Is Freediving Dangerous?
Is freediving dangerous? A common question amongst those who are curious about joining the sport. Like many extreme sports or water-based activities, there are potential hazards involved with the activity. Still, it's a common misconception as to just how dangerous it is when done correctly. The stigma that freediving is dangerous arises because there are multiple accidents and fatalities each year related to breath-hold activities. While these incidents are inarguably tragic, many of them would have been avoidable with proper training and safe freediving practices.
So what about the majority of trained freedivers who are diving regularly? Are we flirting with danger every time we dive to ten, twenty, or thirty meters? Are freediving courses dangerous? The short answer is no. Freediving is relatively safe, but only if the correct procedures are used. The risks associated with freediving increase exponentially when improper practices such as hyperventilation, diving alone, and poor technique are used. This is why participating in a proper freediving course is paramount.
It’s necessary to be aware of the risks involved with freediving so we may avoid them accordingly. The key to safe freediving is participating in proper training and always following the safe diving practices instilled in us during such training.
Read on to find out why freediving is deemed dangerous, which hazards we need to be aware of, and how to avoid them.
Why Is Freediving Viewed as Dangerous?
Freediving is viewed as dangerous because breath-hold activities have an extremely high incident and fatality rates, according to annual reports by Divers Alert Network (DAN). The issue is that freediving is a relatively new trend and reporting and recording of incidents is admittedly flawed, so the data is skewed.
According to the 2019 DAN annual diving report, 140 breath-hold incidents were reported in 2017, 52 of which were fatal. However, the report states, "It is important to note that while there has been a disproportionate trend between the number of recorded fatalities and the number of injuries, this trend does not reflect the high mortality of breath-hold incidents. Instead, this reflects the availability of data.” Simplified, this implies that incidents are likely underreported. The report suggests that there are probably more incidents, but the percentage that results in fatalities is much lower.
The other issue is that the numbers are based on “breath-hold diving.” According to the report, breath-hold diving is defined as “holding one’s breath while submerged in water. This covers everything from children playing in the pool, excursions to a shallow depth in recreational snorkeling, collecting or harvesting game, all the way to competitive freediving, which pushes the limits of human physiology one record at a time.”
In this context, “breath-hold diving” is a widely encompassing term that includes many accident reports related to activities outside the realm of what many of us would refer to as freediving.
A closer look at the report shows that the 2017 incidents are broken down into different types of activities. The categories include freediving, snorkeling, and tasks. The Dan report says, “recreational snorkeling does not necessarily require specific training or prior knowledge; individuals classified as freedivers are more likely to have taken training from available agencies to improve their performance. The tasks include breath-hold activities such as spearfishing, harvesting, clearing anchors, retrieving objects, photography, etc.”
The snorkeling category alone accounts for over half of the 2017 incidents reported. So if we consider only the freediving and tasks categories, the seemingly high number of incidents is dramatically reduced.
Additionally, the report does not indicate how many individuals involved in the incidents had received formal training, only that they were “more likely” to have sought out training. The issue arises from freediving not being regulated in the same fashion as other underwater sports such as scuba diving. No certification is required to purchase equipment or go freediving. It is much more readily accessible to untrained people who may try freediving without a buddy or supervision, which is extremely dangerous.
This is a problem because, while the hazards involved with freediving can be very dangerous, they are easily avoided with formal education and guidance by a certified instructor. Even when serious events such as blackout occur, a buddy's presence makes it highly likely that serious injury or potential fatality is avoided.
That being said, this is not to imply that the sport does not come without its dangers. Only to clarify that incident numbers can be misleading, and many fatalities could be avoided with proper training and safety procedures.
When Does Freediving Become Dangerous?
Freediving becomes dangerous when untrained individuals apply improper techniques. In some cases, even trained freedivers may willingly neglect safe practices, resulting in injuries or fatalities that are otherwise avoidable.
When untrained people undertake freediving, they expose themselves to unnecessary risks. This is due to a lack of education in the buddy system, effects of pressure on the body, physiological responses to diving, proper breathing techniques, and good body position and freediving technique.
Some accidents happen to highly experienced freedivers who choose to ignore some of the most critical rules in freediving. This usually pertains to the buddy system and never diving alone, which is unfortunately common amongst many spearfishermen and accounts for many of the deaths we hear about in freediving. Having a trained buddy when participating in any freediving activity can be the difference between a fatality and an easily treated incident.
