I began spearfishing exclusively in shallow water but as I became more confident I ventured deeper where things quickly become more serious, your hunting techniques change and the limitations of your body become more apparent. As I read about the subject I realised the dangers also become much greater, I had heard of several famous surfers who had met their end diving and found the cause : Shallow water blackout.
Never dive alone is the rule - I'm almost always solo however and I realised If I started diving deeper I was putting my life at risk. So I decided I had to do something to maximize my safety, I ended up taking the Aida ** freediving course at SaltFree in Chepstow with the intention of learning about freediving safety and technique as well as my own limits.
What I didn't expect was to enjoy freediving for divings sake, but it is an extraordinary experience and I found my self with a drive to dive deeper! I have only managed to reach 22m at this point but hope to extend that to 30m before the year is out. I have managed to go from a 1.45 dry static (at home on the couch) breathe hold to a personal best of 4 minutes. It is a sport that focuses your mind an heightens your awareness of self tremendously, both mentally and physically. It is in short a real challenge.
Although I feel this has improved my safety when spearfishing I must re-iterate you should always dive with a buddy!!
