How to get started
- There are eight categories of freediving competition – three swimming-pool disciplines, two involving the use of weights, and three self-propelled. The weight-assisted dives are most dangerous and take divers to the greatest depths – the no limits record is 214 metres (702ft), set by the Austrian Herbert Nitsch in June
- There are numerous British freediving clubs, mainly in and around London. Try the Tribe Freediving Club, which meets at a private pool in Streatham, south London, and can offer training to beginners (http://www.deeperblue.net/ courses/tribe)
- For those who fancy training in warmer climbs, Vertical Blue (http://www.verticalblue.net) offers courses on Long Island in the Bahamas. A basic three-day beginner’s course costs $290 (£140), although you’ll have to get there first. The course director is William Trubridge, a record-breaking freediver
- Basic freediving equipment is similar to that used for scuba diving. You’ll need a wetsuit and some fins – either two separate ones or a mono-fin, essentially two fins joined together. You’ll also need a specialist freediving face mask – scuba masks are too bulky
- The Manual Of Freediving: Underwater On a Single Breath, by Umberto Pelizzari and Stefano Tovaglieri, is the definitive illustrated guide for aspiring freedivers. It is available at http://www.amazon.co.uk
- For more details about freediving, visit http://www.britishfreediving.org

Originally posted: www.timesonline.co.uk