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Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and relax. Drift off into the world of cool, clear blue water. Feel it ripple over your body as you glide to the ocean floor. See sunlight shining through the surface above you; no bubbles, no noise, no clumsy gear... fish, unafraid and close enough to touch, just you and the sea...
Definition of Freediving: Freediving is about you and what you want to achieve. To become a a good freediver takes commitment and determination; the correct techniques and good advice and encouragement is crucial, but in the end it comes down to your inner self.
Training techniques: Training will help you get to know your body better than ever before. You will learn to recognise the difference between your physical and mental limits and how these limits apply to freediving. Freedive training includes relaxation and stress management techniques, general fitness, weight loss and mental well being.
The number one rule: NEVER PRACTICE FREEDIVING ACTIVITIES ALONE
Disciplines of Freediving:
Freediving is an extremely challenging sport involving many different disciplines. Each discipline requires not only long breath holds, but also the mental and physiological strength to deal with the stresses of deep diving.
Static Apnea – is breath holding floating face down, usually in a pool.
The Women’s World record is 6min 19secs and the Men’s 8 min 12 secs.
Dynamic Apnea – is a breath hold swim horizontally, not more than a metre under water, again usually in a pool.
The Women’s World record is 150 metres and the Men’s 200metres.
Constant Ballast – involves a diver descending and ascending by kicking wearing a small amount of weight. The weight used to aid the descent must be brought back to the surface. This is the most demanding but also the most respected form of freediving because it is totally unassisted.
The Women’s World record is 70 metres and the Men’s is 93 metres.
Free Immersion – involves no fins and requires the diver to pull down a line and back up again using their arms. Often no mask is worn so that a nose clip can be utilised for equalization, freeing the hands for pulling down the line.
Variable Ballast – requires the diver to ride a sled loaded with weights down a fixed line to depth, returning by kicking or pulling up the line to the surface.
The Women’s World record is 93 metres and the Men’s is 120 metres.
No Limits – is the most extreme category where divers ride the sled to depth and are assisted to the surface using an inflatable lift bag. It is the deepest form of freediving, involving very little physical exertion but an enormous amount of mental control and the ability to equalize quickly.
Tanya Streeter is the current World Champion at 160 metres.
NEW ZEALAND RECORDS
Red = Current Official Record
Blue = Previous Official Record
| Men’s Constant Weight Sea: |
| John Wright: | 52 metres, 25 April 2003 (Official) |
| Men’s Fresh Water Constant Weight: |
| Ants Williams: | 45 metres, 18 July 2003 (Official) |
| Ants Williams: | 38 metres, 14 December 2002 (Official) |
| John Wright: | 34 metres, 9 November 2002 (Unofficial) |
| John Wright: | 33 metres, 3 November 2001 (Official) |
| Men’s Variable Weight Sea: |
| John Wright: | 44 metres (Unofficial) |
| Men’s Fresh Water Free Immersion: |
| John Wright: | 40 metres, 14 December 2002 (Official) |
| John Wright: | 36 metres, 22 November 2002 (Unofficial) |
| Men’s Static Apnea: |
| Ants Williams: | 6.03 minutes, 17 September 2003 (Unofficial) |
| Marcus Thompson: | 5.11 minutes, 14 December 2002 (Official) |
| Marcus Thompson: | 4.46 minutes, 20 November 2002 (Unofficial) |
| Men’s Dynamic with Fins: |
| Ants Williams: | 160 metres, June 2003 (Unofficial) |
| Ants Williams: | 130 metres, 14 December 2002 (Official) |
| Ants Williams: | 133.3 metres, 30 October 2002 (Unofficial) |
| Men’s Dynamic without Fins: |
| Marcus Thompson: | 66 metres, 13 November 2002 (Unofficial) |
| Women’s Constant Weight Sea: |
| Suzy Osler: | 48 metres, 25 April 2003 (Official) |
| Rochelle De Leur: | 40 metres, 9 February 2002 (Official) |
| Women’s Fresh Water Constant Weight: |
| Suzy Osler: | 40 metres, 14 December 2002 (Official) |
| Suzy Osler: | 34 metres, 22 November 2002 (Unofficial) |
| Rochelle De Leur: | 33 metres, 3 November 2001 (Official) |
| Women’s Static Apnea: |
| Fran Davidson: | 4.19 minutes, 14 December 2002 (Official) |
| Fran Davidson: | 4.37 minutes, 26 November 2002 (Unofficial) |
| Rochelle De Leur: | 4.06 minutes, 2001 (Unofficial) |
