Not all heroes wear capes, some wear wetsuits
By Akshay Thatte
(These are my thoughts on having completed the Zero To Hero course two months ago. I feel it would be good to share my thoughts and experiences a few months after having finished it, just to ensure that there is no bias or hangover of the course persisting. A lot of things are said in jest and must not be taken seriously. Any hurt caused is deeply regretted. Do not come after me. Please 😊)
The Freediving Program From Zero to Hero is a long-term course that allows anyone with no prior freediving experience to progress and make it all the way to an Instructor. You can go from being the Jon Snow of freediving and transform into a Freediver; A rare breed of neoprene-wearing human, that’s found in mostly tropical waters. You can hear their distinctive calls of Frenzel and Mouthfill from conversations in bars that distinguish them from their bulkier cousins; the scuba divers. With the amount of sign language involved, add the right soundtrack and they could well be rappers in another dimension. But you are here to be a freediver, a Master Freediver who goes deeper than your imagination has fathomed so far. 32 meters is 104 feet or a ten-story building. That’s a lot of distance to cover in one breath.
Inhale. Let’s go.
Why/Who Should Do It
Who should do it? Pretty much anyone who likes the sea, and marine life and or is looking for a new extreme sport that isn’t life-threatening on a daily basis (like cliff jumping). If there’s a longing desire to spend more time in the sea watching all the fishes there are to see, but the inevitable time limit of scuba or just the distance to the fishies while snorkelling bothers you, then freediving is the way to go. No disrespect to scuba, but that 150 bar in the tank disappears faster than /savings in a casino/politicians after election results are announced. Take your pick.
The comfort with your body, the sea and the confidence to duck dive anywhere is a priceless skill. Yes, it’s a callback to that old Mastercard ad. Speaking of Mastercard, this is also the most financially viable course to learn in terms of training dives and time.
If you already have done some form of apnea, spearfishing or just dabbled around then this is the most organised, structured option there is. The Freediving program Zero To Hero is meant to progress beyond the advanced course systematically, learning new techniques that form the foundation of any freediver. Beyond 20 meters is when time, technique and guidance become crucial. Which brings us to the next point.
THE INSTRUCTOR
How do you choose where to do it? The answer is simple, find the best instructor. Your instructor is everything in the course. Fins, wetsuits, nose clips, and all the sufi gear you can get your hands on means nothing without the Guru. I have been blessed to have been taught by Sergei, who’s not just been teaching since PADI began its Freediver courses 10 years ago but has also trained more instructors than one can count.
But just these credentials are not what makes him stand apart, it’s this smiling Buddha- Zen-like energy that makes the difference. I have yet to see him even display mild annoyance. Considering there were 5 Masters students in varying stages of the course, I am sure it would have driven him up the wall at times. But hey, that’s why he is the boss. My first instructor, Shonali Ghoshal, herself an accomplished Scuba Master Instructor graduated from the same school of thought and institute- Kaizen Freediving in Koh Tao, Thailand. A testament to the quality of instructors produced.
Calm, professional and knowing how to hold the reins of the student. These are the best instructors to have, they have learnt how to manage a whole host of personalities and that is why surrendering to the knowledge of the Guru is so important. The Instructor is irreplaceable.
Every Equalisation problem that seems like a world-ending problem will be handled calmly because it is NOT their first time dealing with AND sorting out such issues. Trust your Instructor. You are not a unique snowflake, with unique EQ problems.
The right teacher understands that even if the body may be ready, it is as much a mental game. With Sergei, the PBs and the numbers were never the goals, it was always “What’s your comfortable depth? Let’s make that deeper.” It’s this slow and steady approach that pays off long term, not only is this safer and methodical but more importantly inspires confidence in the freedivers’ own abilities.
This approach is what made me fall in love with the sea, knowing that I could spend almost a minute hanging in zero gravity is something to be experienced, words do no justice.
TIPS I’D PASS ON
DISCIPLINE: Did Jocko just show up in your dreams ??!! If he did, Good. Because at some level this is the only way to go. This section gets into Veteran speak. Falling ill is unplanned, but taking precautions, getting enough sleep, eating well and training hard are in your hands. These may sound trivial, but they are the key, like hydration and sunscreen. The benefits and the repercussions are all yours. Hydrate. Be disciplined. Stay hard. This course will create habits and as Sergei says “It’s easier to teach someone new than to correct old mistakes”.
TIME: Take time off. Have dry days to soak in the sun and a few beers. It’ll take anywhere from 2-3 months to finish and that’s a long time. There will be periods of stagnation, where the ears won’t EQ or it’s just plain exhausting physically. Be prepared mentally, and physically the body will respond.
BABY STEPS: The key I figured was to break down each session into what needed to be achieved today. An increase in depth by a meter at a time is not daunting, 32 meters depth, 70 meters dynamic sounds like a lot, but it’s baby steps all the way. The journey is far more rewarding.
FAITH: Having faith in your instructor and following the military’s favourite training philosophy of “Don’t Think, Do” is the best way. It’s the most uncomplicated way to approach it, you are a sponge, soak it up. There is wisdom in even the smallest of conversations, keep your ears open. Learn the good drills followed.
Looking Back or If I Had A Time Machine.
I would have pushed harder when it came to depth. It’s the one discipline that takes the most effort, logistically and otherwise, boats, conditions, a safety diver etc. There are too many factors that make it difficult to chase depth any other time. I would spend a longer time and try to get to 40 during the Masters course itself. The rest of it, I would not change a bit. Follow your Instructor.
