Are you nervous about your upcoming trip with Breathless to Lady Elliot Island? Don’t be! It will be one of the most memorable trips of your life. During this unforgettable trip we’ll give you all the tools and training time you need to become an amazing freediver, from zero to hero!
Anyways, if you’re still looking for some things to do before the course, here are a few:
After you enrol in the Lady Elliot Island Freediving Retreat, we send out a questionnaire. It’s important you fill this in so we are aware of your needs, so we know what equipment you require and, especially, so you know if you need your GP’s clearance before jumping on board. Reach out if you have any questions. Your safety is our priority.
We send everyone enrolled on the Lady Elliot Island Freediving Retreat the materials for the course a week after they enrol (as soon as the agency sends them through to us). Read through them and watch the videos, and note if you have any questions. We will cover the topics during the course, but knowing them before will make it a lot easier to understand. If everyone has read through the topics, it will give us more time underwater, and extra time to focus on the skills or techniques that you have doubts about.
It’s important to get comfortable in the water to freedive with maximum ease, preferably before we get to the Lady Elliot Island Freediving Retreat. For this, just jump in the pool or the ocean and go for a few swims before the course starts. Don’t focus on pace, but try to find a relaxing stroke and enjoy the water. The best way of getting to know and comfortable with your freediving equipment is using it. So, if you already bought your mask, the best way to get super comfortable using it, is to take it for a spin!
Being relaxed and comfortable in the water is one of the most important parts of freediving. When preparing for a dive, we use a few minutes to attempt complete relaxation. The more time you spend in the water, the easier this is going to come to you.
So, if you can find the time, before the Lady Elliot Freediving Retreat, jump into the ocean or a local pool and swim some laps. Go surfing, bodyboarding, snorkeling… any water activities you enjoy and that will make you feel more at ease. But… do not hold your breath while you swim. We will have plenty of time to do that safely and accompanied at the Island.
One of the bigger barriers that can arise while learning how to freedive is equalization. To equalize, we use tiny muscles in our ears that we don’t really use for anything else. Some people just get it, but some others (like myself) need more practice.
So, let’s speed up the process and watch the equalization masterclass videos we sent out and practice as much as you can! Walk around the house and equalize. Equalize while waiting in line, while waiting for the kettle to boil, while driving, equalize all the time!
Don’t get frustrated if you can’t do it right away, we have excellent instructors that will give you tools, techniques and odd looking exercises to practice, have fun and learn.
I tell all my students: “If I could learn how to equalize, anyone can”. You will get it, I’ll make it my task!
As we already know, one of the most crucial parts of freediving is to achieve relaxation underwater. You will find exercises to relax in your freediving manuals, but you can also access our Free 7-Day Breathwork Course. Here, you will have guided exercises to achieve maximum relaxation.
There are plenty of techniques we will learn at the Lady Elliot Island Freediving Retreat to achieve deep relaxation, but it’s great to know which one works for you beforehand. In that way, we don’t need to do trial and error during the course, you can already know it and practice it right away. Some ways to achieve relaxation that you will discover on the 7-day course are box breathing, heart coherence, ratio breathing, yoga nidra, to name but a few.
And… don’t stop there! These techniques are an amazing tool to achieve a calm and healthy mind in your day to day life.
One big factor that will impact your breath holding capacity is lung capacity. There are people who have bigger lungs and will therefore have larger capacities. Nevertheless, we can all increase our lung capacity by increasing our lung flexibility. You can practice yoga positions that are good for freediving, especially any twists and side bends. Always do the stretches with full lungs and breathe through them. Do not hold your breath while stretching quite yet, we will learn some of these techniques later on.
Be patient with your body, and remember slow progressions are always better for freediving. Slow and steady is how you win a race!
For more on this topic read our article on 5 Excercises to Increase your Breath Hold and Lung Capacity for Freediving.
A great way to start generating a high carbon dioxide tolerance is to practice holding your breath. The most important part of this is that you practice it DRY. So, not in the pool, or the ocean, or the bathtub or even near a bucket of water in which you could potentially fall into. After you finish your Level 1 Freediving course, you’ll know how to practice breath holding safely, with a partner, in the water. Up until then, please stay nice and dry.
The best place to practice breath holding is at home or somewhere quiet while laying down or sitting up with your back rested against something.
During 2-5 minutes practice relaxation breathing, grab a stopwatch. Get a big breath and hold your breath for 30 seconds. Exhale and do relaxation breathing for 2 minutes. Get a big breath and hold your breath for 45 seconds. Exhale and do relaxation breathing for 2 minutes. Every time add 10 or 15 seconds more to your previous breath hold but maintain the recovery time the same.
During 2-5 minutes practice relaxation breathing, grab a stopwatch. Get a big breath and hold your breath for 1 minute. Exhale and do relaxation breathing for 2 and a half minutes. Get a big breath and hold your breath for 1 minute. Exhale and do relaxation breathing for 2 minutes and 15 seconds. Every time subtract 10 or 15 seconds to your recovery time but maintain the breath hold time the same. If 1 minute is too much to start with, you can start with a lower hold. If you want an extra challenge, add 10-15 seconds to the breath hold every time you complete 3 successful training sessions!
Freediving is, in my eyes, the most beautiful sport I’ve ever experienced. To have the most positive experiences, you need to prep a lil’ bit. Especially if it’s your fist time, make sure to have everything you need to keep you as comfortable as possible in the water and during the Lady Elliot Island Freediving Retreat.
Let me say, it’s great to have your own equipment for freediving trips. The more you use your equipment, the more familiar you get with your own things, and the more comfortable you can get in the water in a shorter period of time. It sounds silly, but the smallest thing, like changing your mask or your wetsuit can impact your diving experience. It’s nothing tragic, of course you will get used to new equipment eventually, but it’s best to do it just once.
The basics are: freediving fins, mask and snorkel, wetsuit, weight belt (we will provide the weights so you don’t have to carry them, yay!), sunscreen, swimsuits, and water bottle (we can get very dehydrated when freediving if we don’t drink regularly).
Extra things to consider are:
Freedivers with mustaches or beards often find that the freediving masks don’t seal correctly. If this happens, you’ll get sea water inside your mask and won’t be able to enjoy the amazing visibility and marine life of Lady Elliot Island.
The seal not working is due to the hair, breaking the contact between the skin and the mask. The easiest way to go around this, is to buy vaseline and apply it to the areas of your facial hair that prevent the seal from working. Some divers trim a thin line of the mustache below the nose. If none of these options work or you’re searching for a new look, you can always shave, but it’s very rarely necessary.
Forget the tips!
One of the best trips of your life is about to happen. No matter how much or how little you prepare, we guarantee you will have a blast at the Lady Elliot Island Freediving Retreat! We will make sure to give you all the tools, coaching and support you need. Everything from this list that you do, will help you improve and make your diving better, but please don’t stress if you didn’t have time to do them all.
See you underwater!
Experiences, expeditions and education to unlock your potential, open your heart and let your breath set you free.
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