Very Important - Freedive Safety - PLEASE READ FIRST!!


Visit http://freedivingsafety.org/EN.php for additional details about this educational campaign started by Fred Buyle.

In short - NEVER freedive alone and always ensure that you have a trained safety / buddy while diving.  This is not just in reference to open-water... but also for breath holding in pools.


H.Dessault America proposes the following for spearfishing:

Rule No.1 Never free dive alone, employ direct supervision & safety which includes:
One Up - One Down

  • Wait 30 sec on surface supervising your partner 
  • Weight yourself for positive buoyancy on surface with exhalation 
  • Apply a minimum double bottom time for your subsequent surface intervals 
(rules provided by Performance Freediving International) 

Rule No.2 Learn with a dedicated free diving school

Rule No.3 Socialize and train with other sport adepts or join a spearfishing club


For spearfishing, I like to employ an additional safety measure:
1 gun for 2 divers.

This provides an additional incentive for your dive buddy to keep a good eye on you - he needs you to surface so that he can get the gun from you for his turn!  Make sure you are both on the surface for :30 sec, to ensure that your buddy that just surfaced does not black out once above water.

Additional safety measures:
  • For freediving, use a safety lanyard when training depth
  • Take snorkel out of your mouth when you dive, so that you do not suck in water if you do happen to black out.
  • Do not "hyperventilate"
  • Wear light / bright / reflective colours on the bottom or sides of your fins for better visibility from the surface for your buddy
  • If you use a float-line for spearfishing, opt for a light coloured one (white or yellow) for better visibility


No comments:

Post a Comment