Freediving China Offers Classes in Beijing
Just because we're landlocked in Beijing doesn't mean we can't get in the water and prepare for our next beach holiday. Freediving China recently began offering training for swimmers who want to dive deep without a tank. Instructor Julian Lopez gave us a rundown on the sport, from underwater free-falling to some excellent spots to dive.
What is freediving?
Freediving is a form of underwater diving that does not involve the use of scuba gear or other external breathing devices, but rather relies on a diver's ability to hold his or her breath until resurfacing.
What is the experience like when you are underwater?
You feel total peace and freedom. You can move in any direction without restriction. My first time was different because my feelings were a mix of excitement and doubt about being capable of doing it but what remains is the joy of being brave enough to do it.
What does it feel like to free-fall underwater (i.e. hitting a depth where you’re no longer buoyant)?
You feel like you're in a dream, falling but slow and relaxed. After a few seconds you even forget you are falling. It is a feeling of total freedom.
What goes through your head when you’re freediving?
I just relax and try to feel what is happening around me. Most of the time, it’s a peaceful moment in which I empty my mind. I focus on the dive and the experience, also on the feelings and sensations that come along with the diving experience.
How long can you hold your breath? What’s the deepest you’ve dived?
An instructor would answer these kinds of questions by saying that you don’t need to worry about how deep or long you can dive. I can do it deep and long enough to assure your safety and that’s why I have been certified to teach. You need to focus more on how much time or how deep you want to dive, and I’m there to help you to get to your target.
What’s your most memorable dive?
I was in the Canary Islands, training with my friends from Apnea Canarias, and was struggling for the whole day to get to my target depth when just at the end of the session I got there. I was deep in the sea, happy at achieving this new target and when I turned around I saw a wreck and stared at it for a couple of seconds before my buddy asked me to go up. Those seconds felt like hours – I can’t forget it.
What’s your favorite dive movie?
No discussion, the best movie about freediving is The Big Blue (Le Grand Bleu) and I recommend that everybody see it.
What’s the most common misconception about freediving?
Freediving is not an extreme sport for people looking for adrenaline. Freediving is about sensations and feeling/knowing yourself better, physically and mentally, under lots of different conditions. It is not as dangerous or risky as most people think. Like any other sport, if you practice it properly and follow the safety rules, the risk is no more than swimming in a regular pool.
What freediving record do you think is most demonstrative of the sport?
The world record for Constant Weight With Fins (which consists of solo diving with the same weight descending and ascending, using fins), which is 124m. It shows how far a human can go.
If you could freedive anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Everywhere! One of the places I am planning to go diving soon is in Wondergat, the deepest natural hole in the interior of South Africa. My dream is to travel Central and South American Coast diving.
For more information on classes and the sport of freediving, check out Freedivingchina.com.
