Grupo Mayan Resorts: All About Freediving
June 3rd, 2009
Freediving is really just the act of diving without any artificial respiration equipment, i.e. on a single lungful of air, say the Grupo Mayan experts in water sports. As such, the term ‘freediving’ doesn’t always refer to the competitive sport of freediving. It can also refer to diving without equipment for a range of other purposes, for example underwater photography, spear fishing, snorkeling, synchronized swimming and so on.
The competitive sport of freediving is also called ‘competitive apnea’, and it is one of the most dangerous sports in the world, say the Grupo Mayan experts in water sports. While are different forms, the fundamental idea is simply to attempt to dive as deep as possible on a single breath or air.
The sport of freediving is governed by two world associations, the Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques, or CMAS, and the Association Internationale pour le Developpement de l’Apnée, or AIDA.
The world associations recognize the following six disciplines in the area of ‘depth diving’:
Constant Weight Apnea: The diver follows a guide rope, but is not allowed to use it in any way, and they also may not drop any diving weights that they begin the dive with. In this discipline, the diver may use fins, say the Grupo Mayan experts in water sports.
Constant Weight Apnea (without fins): This discipline is identical to the one described above, save for the fact that diving aids such as fins may not be used.
Free Immersion Apnea: In this discipline, the diver is allowed to actively use the guide rope to pull themselves down, say the Grupo Mayan experts in water sports. It is thought to be substantially easier than the disciplines where the rope may not be used. Again, weights carried may not be dropped.
Variable Weight Apnea: This discipline has divers using a weighted sled for their descent. Divers may return to the surface using either the guide rope or swimming with fins.
No-Limits Apnea: This discipline allows divers to use any means they choose to descend and ascend. Most divers in this discipline use a weighted sled for the descent and a bag that inflates to return to the surface, say the Grupo Mayan experts in water sports.
The Jump Blue: This discipline is also called ‘the cube. In this discipline, divers descend to a depth of 15 meters, and then must swim as far as possible in a cube of in which an athlete has to descend and swim as far as possible in a cube of 15 x 10 meters.
In addition to these competitive forms, say the Grupo Mayan experts in water sports, many people also practice freediving purely for recreation. Often people who practice recreational freediving combine the activity with yoga, which has techniques that improve breath-holding capability.