The Free, and Freeing, Way to Catch Dinner

© jayhem

A freediver finds negative weight and sinks deep underneath the surface of the water.

In 1913, a Greek fisherman shocked the medical world. After losing it’s anchor off the island of Sparthokos, the Italian Navy recruited Gheorgios Haggi Statti to help. The local fisherman spent the next week diving, with nothing more than a bathing suit and goggles, repeatedly to over 200 feet looking for the anchor. As doctors searched for answers as to how an air-breathing human could dive to such astonishing depths on one breath, Statti found his treasure and returned it to the Italian Navy.

“It’s in the word – freediving is free” explains Luis Vazquez, Miami freediver and sales rep. at Austin’s Diving Center in Miami. “With SCUBA, you’re stuck in one area, you have a couple of tanks and it’s loud. All you need to freedive is a mask, fins and a snorkel…it’s free.”

Freediving is a sport that predates the Roman empire and has changed very little since. In it’s basic form, the freediver holds her breath and swims under water (sometimes, like in the case of our Greek fisherman, very far under water). Some people use their freediving skills as just another form of exercise, while others use theirs to connect with nature; some dive to extreme depths as a personal challenge, and others use the skill to catch dinner.

“It feels prehistoric and cavemanish, hunting for your fish under water,” says Vazquez. “It’s a challenge to freedive and shoot a fish with the most selective type of fishing there is,” Vazquez says of the technique called "spearfishing." With hook and line fishing, the fisherman hauls whatever bites or gets in the way, and keeps what’s good while throwing everything else back. Spearfishing, on the other hand, forces the hunter to select what he wants before harassing or harming the fish. Do that while holding your breath at 80 feet and you’ve earned dinner.

But, a chance to hunt for dinner is just one advantage of free diving. “Other sports hype you up and excite you for the adrenaline rush," says Vazquez. “Freediving is just the opposite. The calmer you are, the better you do. The older you get, the better you get. It’s about controlling your mind and relaxing your body.”

So, what's it like? “Past 60 feet, everything starts to change. That’s three atmospheres and your body is completely negative.” A “negative” body refers to the relative buoyancy to the surrounding water. A positive body floats, a neutral body remains suspended and a negative body sinks, which is a good thing. The more the body sinks on it’s own, the less energy the diver needs to exert to descend. “All you need to do is relax, conserve oxygen and keep your head down,” he explains.

Despite it’s tranquil and serene nature, freediving is a potentially hazardous and fatal sport. Divers should always dive with a “buddy” and be familiar with safety protocol and personal limits. “Get out, use the gear and take a class if you can,” adds Vazquez. “Figure out what works for you and definitely don’t read up too much on the internet and think you’re a diver.”