{"id":7175,"date":"2014-10-12T21:59:57","date_gmt":"2014-10-12T19:59:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/petitesbullesdailleurs.fr\/petitesbullesdailleurs\/?p=7175"},"modified":"2025-09-01T04:13:23","modified_gmt":"2025-09-01T02:13:23","slug":"free-diving-apnee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/petitesbullesdailleurs.fr\/en\/free-diving-apnee-20141012\/","title":{"rendered":"Freediving means freedom underwater"},"content":{"rendered":"

This year, I discovered freediving. In Indonesia, then in the Mediterranean. In English, we say \"free diving<\/em>I love it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Hold one's breath<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Life is full of surprises. I, the scuba diver who loves to make bubbles, have learned to do something unbelievable: to do without a regulator and not to breathe underwater! Yes, this year, I started freediving!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In English, we call it free diving : <\/em>free diving. I like the expression, it's the freedom (and not the lack of air, as in French with the word , apnea<\/em>). No need for an air tank on your back! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The principle is to do what marine mammals do. The only reserve of air you take on board is what you store in your lungs... \ud83d\ude00<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Bubbles<\/a>
Bubble game in a Polynesian lagoon, in 2012... Not easy to play the sirens, even at 10 cm deep!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Much<\/a>
Much classier: R\u00e9my Dubern on his way to 91 m at the 2013 World Championships in Kalamata, Greece. (Photo: \u00a9 Daan Verhoeven)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At the beginning, I didn't think I was capable of apnea, with my smoking past. I also doubted that I had the necessary physical resistance, given my lack of regular sports activity. And even though I love water, I'm not good at swimming - swimming laps has never been my thing. Anyway. I was convinced that snorkeling was not for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, today I can descend to a depth of around ten metres. (update 2018 :<\/span><\/strong> about 20 meters, now)<\/em>There are few things I've accomplished this year that I'm so proud of. I still can't believe it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indonesia, May 2014<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Gapang<\/a>
Gapang beach in Pulau Weh, so peaceful. Indonesia, May 2014.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It all began in Indonesia, in May 2014. I returned to Pulau Weh, a small island in the province of Banda Aceh, on the western tip of Sumatra. There I met up with a friend, R\u00e9my Dubern, whom I had met on a previous trip to Pulau Weh, four years earlier, in 2010. He was a bottle diving instructor at the time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"At<\/a>
At the Nice Abyss Contest 2014, R\u00e9my Dubern in freefall, en route to 64 m. (Photo: \u00a9 Bill Rhamey)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We kept in touch on Facebook. In the meantime, he started freediving. And as he's the kind of guy who doesn't do things by halves when he's passionate about something, he pushed the experience very far... Up to the competition, up to the gold medal, at the FFESSM French championship of 2013, with a descent in fins to -80 meters!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Freediving is now his life. In addition to competition, he became a trainer and now teaches free diving to beginners as well as to more experienced divers (see his website Blue Addiction<\/a>). With his partner Audrey, he regularly organizes workshops in France and abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I took advantage of R\u00e9my's presence in Pulau Weh, to learn freediving with him, at Lumba Lumba dive shop<\/a> on Gapang Beach, between two days of bubbles diving...<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He is a great teacher, benevolent and very educational, who really gives you confidence and knows how to communicate his passion. I might not have dared to try freediving if he hadn't been able to talk to me about it as he did... A real motivator!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the practical exercises, the first step takes place in the dry. After a few simple yoga postures to relax the body and breathing exercises to learn to fill the rib cage, we lie down on deckchairs, we relax as much as possible and we all try to hold our breath as long as possible... <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It seemed unimaginable to me, but after a few tries, I managed to keep it up for 2 1\/2 minutes!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pulau<\/a>
R\u00e9my explains the basic principles of apnea, during the \"dry\" training.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Pulau<\/a>
Here we go! Everyone holds their breath, trying to relax as much as possible!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Well, in the water, it's a different matter. There are other tricks to master: the ears to balance, the palmage to optimize, the stress to manage... We are several apnea apprentices to follow the course and we all manage, throughout the day, to overcome our blockages, to make impressive progress, each one at its level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pulau<\/a>
Remy is about to get into the water with the buoy for the freediving lessons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Pulau<\/a>
Hello, freediving apprentices!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As I didn't bring my camera underwater for the sessions in the sea, I put below some screenshots of the videos made with the GoPro by Remy with Rimen and Mathieu, a couple of travelers who became friends and who discovered snorkeling like me during their stay in Pulau Weh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pulau<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I liked this initiation in Indonesia so much that I decided to do it again: even before the end of my stay in Pulau Weh, I signed up for one of the three-day Blue Addiction workshops that R\u00e9my had planned to organize in Hy\u00e8res, in the South of France, this summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Update 2021. <\/span><\/strong>Remy made a video for the magazine Dive!<\/em> <\/a> in which he explains the breathing techniques, useful for both freediving and scuba diving. I give it to you below: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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