Apnea | Dumagat Freedive International Freediving School

Freediving Randoms

December 7, 2014 by Dumagat Freedive International Freediving School

Part One: The Swim.

Kyla cruising over a bed of corals.

So we recently just learned about this hipster thing, collective global art project, another silly internet craze, or whatever you want to call it, here we are snail planking it. ‪#‎Romblon‬ ‪#‎SnailPlanking‬

Sometimes a lone fish, a passing turtle, a school of sardines, or a pack of very curious squids, we freedive for moments like this.

A panoramic view of our water entry point. How do you enter the water?

Reliving the ancient times of skandalopetra diving with team Omniblue Freedive. Skandalopetra diving is a breath-hold dive aided by a stone tied to a rope. It dates back from ancient Greece and was used by sponge fishermen. ‪#‎Freediving‬ ‪#‎Romblon‬ ‪#‎Philippines‬

Early morning stretching with Sylvain Bes and team OmniBlue Freedive during a training camp.

Hanging at a relatively shallow depth is one of the usual warm-up routines freedivers use at the beginning of a freediving session. Hanging helps trigger the mammalian diving reflex which helps the body adapt to each dive. And, if you’re lucky like on this session, you might find yourself amused by a turtle that’s even more amused by you. Maybe next time we’ll get the turtle in the shot too.

We don’t like classrooms so we decided to visit another island to do the freediving final exam. Here’s Janis completing the exam at Tuburan Community, perhaps the coolest and most chill place in the province. Congratulations, Janis! Welcome to freediving! And big thanks to Tuburan for welcoming and hosting us.

When mother nature decides it’s not a day for depth training, working on improving your breath hold is always an option in our natural static pool. Holding your breath underwater should never be attempted without proper training and supervision.

We find that Parisians look way cooler with local wooden goggles. Photo by Valerie L.

Erwan working on his constant weight no fins (CNF) technique. This depth discipline is considered to be the most challenging because the freediver performs the dive without pulling on the rope, without fins, and without variable weight to help with the descent.

Part Two: The Warm-up.

Benjamin of team Omniblue Freedive looking epic on a dive with skandalopetra. Skandalopetra diving is a breath-hold dive aided by a stone tied to a rope. It dates back from ancient Greece and was used by sponge fishermen. Photo by Sylvain Bes.

Karel’s signature stance.

It is said that dairy products and alcohol increase mucous production which may make equalization difficult, but we say consumption of both to celebrate a perfect dive is certainly good for you. Congratulations on a new personal best of 50 meters (164 feet) on a single breath, Kyla. And thanks, Sylvain of Omniblue Freedive, for the celebratory wine and cheese.

Good morning, everyone! Have an epic weekend!

First morning of the 7-day freediving training stage in beautiful and charming Romblon. Sylvain wakes up the team with light breathing and stretching exercises.

Dominique while training in 30°C water temperature and 30m visibility.

Perfect conditions.

Romblon Sunset is our favorite color. Romblon’s Deep Blue comes second. ‪#‎Romblon‬ ‪#‎Philippines‬

Coffee and all things sugary – some of the things freedivers do without for the love of the sport. But it’s Sunday and we’re going wild. ‪#‎DumagatFreediveSunday‬ ‪#‎FreediversGoneWild‬

Breathing and relaxation exercise with Michal & Karl. Both held their breaths for nearly 4 and a half impressive minutes! Not bad at all for first timers!

During warm-up, Sylvain Bes of Omniblue Freedive hung at 10 meters for 5 minutes on a single breath.

Team smiley :) Thanks for the photo, Denen!

Checking out some of the cool local underwater features.

Part Four: The Ascent.

Proper breathe-up before every dive relaxes the body and the mind making each dive easier, safer and more enjoyable. This fundamental relaxation skill is just as important on shallow dives as it is on much deeper dives like this one. ‪#‎freediving‬ ‪#‎philippines‬

Basking in good atmosphere during our return trip from a full day of epic freediving adventure around nearby islands. ‪#‎Romblon‬ ‪#‎Adventure‬

And just like that, freediving season is here. Have a great weekend everyone!

One of the resident schools of fish you might encounter during a training session

It’s a jungle down here!

Naomi Gittoes’ beautiful artwork made it to the island of Romblon in the Philippines!

The party the night before continues underwater.

Sof feeling completely free after completing all the requirements for the #SSI Level 3 course.

Team Omniblue at Dumagat Freedive

When the sea is as glassy as it’s been lately, you learn to walk just under the surface. ‪#‎Romblon‬ ‪#‎Freediving‬ ‪#‎Philippines‬ ‪#‎DumagatFreedive‬

Well done on an easy and clean morning dive to 57 meters, Mikhail.

These curious squids have become our regular spectators.

DumagatFreedive

Romblon channel at sunset.

We hardly ever use a boat for training sessions; but when we do, our boat men join in the party.

Too late for the Aquaman lead role audition. ‪

These three guys were being too friendly so we abandoned our training line and just played with them for a while. ‪#‎Romblon‬ ‪#‎Freediving‬ ‪#‎Philippines‬ ‪#‎DumagatFreedive‬

We may be a bunch of lazy freedivers here, but Kyla is still so ready to take on the freediving instructor course. New personal best of 44 meters with many more training days to go. Way to go Kyla!

Dominique working on her freefall into Romblon’s deep blue.

And so we begin the season with smiles and epic water conditions.

Water conditions straight out of a sci-fi movie.

Sita & Aline practicing constant weight and free immersion dives during an SSI Level 1 Freediving course.

Friday goof around session.

When it’s so glassy that there isn’t a ripple on the surface, you can look up from under and see the clouds.

Sometimes I just don’t know how to deal with these kids. #igiveup

And with a bit persistence, you learn to run it eventually.

A properly executed duck dive allows you to dive down without much effort.

DumagatFreedive

Play more. Have an epic weekend, everyone!

Sunset panoramic shot of the bay.

Niels checking out the reef just below during ascent.

With scrap plywood fins and wooden goggles, our boatman shows us how it’s done.

This kid wanted to play a little farther from shore on his birthday so we did. Not only did he do a fun variable weight dive to 65 meters, he also managed to do an easy free immersion to 62 meters. Happy Birthday, old man! Beers on you!

Playtime with Mathilde & Sof.

Karel when he’s somewhat serious.

Just hanging out on a lazy day.

Niels working on his form and technique during his #SSI Level 1 course.

David working on his form during an SSI level 1 course.

World’s first bamboo-carbon fins prototype currently being tested here in Romblon waters by Sylvain Bes of Omniblue Freedive. Credits to Benjamin Angeloni, the engineer behind the epic design.

Two things we have plenty of: fresh air and clean water.

The newest member of the Dumagat Freedive team. Mostly he’s been busy murdering anything that moves and considerably smaller than him, but in time we’re hoping that he’d learn to do other things.

Island style freediver with wooden goggles and bamboo noseclip vs. the modern style freediver. I think it’s pretty obvious who has better style, no? ‪#‎Freediving‬ ‪#‎Philippines‬