CONCLUSION
What you will remember has very little to do with the classroom and theory. The daily diving, meeting the same group of Masters students, going through the same issues, post-dive hunger et all. Three months of intensive daily diving; That’s a long time to dive almost every day with the same group and celebrate each other’s PBs in any discipline, looking forward to watching a 50-meter tow happen in ripping current, watching every competition like we were next in line, swimming in a sea of jellyfish, doing FIM in a current where the line is at an angle that would make Pythogoras giddy with joy. These are just some of the experiences along the way that will remain as my version of “Back in the day when…., or During my Masters…..”
The greatest gift though, has been comfort in the sea. The sea is no longer daunting, unknown, and scary, she is a place of joy and comfort. Everyday. The confidence to feel and say this, to go and hang at 15 meters and just soak in the nothingness is where the metamorphosis takes place.
The student of Freediving Program Zero to Hero, is the little turtle crawling out of the sand and making its way to the sea. Just like a turtle, the first few years can be quite tumultuous, but be sure that once you go to the sea there’s no looking back.
FIN
For them, number 1 recommendation – spend some time in advance training your swimming skills. Yes, we have fitness requirements in PADI freediving course. But no worries, it is just basic swimming (200 meters without fins or 300 with fins) and can be performed in any style (also without time limit). If you know, that you cannot meet this requirement, then it is 100% better to train swimming skills before. In some organizations, though there are no requirements for swimming at all. Which seems extremely strange.
What else can be done if you have a few months ahead before the freediving course? You can do some stretching exercises. Stretching is beneficial for freediving, however, it is easy to pass the 1st level without any stretching at all. But if you are going to do advanced or master course, stretching will be super valuable and will help to make the course much safer and enjoyable.
breathing technics for different purposes. You need to focus on relaxation breathing for freediving (here is the
First of all – if you are planning to train in the water, you HAVE TO have a Freediving buddy. No exception. What about easy breath holds? Still no, you have to have a buddy in any case! If no – train STA dry (less fun, but safer!).
And you want to reach 3 minutes within 3-4 months. Here is your plan (train 2-3 times per week). Choose only one of these exercises for a session
Have you noticed “PUSH HARDER” advice? No? This is because there is no such advice here! You don’t have to push harder to reach 3 minutes static breath hold!
This step is easy to explain: rental masks might not fit you well and can constantly leak. Besides, it’s always more pleasant to be the only one who wears the mask which touches your face. Also, you don’t depend on rental shops operation hours and with your own mask, you can go snorkeling or freediving wherever and whenever you want. And the last reason – it’s super easy to travel with a little mask in a bag. Way easier, than with a pair of freediving fins.
little pain, this mask is not for you. As little pain can become a terrible headache after 1-hour freediving or snorkeling session.
You might have seen many freedivers diving in Sphera mask by Aqualung. It’s a gorgeous not expensive and unique mask due to its bent lenses, which allows the mask to follow the shape of the face. This provides super low volume and high side vision. But to make the lenses curve manufacturer had to use plastic instead of glass. And plastic is much less resistant to the scratches. That is not a problem at all if you care your equipment well. In case, you have a habit to drop your mask anywhere but not in the box, probably you have to check for another option.
Freediving, as a recreational water-based activity (as well as a sport), getting more and more popular. But still, it is far away from other water activities, like for example scuba diving.
people are saying that fish afraid of the bubbles. But why should they be? Fish are afraid of their natural predators and they don’t make bubbles. Fish afraid if you make too much movement and if you are rapidly closing the distance. However, I am willing to accept that some marine life can come close to a Freediver (at least I was told so by other Freedivers).
simple again. If we are talking about starting – then for sure it is true! As soon as you have a mask, you can be a Freediver 😉 For scuba, even for absolute beginner level, there is a standard set – BCD, regulator, fins, scuba tank etc. Coming back to Freediving, like I said, in the beginning, you can just invest in the mask and snorkel. But then it will probably be more equipment – weight belt, neck weight, wetsuit, nose clip, safety lanyard, goggles for the swimming pool, float and rope if you want to train with your buddy independently, etc.
they are not fatal. The second group is just playing Russian roulette. But the same is true for any other activity in our life – you have to follow safety rules. Even for walking. Disagree? Try to walk across a high way! When someone tells that Freedivers are dying regularly, I am always asking where this information is coming from. And there is no answer. Simple because it is not true. So, the bottom line here – follow safety rules and Freediving would be the safest water based activity!
So, what would be your choice? Ideally, try both freediving and scuba diving! In my opinion, if you want to explore reef up to 15 meters deep – Freediving is a much better choice. But if you are planning to explore a dive site 25-30 meter deep, then it is easy to do with a scuba tank. If you are interested in underwater photography or videography, then again, having scuba tanks make your life easier. On the other hand, if you want to enjoy to be underwater and also combine it with a healthy lifestyle – Freediving is a better choice.
And second is going to be about lung squeeze, DCS/lung overexpansion/gas narcosis
He is still conscious; the heart is working, blood still circulating through the body. But the partial pressure of O2 is too low for normal functioning. He is not fainting, but close to it. Signs can be small (blue lips, light uncontrolled eyes or head movement), or big (body shaking and losing coordination). What happens when a freediver lose coordination while he is in the pool? Big problem…
If you have an LMC, take it as a lesson, stop training for at least a day, analyze why it happened and don’t repeat the same mistake 😉
It is almost the same recommendations which I wrote about how to avoid BO! let’s repeat
