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How Difficult Is Freediving?
The short answer is: for most people, much easier than they expect.
You do not need to be a great swimmer, incredibly fit, or naturally able to hold your breath for several minutes before starting.
If you can swim and you are comfortable in the water, there is a very good chance you can learn to freedive.
At Deep Sensations Freediving, we have taught children as young as eight, adults in their 70s and 80s, complete beginners, surfers, scuba divers, spearfishers, and people who have never even been in the ocean before!
Freediving is not really about fitness. It is a skill.
Equalisation Is Usually More Important Than Fitness
For beginner freedivers, one of the biggest factors in progressing comfortably is not cardiovascular fitness or strength.
It is equalisation.
As you descend, the increasing water pressure means you need to regularly equalise the pressure in your middle ears.
The technique we teach and recommend is called Frenzel equalisation.
If you can learn and practise Frenzel before your course, trip, or freediving holiday, you are giving yourself a huge head start.
Someone who is extremely fit but struggles to equalise may have a much harder time descending than someone with average fitness who has good equalisation technique.
That is why we encourage new divers to spend some time learning Frenzel on land before worrying about how deep they can dive.
Once equalisation starts becoming automatic, everything else often falls into place much more easily.
You Do Not Need a Big Breath-Hold
Another common misconception is that you need to be able to hold your breath for three, four, or five minutes before learning to freedive.
You don't.
Your breath-hold improves through better technique, relaxation, breathing preparation, efficiency, and understanding how your body responds to carbon dioxide.
Many beginners are surprised by how quickly they improve once they stop trying to "fight" the breath-hold.
We regularly see people make significant improvements during their first course simply by learning how to relax properly.
Freediving Should Feel Comfortable
Good freediving is not about pushing yourself as hard as possible.
It should actually feel controlled and relaxed.
You learn how to:
relax your body in the water
breathe and prepare correctly before a dive
move efficiently with minimal effort
equalise properly
recognise your own limits
recover correctly at the surface
dive safely with a trained buddy
Depth and breath-hold numbers come later.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with diving to 5 metres, 10 metres, or 15 metres and simply enjoying being underwater.
You do not have to chase personal bests to be a freediver.
Is Freediving Physically Difficult?
Freediving is generally a relatively low-impact activity.
Unlike many sports, there is very little impact on the joints, and the aim is actually to reduce unnecessary movement and effort.
Of course, being generally fit can help. Swimming ability, leg strength, mobility, and cardiovascular fitness can all make things easier.
But they are not prerequisites for learning.
Technique nearly always matters more.
A relaxed, efficient diver will often use far less oxygen than someone who is stronger and fitter but tense in the water.
Think of Freediving Like Learning an Instrument
One of the best ways to think about freediving is like learning a musical instrument.
You would not expect to pick up a guitar for the first time and immediately play perfectly.
You learn individual skills, practise them, and gradually everything starts working together.
Freediving is the same.
At first you are thinking about your breathing, equalisation, body position, finning, relaxation and safety.
Eventually those things become automatic.
That is when freediving starts to feel effortless.
Is Freediving Safe for Beginners?
When taught properly and practised with the correct safety procedures, freediving can be enjoyed very safely.
The most important rule is that you never freedive alone.
Beginners should learn proper buddy procedures, rescue techniques, recovery breathing and how to recognise signs of hypoxia before progressing independently.
A good course should place far more emphasis on safety, comfort and technique than simply trying to get you as deep as possible.
At Deep Sensations Freediving, we want you to finish your first course feeling more confident in the ocean, not exhausted from chasing numbers.
So, How Hard Is Freediving to Learn?
For most people, freediving is very achievable.
If you can swim, are reasonably comfortable in the water and are willing to learn, you already have most of what you need to get started.
The biggest thing we recommend working on beforehand is Frenzel equalisation.
Learn it.
Practise it. Here is our guide on frenzel
Get comfortable doing it repeatedly on land.
From there, your instructors can help you develop your relaxation, breath-hold, technique and safety skills.
You do not need to be fit.
You do not need to have a massive breath-hold.
And you definitely do not need to push yourself.
Freediving is about learning to become relaxed and comfortable underwater.
And for most people, that is a skill that can be learned much faster than they expect.
Ready to learn freediving?
Deep Sensations Freediving runs beginner freediving courses designed for complete beginners, with a strong focus on safety, equalisation, relaxation and building genuine confidence in the ocean.
Want a longer and more immersive experience, join a trip!
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