Hazards Involved with Freediving Improperly
The primary hazards involved with freediving include hypoxia and barotrauma. Hypoxia is a low level of oxygen in the body, more specifically the brain, which can result in loss of motor control (LMC), or a blackout. Barotrauma is an injury caused by pressure related to our air spaces such as the middle ear, sinuses, lungs, and mask.
Hypoxia
Hypoxia can result from various factors, including hyperventilation, bad technique, and pushing limits. In all cases, divers use too much oxygen before surfacing, resulting in LMC or blackout.
Loss of Motor Control
Loss of motor control, frequently referred to as LMC or “samba,” occurs when oxygen levels drop too low to sustain simple motor functions. The diver suffers from loss of basic muscle control but remains conscious. The danger arises because the diver may not be able to maintain themselves on the surface and keep their airways clear, resulting in drowning. In some cases, LMC can be followed by a blackout if the diver is not assisted quickly.
Blackout
Blackout is when oxygen levels drop below the point to sustain consciousness and may happen underwater during the dive or at the surface after the dive. The diver simply goes unconscious, which is the body's last effort to conserve the remaining oxygen to avoid brain damage. The diver needs to be rescued quickly by a buddy to prevent drowning.
Barotrauma
Barotrauma refers to any injury caused by pressure. As we dive, the pressure exerted by the water around us increases, and it affects any air spaces we have in our bodies. If we do not respond accordingly to the pressure increase, we put ourselves at risk of barotrauma or “squeeze.” Our air spaces include our ears, sinuses, lungs, throat, and mask.
For the inexperienced freediver, the main concern regarding squeeze is the ears and sinuses. During your freediving course, you will learn how to equalize these air spaces as the pressure increases. Failure to do so can damage the ears and sinuses and potentially burst the eardrum. The mask should also be equalized by adding air into the space as we descend. Not equalizing the mask can result in discomfort and potentially bursting the blood vessels in the eyes and surrounding area.
The throat and lungs should be protected by using proper technique and body position. Because of the increased pressure and reduced air space in our body, any unnecessary stretching or jerky movements can injure the throat or lungs and result in a squeeze.
Safe Freediving Practices
Safe freediving practices include receiving proper training, using the buddy system, appropriate breathing techniques, correct weighting, and sufficient surface interval times. Safe free diving practices are the key to avoiding dangers and enjoying freediving to its fullest potential.
Proper Training
The first step to safe freediving is taking a course and getting proper training. Your instructor will provide you with the knowledge and techniques to ensure you avoid potential dangers as much as possible and that you are prepared in the event of an incident.
Various freediving organizations and affiliated certifications are available for all freediving levels, from beginner to competition level. While they vary slightly, all credible organizations provide various academic tools to learn everything you need to know. In addition, a trained and certified instructor will solidify the theoretical side and provide guidance and feedback during the practical aspects.
The Buddy System
The buddy system is arguably the most essential rule in freediving. Simply put, it means never dive alone. One diver remains on the surface while the other performs a dive. The buddy generally meets the diver at approximately half of the dive depth and accompanies them to the surface so they may respond should LMC or blackout occur.
During training, you will learn how to avoid potentially dangerous situations such as blackouts or barotrauma, but unforeseen problems may arise, resulting in an incident.
Having a trained buddy that can respond and rescue you in an accident is absolutely mandatory. The likelihood of drowning is extremely high if divers are not saved from an LMC or blackout. However, if a rescue is performed, the buddy can easily assist the diver, and they resume consciousness without injury.
A lot of freediving fatalities could have likely been avoided by using the buddy system properly.
Breathing techniques
During your course, you will learn appropriate breathing techniques to aid in relaxation, but the most important thing is not to hyperventilate. Hyperventilation is breathing more than we need to, given the activity level. It is exceptionally hazardous in freediving and should always be avoided.
When hyperventilating, the carbon dioxide levels in our bodies drop dramatically. Rising carbon dioxide levels trigger our urge to breathe during a breath-hold dive. If the levels are lowered before a dive, the urge to breathe may not come at the appropriate time, and our oxygen levels may drop too low before we feel our bodies signal that we need to return to the surface, thus resulting in LMC or blackout.
