So what’s the big deal?
There are many sports such as athletics, weightlifting, martial arts or yoga where learning to breathe is an intrinsic part of mastering the sport. In fact, we would probably feel as though we had not been taught correctly if our instructor didn’t cover this vital part of the discipline in detail.
Scuba diving occurs in an environment where we cannot survive without specialised breathing equipment. Personally, I find it pretty strange that the standard beginner courses offered by many scuba organisations do not include training on how to breathe correctly underwater.
Why is it important?
Understanding how to use your lungs to control your depth in the water is probably the most important fundamental skill for a scuba diver.
Many people make the early mistake of using their equipment to adjust their depth, using the inflation and deflation buttons on their buoyancy control device like elevator buttons. When this habit becomes engrained, these are the divers who use up their gas after a few minutes and miss most of the dive. These are the guys who spend their dives feeling very uncomfortable as they crash into the bottom or shoot towards the surface uncontrollably. These are the divers who miss the peace and joy that being weightless under water can bring.
The Freestyle Divers Solution
We take this topic very seriously; it is integral to our goal of perfect buoyancy, right from the outset of your scuba training. Both Unified Team Diving (UTD) and RAID are highly focused on this key training goal.
All of our entry-level training starts with learning (or re-learning) this important skill. We use innovative training techniques that ensure that you attain neutral buoyancy whether you are wearing scuba equipment or not.
We have a one-day course called the Extreme Scuba Makeover that is perfect for divers who are already certified but never really learned this important skill properly. During the day, you will learn about breathing and how to fine tune your buoyancy, correct weighting, trim (flat position in the water), as well as more efficient ways to kick (propulsion).
We also propose courses such as the UTD Essentials or RAID Performance Diver, these are run over several days with the aim of raising the bar on all your core diving skills. They are ideal as a precursor to technical training, or just to be a much more skillful diver at recreational depths. At minimum, you will graduate from these courses with highly developed buoyancy skills, probably a lot less weight, a trimmed horizontal diving position and streamlined equipment that will make your diving effortless and reduce your gas consumption significantly. You will also master all the best propulsion kicks: forwards, backwards and helicopter turns.
Contact us to talk about the best training path for you, depending on your experience level, your personal goals and the time you have available.
This is an investment that will transform your diving. You will definitely not regret it!
