September 25, 2023 4 min read
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Freediving, the art of exploring the depths on a single breath, holds immense appeal to spearfishers seeking to enhance their breath-hold and depth. While there are compelling reasons for spearfishers to pursue a dedicated freediving course, there are also potential drawbacks that warrant consideration. By weighing the advantages and disadvantages, spearfishers can make an informed decision about whether to undertake such training.
Economic Considerations: A significant argument against spearfishers taking a freediving course is the associated cost. Quality freediving courses can be quite expensive, including fees for instruction, equipment, and potential travel expenses. Spearfishers on a tight budget might find this financial burden prohibitive.
Diverging Priorities: While advanced freediving courses focus on performance and diving techniques, they don’t cover the specific skills and knowledge needed for spearfishing, such as hunting strategies, fish behavior, and underwater navigation. Some spearfishers might feel that their time and resources are better spent on specialized spearfishing training.
Experience Levels: Spearfishers with significant experience in freediving or who have received informal training from seasoned divers might feel that formal courses are unnecessary. They might prefer to rely on their existing skills and accumulated knowledge, believing that they can continue to develop their abilities independently.
Limited Availability: Depending on location, finding accessible freediving courses that are preferable taught by a spearo, can be a challenge. Spearfishers residing far from training centers might face logistical difficulties in attending courses, making it less convenient to pursue formal training.
Individual Learning Styles: Many spearfishers thrive in self-directed learning environments and prefer to acquire skills through hands-on experience and trial-and-error. These individuals might find that they learn best by directly applying their knowledge during spearfishing outings rather than in a formal classroom/pool/controlled environment setting.
Ferrari vs Hilux:Some experienced voices from our spearfishing community point out that freediving courses can teach a relatively inexperienced spearo to dive down a line in a controlled environment to 20m+ very quickly and this is dangerous for a variety of reasons. Line diving in a controlled environment is not spearfishing and has no bearing on the depth you should spearfish at as it is an uncontrolled environment in often variable conditions and there is the temptation and challenge to hunt fish with added equipment. People have likened a freediving course to being trained to drive a Ferrari race car on a track and then being put back out onto the normal streets.
In my personal opinion (as a freediving Instructor), I 100% believe that doing a freediving course with an Instructor who understands the factors unique to spearfishing is possibly the best $600-$700 you will spend. There is also a free freediving course available online for those who want the info but can’t afford the in-person course.Freedivingsafety.com is an awesome free resource.
In conclusion, the decision for spearfishers to undertake a freediving course is up to the individual. While the benefits of improved safety, understanding personal capabilities, streamlining techniques, and increased confidence are significant, the potential downsides of cost, diverging priorities, experience levels, limited availability, and individual learning styles should not be ignored. Ultimately, spearfishers must assess their goals, resources, and learning preferences to determine whether formal freediving training aligns with their pursuit of underwater adventure.
Shrek helps people get better at spearfishing at theNoob Spearo. Sharing interviews with spearing legends from all over the planet on the Noob Spearo Podcast, penning books like 99 Tips to Get Better at Spearfishing and99 Spearo Recipes as well as teachingspearfishing courses here in Brisbane. The Noob Spearo are proud partners with Adreno!