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Over the span of the last few years I had heard
talk of a specialized freediving course. A course that could
turn an ordinary human into a fish and send him (or her)
down to depths of over 200 feet. Of course, I was very
skeptical. Then, some time last October, I was talking to
Julie Riffe and she mentioned that she had just completed
the course. I asked her how it was and I was surprised by
her answer: "Incredible!" I looked at their website,
performancefreediving.com, and noticed that the clinic was
going to be in Miami in January. So Jason and I signed up.
Kirk Krack and Martin Stepanek were
running the clinic that I attended. They are both
outstanding individuals and great teachers. Over the next
couple of days, we learned more about freediving than we
thought possible. Physics, Physiology, Safety, and Training.
The information is well organized and presented in an
effective manner. The breathing techniques that are used are
amazing. After some classroom time, we hit the pool and
implemented these techniques. Using their breathing tips, I
was able to achieve a breath hold of 5 minutes 12 seconds.
SWEET!
We also did some diving out in the
Gulf Stream. It was great. I am used to being out in the
Blue Water and it can be very disorienting. These guys drop
ropes down from floats on the surface with a weight on the
end. Swimming up and down along these ropes really helps you
relax and achieve good depths. Everyone was diving deeper
than they ever had before. I had been past 100 feet before,
but never so easily. I felt like I could have stayed down
there a while. I can't wait to see how this course is going
to improve my 60 foot diving.
The depths and breath holds I can
now achieve are great, and that is why I took the
Performance Freediving course. But I also got something else
out of it. Safety. These guys are amazingly safe. They have
backup plans for their backup plans and their safety routine
in very extensive and well rehearsed. We learned about the
causes and signs of shallow water blackout and how to deal
with it. Blacking out is something that can happen to anyone
that freedives, especially spearfishermen. Let's face the
facts: we push ourselves deeper and longer than we should
sometimes for the sake of getting our trophy fish. Knowing
how to deal with it can be the difference between life and
death. I am now much more confident making deep dives.
Jason and I both highly recommend
this course. If you freedive and spearfish you will really
get your money's worth out of it. Check it out your self:
www.performancefreediving.com
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