some great video footage provided by Walter while he was last in Hawaii. With +50 vis, 70 meters depth and only 100 meters off shore, it was enough to inspire anyone that had doubts about this sport of ours. From there we went straight into safety techniques and procedures. Walter and assisting freediver Zaf simulated what a SWB looks likes and the correct response to such a situation. From there the topic went on to physiology and the physics of Freediving. It is important to understand what is happening to your body before, during and after your dive. Once these lessons were complete and participants had a firm understanding of what happens to your body, we moved into the practical side of things. Topics included relaxation techniques, breath-up techniques and correct biomechanical techniques. With the weather just right and a pool situated right on the marina, we then moved outside onto the lawn to go through some stretching and start the dive reflex with some dry static’s. This was a good opportunity to get everyone familiar with the concept of contractions, as not everyone knew what they were and if they’d had them before. At that point it was time to head to the pool. Everyone was quite happy to discover that the pool temperature was around 34 degrees and that no wet suit was required. After running some more safety demonstrations it was time for static’s. Everyone was pleased and surprised with the results they achieved. One student, Jan, produced a PB of 4:30, not bad for his first ever attempt. After the pool session and a short break it was back to the classroom to talk about Equipment and a Q&A, thus concluding day one.

Day Two

At 10am, everyone met at Holdfast Marina where the 47-foot ocean curser was docked. Our destination - calm waters with a depth of 20 meters. After a short briefing from Walter, we began the journey to our first destination with a depth of 6 meters so we could do our buoyancy checks and have a warm-up swim. Next we were off to the dredge where the deeper part of the course was to be held.

The dredge is a very popular scuba diving spot located 5km off shore, embracing the old fishing trawler that was sunk many years ago by the Scuba diving community in Adelaide. Using two lines the group was split into 2 groups to make things easier for everyone. Once again safety drills were attended to first and once completed, it was time to dive. Using a line we started by doing shallow pull-downs and hangs. Once people where comfortable we increased the depth, and pulling down only with our hands so we could conserve our legs for the deeper dives. Then we started diving to about 10 meters, all the time working on technique. When everyone’s confidence was up, we started diving deeper. Impressively most participants were able to hit the bottom. A few more dives to the bottom and it was time to call it the day. Congratulations to everyone that did the course. It was a weekend of achievement as many participants’ expectations were surpassed. Also a big thank you to Walter for making the journey to Adelaide and making Adelaide’s first freediving course a reality.

For more information on Freediving in Adelaide contact Zaf Korbetis on 0416 034 960 or email reddwarf@senet.com.au or Mary-Anne on 0419804685 or email mstacey@senet.com.au