It is the second most dangerous sport in the world, yet new records continue to be broken. What started with our ancestors, dives on today—here is Why Freediving is Amazing but NOT for the Faint-hearted!

SUBSCRIBE for the latest videos: https://goo.gl/7xzjzR
Don’t forget to CHECK OUT our latest upload: https://goo.gl/LUB8Xw

9. It’s Been Around Forever

Freediving has been practiced around the globe almost since the beginning of man itself. Early evidence shows this to be true, as 7,000 years ago the Ertebolle culture of Denmark and Sweden had divers plunging into the inhospitable sea to harvest the seafloor for food.

8. It All Began with a Bet

Near the second half of the 20th century, growing interest in freediving skyrocket all due to the exploits of two men. It was in 1913 that the Italian vessel La Regina Margherita lost an anchor off the Greek coast.

7. It’s Now an International Sport

The achievements of the past were soon overcome as the modern sport of freediving boomed. The International Association for Development of Apnea (AIDA) is the foundation responsible for monitoring rules in the disciplines of breath-holding.

6. Freediving Frees Your Mind

One major benefit of freediving comes from the peace and tranquillity one gets from a deep dive down into the sea. A form of meditation starts even before the plunge, as a freediver must engage in a series of breathing techniques on the surface such as slow inhalations and exhalations.

5. Freedivers Don’t Get Sick

Although they can reach far greater depths than scuba divers, freedivers don’t run the risk of decompression sickness. This occurs when scuba divers fail to decompress properly before returning to the surface, often coming up faster than the body is able to expel nitrogen—forming tiny toxic bubbles in the bloodstream.

4. Freediving Is Helping Scientists

Freediving is not only an adrenaline rush, but it’s also a big help to the environment, as the sport is utilized in scientific research and wildlife photography. Diving with scuba gear will produce unwanted noise and bubbles that are incredibly disturbing to marine life.

3. Divers Continue to Break Insane Records

Freediving has multiple disciplines for divers to compete and each has its own world record for both male and female competitors. For example, in static apnea which takes place in a pool, competitors are challenged to hold their breath for as long as possible. The current men’s world record holder is Branko Petrovic who held his breath for 11 minutes and 54 seconds.

2. Walking on the Seabed is like Walking on the Moon

When we bob around at the surface, swimmers experience positive buoyancy because our bodies happen to be less dense than the water surrounding us. Descend far enough under the water level, however, and the body becomes less dense as the pressure of the water increases and compresses the body.

1. It’s the Second Most Dangerous Sport in the World

It’s estimated that only base-jumping claims more lives than freediving, making this sport the second deadliest in the world. While only one diver has died so far while participating in an organized competition, many lives have been lost to training, recreational diving, and fishing.

Comments

Comments are disabled for this post.