The essence of the Dynamic Apnea Bi-Fins disciplines is to spend as little energy as possible while covering as much distance as possible.
Freedivers typically learn how to perform dynamic apnea (horizontal swimming underwater while holding their breath) on their first freediving course. In the course, a freediver learn the basic idea of how to move underwater, with the focus on technique and relaxation.
But what should you do after you finish a freediving course? How to progress in Dynamic Apnea Bi-Fins? Ideally, find a freediving coach. If you couldn’t find a coach nearby, find an online coach (you can check our online coaching program). You must also have a safety diver (another freediver) with whom you can start training together.
First of all, what not to do. Don’t focus too much on the distance you can do. Instead, focus on the technique, relaxation, and streamlining.
In this article, we will discuss streamlining.
Water is much denser than air (almost 800 times denser than air), and as a result, in freediving (same as in swimming), it is crucial to minimise the amount of drag you create during Dynamic Apnea Bi-Fins. How? You need to be more streamlined. Here are a few tips:
- Keep arms in a streamlined position, if the current level of flexibility allows you to do so. If it is not, work on improving your flexibility (specifically in your lats, chest, and shoulders) at least two to three times per week. But don’t expect quick results. It takes time to improve your flexibility.
- If you couldn’t keep your arms in a streamlined position and maintain relaxation, give it up for now. Keep your arms along your body until your flexibility improves. Make sure your arms are close to your body (but don’t tense them up, since it will negatively affect the overall relaxation).
- Keep your head in the neutral position. One of the most common mistakes among beginner freedivers is to look forward during dynamic apnea bi-fins. It is a natural tendency for adults to look at where we are going. In the water, this habit will be a problem, as it creates tension in the neck and generates a lot of drag. But make sure that in the attempt to sort out the “looking forward” problem, you are not creating another one – “chin too close to the chest”. This mistake also creates tension in the neck and extra drag. One more time – keep your head in the neutral position.
- Don’t kick too wide. Some freedivers make this mistake as a subconscious way to compensate for positive buoyancy (you must have neutral buoyancy in all dynamic apnea disciplines). Other freedivers think that the wider the kick, the more propulsion it will generate. Either way – don’t kick too wide.
Having a streamlined position in the Dynamic Apnea Bi-Fins discipline should be your number two goal (number one goal: having neutral buoyancy). Everything else – kicking technique, CO2 tolerance, and hypoxic tolerance — should come after that.
If you want to learn more about performing Dynamic Apnea Bi-Fins, check out our free tutorial.