| Women’s Dynamic with Fins: |
| Suzy Osler: | 113 metres, 14 December 2002 (Official) |
| Suzy Osler: | 100 metres, 30 October 2002 (Unofficial) |
| Rochelle De Leur: | 90 metres, 2001 (Unofficial) |
| Women’s Dynamic without Fins: |
| Sharon Tebbutt: | 66 metres, 13 November 2002 (Unofficial) |
| Training Techniques |
| Physiological | Pool Work
Deep Water Work
Swimming
Cycling
Gym Work
Rowing machine |
| Psychological | Breathing techniques
Relaxation
Yoga
Visualization |
NEVER TRAIN ALONE
Deep Down Under ‘03’
| The Goal: | To set the Men’s and Women’s constant ballast salt water records at 50 metres
| The Team: |
| John Wright | (freediver) |
| Fran Davidson | (safety freediver for John) |
| Mary Naylor | (safety freediver for John) |
| Suzy Osler | (freediver) |
| Ants Williams | (safety freediver for Suzy) |
| Sarah Waite | (safety freediver for Suzy) |
| Kimberley Perry | (safety supervisor – freedivers/scuba diver and timing) |
| Darren Calkin | (Bounce line diver/ 10m safety scuba diver) |
| Miles Hutton | (20m Safety scuba diver) |
| Sharon Tebbutt | 30m Safety scuba diver) |
| Vanessa Preisig | (40m Safety scuba diver) |
| Phil Ashby | (50m Safety scuba diver/ Depth Judge) |
| Patrick Preisig | (60m Safety scuba diver) |
| John Takerei | (Paramedic) |
| Paul Rose | (Surface logistics) |
| Paul MacKenzie | (Logistics supervisor) |
| Matthew Osler | (Surface logistics) |
| Reid Quinlan | (Freediving photographer) |
| Dave Abbott | (Video photographer) |
| Dave Moran | (Surface Judge) |
| Jeroen | (Line measurement Judge) |
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The training:
 Three months of early morning pool sessions with endless underwater lengths and five minute breath holds, followed up with deep dives in the cosmic green water of Lake Pupuke -to 40 metres and beyond. Eight days to go, and we begin everyday with deep water training at the Poor Knights or the Sugar Loaf Island out of Tutukaka, followed by a healthy lunch, a rest and then off to the pools in Whangarei for some extended breath hold sessions.
John was increasing his training dive depths everyday and two days prior to the event had achieved a 50 metre dive, while Suzy was regularly diving beyond 50 metres with her best being 54 metres... an awesome dive! Unfortunately with two days and counting’ before the event Suzy suffered what all freedivers dread, an ear squeeze followed by an infection, which kept her out of the water until the record attempt.
The Day:
Began with the line measurement by Jeroen from Dive Tutukaka and then a journey to the Knights onboard El Tigre. On arrival we had planned to dive outside Northern Arch, but as the wind had changed we set up on the eastern side of the islands at Cave Bay.
Set up and practice dives go well and we are ready. Suzy breathes up (she is worried about her ears) takes her last big breath and begins her dive all goes well until 25 metres when her ear wouldn’t equalise (its time for the Mary Naylor turn – she has to turn up and face the surface then turn downwards and begin her dive again) she has to repeat this manoeuvre another three times but it became to hard so she pulled the 48 metre tag, and began her long swim to the surface.
She makes it back safely and shows her tag and meets the judge’s requirements, it’s been a long and exhausting 2 minute dive and Suzy is very happy she has broken Rochelle’s old record by 8 metres.
John’s dive goes well and he surfaces with the 52 metre tag which beats his old record by 12 metres.
A great days diving, followed by lots of champagne in celebration.
SPEARFISHING
Freedive spearfishing is a competitive sport in New Zealand. Competitions are a gruelling 6 hours of swimming in usually hard currents and often dirty water, which is as much a test of stamina and toughness as well as fish sense and diving ability. Divers swim in pairs for safety. The winning pair can spear no more than two of each species of fish, and the list has been restricted over the years and now comprises mainly free-swimming pelagic species and abundant reef fish known for their eating qualities. Our top divers are amongst the world’s best, and have amazing knowledge of fish habitats, hunting abilities, and freediving ability, regularly diving deeper than 30 metres.
Many spearfishers take their hunting less seriously, and see it as a way to spend time boating with their families, and collect some seafood for dinner at the same time. NZ’s famous kingfish are a popular target species in the summer, and hunt
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