To the untrained eye, the difference between freediving and scuba diving may seem minimal. After all, both are all about getting out and enjoying the wonders of the water. However, as anyone who has tried both will tell you, freediving and scuba diving are distinctly different techniques.
What is the difference between freediving and scuba diving?
While freediving requires you to hold your breath when underwater, this is a big no-no when scuba diving.
Instead, specialist equipment – a Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus (SCUBA) – is used to allow you to breathe freely throughout your dive. This fundamental difference has a significant impact on almost every element of the diving process and experience.
How the diving experience varies
1. The duration of your dives
As freediving is based on breath holds, you will generally only be under the water for a few minutes at a time. In fact, while some experts can dive for almost 25 minutes, a 2 – 3 minute dive is considered very good for a beginner. As such, sessions usually involve multiple dives, with the number you can do only really limited by the conditions and your fitness.
Scuba diving allows you to stay under the water for much longer, usually up to around an hour. And, while you can do multiple dives in one session, it is generally recommended recreational divers do not do more than 4 dives in one day.
2. The speed and spontaneity of your movements
As the name suggests, you can usually move around quite freely when freediving. As there is no extra equipment, you are lighter and faster, and at less risk of getting caught on things. You can also move between depths quickly, though this can create some equalisation issues for your ears.
Scuba diving tends to be a much slower experience, with the added bulk of the equipment often restricting your movements. Changes in depth also needed to be managed much more carefully to minimise the risk of decompression sickness.
3. The interaction with marine environments and wildlife
While you may have less time to take in the scenery, freediving allows you to get much closer to the action!
As you are smaller and do not produce bubbles, you present less of a threat and are less likely to scare away the marine life. Being more agile also allows you to follow anything that captures your interest.
Scuba diving allows you to take your time, though usually at a greater distance. As light levels drop the deeper you dive, the extra time underwater also allows your eyes to adjust, making your vision clearer.
4. The interaction with your diving buddy
When freediving, having a buddy with you not only helps keep you safe, it also means you have someone to share the experience with.
As you surface regularly throughout a dive session, there will be plenty of chances to discuss what you have seen. A good freediving buddy will also be able to provide feedback on your technique and help you get more out of each dive.
It is also recommended you have a buddy with you when you go out scuba diving. However, as you are underwater for most of the session, there are fewer opportunities to interact, and communications are mostly limited to basic hand signals.
5. The skills and training required
While it is important to undertake structured training before you start freediving, the basic techniques are fairly easy to pick up. As such, you should be able to get out into the water and start diving fairly quickly.
However, mastering key skills – like breathing techniques – takes plenty of practice, and will significantly improve the depth and duration of your dives.
Scuba diving usually requires more upfront training, as the additional equipment requires significant expertise to set up and use safely. However, once you have mastered the basics, improvements in technique (air consumption, buoyancy, etc.) tend to be more incremental.
Which type of diving should you do?
While there is much debate about which style of diving is superior, each has its benefits and unique challenges. As such, the right one for you depends on your motivation for getting into diving and the kind of experience you are looking for.
We would say that freediving is certainly the most accessible since you don’t need to pay for scuba equipment!
It is also worth noting that many divers do both, as the significant difference between freediving and scuba diving techniques means they are quite complementary.
If you are into freediving, scuba diving can help you to better familiarise yourself with what is under the water. And, if you are into scuba diving, the meditative nature of freediving can help you to feel more relaxed and improve key skills.
Feel the freedom of freediving
Whatever your skill and experience level, Freediving Central has a course to suit – book your beginner, intermediate, or advanced freediving course in Sydney, the Central Coast or Jervis Bay today!