Swimming can be a challenging skill to learn but should always be a basic skill learned from early childhood. Learning how to swim revokes our fears from drowning and also enhances our senses while in the water. While there are many benefits from swimming, it will always be a good thing if you could use the skill to learn more about your capacity and limits and enhancing them to achieve your greater potential in the water world. azul freediving
Freediving is being in the water with a breath hold. Also known as ‘skin diving’ or ‘snorkeling’. On our workshop with Azul Freediving, we were trained by Valerie Faye Bautista and Aldric Vincent Suan who are both Certified Freediving Instructors at the Scuba Studio located in San Juan, Metro Manila.

I, personally, was already interested to do Freediving. I know how to swim, but diving with just a breathe hold is not my forte. I have done Discover Scuba Diving a while back but that is very different from freediving. It will require a lot of gears, unlike freediving where you only need your presence of mind and your confidence while being underwater. Jane, on the other hand, had swimming lessons at her university but I think, has always been a bit off about diving without some help.
We started off with the orientation about freediving, dos and donts, hand signals, breathing techniques, equalization, theories, etc. I recommend you attend the orientation training especially if it will be your first time to try freediving. The lessons will really help you communicate with your peers underwater and know what the proper breathing style before you dive and after you ascend back to the surface.

After the orientation, we transferred to the pool area and had our breathing exercises, static breathe hold, and rescue exercises. A while after is the start of the application of everything we have learned so far. When you think of going underwater, you might feel that it is terrifying. Many of which that comes to mind is the fear of getting drowned, losing air, etc. But that is wrong, once you get to see the beauty being underwater, you just might not want to go back to the surface. It will be scary, but all of our firsts tend to be a scary and at the same time exciting, right? Once you’ve done the first dive, you’d be screaming to want more.
On my first try, I went down 5 meters for a great start. I admit it wasn’t perfect but for a starter, it’s good. Just that, according to Val, my feet and head position needs improvement. So later on, I asked for a second attempt and a third, and I think it both went well. You won’t hear anything underwater so hand signals are your best option to communicate.
Here’s a short video of our workshop from Azul Freediving facebook page.

It will be scary and your fear might overthrow you but everything will be worth it when you got to do it, and believe me, you will do it even more. The trainers do well know what they teach, and also knows how to calm you down. You’ll see the passion and the love for what they do on how they teach, how they guide their students and how they are with one another. Being with a professional freediver is relieving. You know that you are safe and will be safe when you start with the practical exercises. It helps boost confidence as well when going underwater for a dive.
Check Azul Freediving Courses:
Freediver Course
Basic Freediver Course
Freediving Workshop 1 (breathing-equalization-FIM)
Freediving Workshop 2 (duckdive, DYN, and CWT)

Azul Freediving
Email: az[email protected]
Website: http://azulfreediving.blogspot.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/azulfreediving
Contact: Valerie Faye Bautista

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