Weighting
Proper weighting in freediving means we should still be positively buoyant at the surface after a passive exhale. Proper weighting also means that we should be neutrally buoyant at either one-third of the dive depth or ten meters, whichever is deeper. This is very important regarding relaxation before a dive and our safety in the event of an LMC or blackout.
Blackouts generally occur in the last ten meters from the surface due to the dramatic drop in pressure. If the diver is weighted correctly, they will gradually begin to float towards the surface if the blackout occurs shallower than the depth of neutral buoyancy. This aids in the rescue of the diver, or should the buddy not be able to reach the diver quickly, they will not sink deeper.
Additionally, being overweighted means we need to fight the negative buoyancy when surfacing from our dive. This uses unnecessary amounts of energy, and in turn oxygen, during the dive and can contribute to potential hypoxia.
Surface Intervals
Performing appropriate surface intervals in freediving is necessary for avoiding decompression sickness (DCS). While freedivers are not at high risk of DCS, there is the potential for it if too many dives are performed in succession without enough time on the surface between dives.
During training, freedivers learn how to calculate appropriate surface interval times to ensure they are not at risk of decompression sickness.
Final Thoughts
So is freediving dangerous? It is if you don't know what you’re doing. Freediving isn't inherently dangerous. On the contrary, it is quite safe if freedivers are trained and stick to a few simple rules. This is reflected when looking at the number of dive accidents each year, and during which activities they occur.
If we are discussing proper freediving, such as competitive freediving, freediving courses, and recreational freediving with a buddy in which safe practices are followed, the sport is not nearly as dangerous as it appears. For instance, a 2013 article by Divers Alert Network showed that there had only been one recorded fatality in freediving competitions when the article was written. Granted competitions have multiple safety divers and medical personnel on hand, the safe practices for a dive to five meters or one hundred meters are the same. Competitive freedivers just ensure they always follow the rules.
The article says, “Most freediving fatalities occur in recreational freediving. They’re usually the result of people thinking they aren’t pushing themselves and are playing it safe. Because of that, they think they can dive without the direct supervision of a buddy. But such supervision is critical for every freedive.”
In the end, you should understand that, yes, freediving can be extremely dangerous if done improperly, but it can be made exceptionally safe by following a few basic rules. Completing a course and receiving the proper training will ensure your safety and only improve your experience and abilities as a freediver.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Many people wonder if freediving when pregnant is safe. The most important thing to do is consult your physician. While the weightlessness, relaxation, and meditative effects of freediving may be beneficial during pregnancy, little is known about the impact of pressure and breath-hold diving on the fetus.
The general consensus is that the baby is encompassed in fluid, on which pressure has no effect, so it should be fine. However, there are concerns of potential hypoxia and undue stress having a detrimental impact on the pregnancy.
For this reason, some experienced freedivers continue to dive during their pregnancy but stay well within their limits. It is not recommended to learn freediving during pregnancy as it may cause an unnecessary amount of stress in inexperienced individuals.
Again be sure to consult a medical professional before freediving while pregnant.tion text goes here
-
There is no evidence that freediving can cause migraines or increase their frequency. However, it is not uncommon for people to complain of headaches following a freediving session. This is likely the result of dehydration, stress, or tension, which can result in headaches.
Be sure to stay hydrated and consult a medical professional if the problem persists.
-
A blackout is a natural response of the body to shut down when oxygen is too low in the bloodstream. While it can be easy to think of this as scary, a blackout is an incredible physiological response to stress. It allows the body to conserve any remaining oxygen in order to keep vital organs (such as the heart and brain) alive.
Freediving with a buddy is the best way to ensure that blackouts are avoided or dealt with appropriately. While freedivers should not be blacking out while training properly, having a properly trained buddy will minimize the risk if it should occur.
References:
Krack, Mandy-Rae. “The World of Competitive Freediving.” 01 Nov 2013. Divers Alert Network. Web. Accessed 27 Jul 2022. <https://dan.org/alert-diver/article/the-world-of-competitive-freediving/>
Denoble, PJ. “DAN annual diving report 2019 edition- A report on 2017 diving fatalities, injuries, and incidents.” 2019. Divers Alert Network. Web. Accessed 27 Jul 2022.
<https://issuu.com/dansouthernafrica/docs/annualdivingreport2019?fr=sZmVhMDUxNTg3OTc>