7 Emerging Freediving Destinations for Your Bucket List.

Freediving (apnea) has become a more popular sport, and there are several emerging freediving destinations you may want to explore. Freediving has long been regarded as a highly competitive sport, with dives exceeding 300 feet not uncommon. It is also called apnea. Today, however, more people are focusing on the recreational aspect of freediving and competing against themselves to achieve personal bests. Much like recreational runners.

You could list many reasons why freediving is becoming more popular. One of the factors may be that the traditional scuba diving accreditation agencies have started to endorse freediving and have created training programs.

 Before we “dive” into this topic, let's define what I mean by free diving and briefly how it differs from similar activities. Many people associate freediving with snorkeling. While the equipment may look similar, some of it is different, and the purpose is vastly different. Snorkeling is a surface sport. A snorkeler has a mask, snorkel and fins and spends most of their activity time horizontal at the surface. Many snorkelers also wear a vest to help with buoyancy. Another term closely related is skin diver. A skin diver is outfitted the same as a snorkeled, except they will not be wearing a vest for flotation. A skin diver spends much of their time also on the surface; however, they will often dive down for a closer look at what is below them. They generally only dive for about 30 feet and generally shorter than 30 seconds.  Mask design is a little more restrictive for a skin diver with a low-volume mask, like the Aluma Pro Tidal Mask, which is necessary.

A freediver is seldom horizontal at the surface, their goal is to stay underwater as long as possible, often aligned with how deep they can go. Training is recommended as breath-holding techniques will greatly increase your performance. Unlike training to become a scuba diver, basic techniques can be learned in just a few lessons. As you improve and challenge yourself, additional courses may help. Most freedivers do not carry a snorkel, use longer fins designed for free diving, and a low-volume mask such as Freedive Tidal Mask.

Emerging Caribbean Freediving Destinations.

Two key elements for this list will be that the destination has a freediving infrastructure and is not really overcrowded with mass tourism. Freediving is becoming more popular in the Caribbean. Still, many destinations are focusing on bringing in tourists to scuba dive or introduce them to “cattle boat” snorkeling. By that I mean: issue a boatload of tourist a mask, snorkel, vest, and fins, then give them a 3-minute demonstration on how to put on their gear and lead them to the water.   

The Rivera Maya is a popular tourist destination and has long been popular with scuba divers and snorkelers. Freedivers are now enjoying their sport in this iconic destination. The ultimate freedive? A freedive in one of the amazing Cenotes of Tulum and the Yucatan. The Yucatan Peninsula is primarily made up of limestone. A Cenote is a sinkhole that has filled with water. The peninsula has underground rivers and many of the Cenotes are connected to them, giving an experience that is partially fresh water and partially salt water.  Also, there are underwater caverns and cave systems, which are mostly off limits for freedivers.

Bonaire, the world's best destination for shore diving, has also embraced Freediving.  Most of the shore diving sites are ideal for the freediver, as they offer colorful coral reefs with little or no current, great visibility, and easy access. Bonaire is also perfect for the freediver to do some underwater photography, so bring your ProShot Dive 2.0 - Universal iPhone Case with you.

Emerging Freediving Destination in Asia

There is a growing freediving industry in Asia as well. Two that I want to highlight present two totally different types of experiences. Moalboal, Cebu Philippines, is a growing scuba diving destination that is just a few hours' drive from an international airport. Local restaurants and entertainment supplement resort offerings. Raja Ampat, Indonesia, is very remote, requires a domestic flight after arriving at the international airport, then a ground transfer to a port, followed by a hours long ferry, then another transfer to your resort. Resorts are often isolated as well, offering no facilities outside of the resort. Both offer outstanding freediving opportunities.

Moalboal is a peninsula situated on the southwestern coast of Cebu Island, bordered to the west by the Tañon Strait; Negros Island is the opposite side of the strait. The Tañon Strait offers some of the best diving in the Philippines and a unique diving experience. One that is shared by freedivers. The strait has a high biodiversity and high populations of marine life. Marine mammals, turtles, and sharks are common. Also, Sharks and whale sharks use the strait as part of their migration routes. Bait balls, also called sardine runs,  are also very common and easy to find near Moalboal. These bait balls are made up of thousands of sardines, which also attract dolphins and other large marine life. Scuba diving the bait balls is an outstanding experience; however, freedivers have an even better experience. The air bubbles of the scuba diver will cause the bait ball to move away, while they do not seem to mind the freedivers. I am sharing two videos here, the first is about training and visiting a sardine run.

The second is a fun look at exploring the underwater world in a sardine run.

