There is no better time to get started as a freediver and enjoy all of the benefits that come with it! Are you contemplating becoming a PADI freediver? What does freediving mean to you, and do you know how accessible it is?
Freediving is all about your internal control and ability to focus and relax. It’s so much more than a physically challenging activity – in fact, most professional freedivers will say that the core of freediver training happens on the surface and in your mind. Freediving allows you to quietly enter the underwater world on your own terms and feel at peace with the ocean.
Here are 5 more benefits to becoming a PADI Freediver:
Reduced Stress
Freediving is often misunderstood as an extreme sport fuelled by adrenaline. Of course, as with any sport, extreme freediving record attempts exist. However, freediving is about peace, serenity, marine life, self-discovery, and meditation for most freediver communities.
Freediving requires a level of relaxation, and one of the first things you learn on the PADI freediver course is how to relax by controlling your breath. You’ll discover that as you relax, your heart rate lowers, and you’re more aware and in control of what your body is doing. This means that your dive is longer, safer, and more enjoyable. This skill can also be carried over to your day-to-day life. Do you ever felt stressed at work? You’ll be able to use your freediver skills behind your desk too.
Increased Lung Function & Improved Breathing
On the PADI Freediver Course, you’ll learn, maybe for the first time, how to take a full breath in. This might sound strange, but most of us are not used to using the total capacity of our lungs. With your PADI freediver training, however, it soon becomes more comfortable. You’ll quickly find that as a freediver, you can expand your lung capacity and use that previously untouched volume.
During the freediver training, you’ll learn to use your diaphragm for more effective breathing. Known as ‘diaphragmatic’ breathing, this is a more efficient way of oxygenating your body’s bloodstream – which can help with stress relief and speed up recovery from injuries.
The benefits of diaphragmatic breathing have also been noted to help athletes in various sports enhance their performances.
Improved Fitness and Flexibility
You don’t need to be super fit or flexible to free drive, but once you start, your natural flexibility, strength, and stamina will automatically begin to improve.
When you start your freediver course, your instructor will help guide your physical training and may recommend a fitness program that could include more gentle exercise or workouts at the gym and swimming. If you want to live a fit, active, and longer life, becoming a freediver is a step in the right direction!
Read about one freediver’s adventure here.
Marine Life Encounters and Ocean Experiences
If you want to see a part of the planet that most people will only view on television, then becoming a PADI freediver is a must. What you see will depend on where you choose to dive, but one thing is sure: freediving will bring you closer to nature and open up a world of travel opportunities!
Increased Confidence
As you feel yourself develop as a freediver and keep setting personal bests, your confidence will soar. This will affect all aspects of your life as you start to travel, explore and meet new freediving friends from around the world!
How to Get Started
You must be at least 15 years old to enroll in a PADI Freediver course. You need adequate swimming skills and need to be in good physical health. No prior experience with snorkeling, skin diving, or freediving is required.
Contact your local PADI Freediver Center or PADI Freediver Instructor and get the PADI Freediver eLearning mobile app. PADI Freediver eLearning is an interactive study tool that gives you the background information you need to freedive safely and allows you to study at your own pace. Your PADI Freediver Instructor will check on your progress and make sure you understand important freediving information.
And the best news? The PADI Freediver eLearning also includes all learning materials for the PADI Advanced Freediver and Master Freediver courses too!
Want more freediving tips for beginners? Check out this edition of the PADI Blog.
All you need to do next is decide where to go for your first underwater adventures and practical course completion. Use PADI Travel to get inspired about your next adventure!