Raja Ampat, Indonesia is, as I mentioned, very remote and lightly developed. It is considered some of the least impacted by man waters in the world. The coral reefs are generally pristine and the number of species of marine life and corals is among the highest in the world. The scuba diving industry has both liveaboards and resorts. The resorts visit dive sites within a reasonable boat ride, while the liveaboards will travel to locations not accessible to the resort-based divers. The great visibility, marine life and reasonable depths have attracted freedivers in increasing numbers. Freediving tours are increasing and resorts are starting to cater to freedivers as well as scuba divers.

While talking about freediving in Asia, you have to pay tribute to the Haenyeo of Korea. These women freedivers harvest marine life from the sea. Their diving tradition is a UNESCO-recognized intangible cultural heritage and dates to the 1600s with some aspects going back 2,000 years before that. This video gives a nice introduction to them.

Freediving European Style

Freediving is well established in Europe, with many destinations in the Mediterranean Sea and other seas in the Mediterranean Basin. Some of the Greek Islands are becoming popular as freediving destinations. One of these is Amorgos. Amorgos is the easternmost island of the Cyclades island group in the Aegean Sea. Luc Besson’s iconic film “The Big Blue” (“Le Grand Bleu”) was mostly shot on the island in 1988. The movie introduced many to the sport of freediving.

The island lures freedivers with its crystal clear water that regularly has over 100 feet (30 meters) of visibility, stunning underwater rock formations, and a variety of marine life, including seals and other marine mammals.

The Azores Islands are a Portuguese archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and are considered the westernmost point of Europe. There are nine main islands and eight smaller ones. The islands are volcanic and are the tops of underwater mountains. If you were to measure from the base of the mountain at the seabed to the top, they would be some of the tallest mountains in the world. The waters around the islands are influenced by a branch of the Gulf Stream, providing a moderated effect.  Visibility around the islands is generally outstanding with little runoff from the land. The island has very limited industry, also limiting its environmental impact.

Dahab, The Freediving Meca.

Dahab, Egypt, is for many, the Freediving capital of the world. It may seem strange to include it in a list of emerging freediving destinations, still it is not out of place on the list. World Record holders train and set records here. There are numerous competitions held here each year.  I have written several articles on scuba diving and snorkeling in Dahab. They illustrate how great those activities are here.

The reputation as a freediving destination attracts freedivers of all skill levels. Even if you have never tried freediving and are looking to be introduced to the sport, you will find training available. You can freedive in many of the snorkeling sites, and there are also areas set up with buoys for line diving. Here are the three leading sites:

• Lighthouse Bay:  Located in the center of town, this is the main area for restaurants, bars, and hotels. Let’s not forget dive centers and freediving training centers. The bay is very popular with snorkelers and scuba divers. Water conditions are almost always great, with great visibility and calm waters. The ocean floor has a steady slope, and you can reach water with a depth of 164 feet (50 meters) with a ten-minute surface swim. There are four buoys in the bay, which are available to all who wish to use them. The shallowest is anchored in 49 feet (15 meters) of water. There is also one anchored at 98 feet (30 meters), another is at 131 feet (40 meters), and the fourth is at 164 feet (50 meters). It is common for freedivers to meet up and join others on the shore to dive together. If you are looking for a freedive without a line, there are many snorkeling or scuba sites that you can try here

• Eel Garden: After Lighthouse Bay, Eel Garden is the second favorite snorkeling destination in Dahab. While there are no buoys or lines here, the location is great for fun dives. You will find gorgeous coral reefs down to 32 feet (10 meters).

• Blue Hole: The Blue Hole, with its arch, is what put Dahab on the freediving map. While an icon of freediving, it is also the deadliest in the world. That reputation centers on freedivers and scuba divers attempting to swim through a tunnel called the arch, which is 55 m (181 feet) deep at the ceiling. Still, the Blue Hole is about 300 feet (90 meters) deep, and you can dive here without the challenges of the arch. There is a line for your use in the center of the site.

Liveaboards for Freediving

The scuba diving industry has had liveaboard diving for well over 40 years. Based on yachts and purpose-built diving vessels, a liveaboard will take scuba divers to remote locations on multiple-day outings. Most of these trips are a weeklong and take divers to dive sites that can only be reached on multiple-day trips. Over the last few years, some freediving groups have created charters for like-minded freedivers to visit locations that are very remote.  The industry is currently developing and some liveaboard companies are dedicating certain sailings to freedivers instead of scuba divers. There are even a few startups that are dedicated to just freediving. Raja Ampat and  Komodo National Park, Indonesia, along with the Galapagos Islands are some of the more exotic destinations that are available.  Closer to “civilization”, the Cayman Islands and Virgin Islands

Should You Start Freediving

There are some skills needed for freediving that are best learned in a freediving course. All the destinations listed here, do have training available. However, it is important to remember that the training is not as structured as that of scuba diving. For many, a simple introduction to a freediving course will provide the basics to get started. Once you learn a few basic breathing practices and have some understanding of the physical requirements, you are well on your way.

Many freedivers find that the breathing exercises are similar to those in yoga.