Hello Friends!
Hope you’re keeping well and have had a fantastic weekend!
I know it’s been a while since I’ve written but I’m back again :) there's been a little difficulty in finding inspiration as the world has closed due to the global pandemic.
So, what does it mean to Freedive during these trying times?
Well, our lockdown has slowly started to be released in South Africa and one of the lakes here in Johannesburg has opened up for swimmers and fishing aaaaand technically, freediving could be swimming as it does not require breathing apparatus etc, so we went to go explore and see the feasibility of how we open up to the world in this sport that we hold most dear to our hearts.
Though South Africa is currently in the midst of its winter, we had a phenomenal dive. The water was a crispy 14 degrees/57F but the water clarity was absolutely amazing as this lake is not known for the best visibility, and about an hour in we headed back as our toes and fingers were about to break off!
I emerged with 5 points I wanted to share on how we can be safer divers in these early days of getting back in the water,
1. Stretch, with both breath and the rest of the body. It's been 3 – 4 months since were last in the water and some of the muscles we use may have not been utilized as extensively, this helps the body to be able to bend and adjust to whatever may come.
2. Practice your equalization on land/water surface prior to your duck dive, just to make sure everything is working fine, no, don’t break the bank making sure but it’s a great caution point.
3. Start shallow, naturally, to get a feel for how your body is feeling.
4. Dive within your limits, and maybe even more on the side of caution. The idea is to not have to be saved as this would require very close contact and if severe, mouth to mouth. We are all responsible for our own safety while in the water and pushing past your limit places others in a new danger now.
5. Play. I often say this is how we learn and grow, and the greatest way to trick the body into being more present.
Lastly, if you're in South Africa, get yourself an open cell suit that is as thick as possible. I have a 3mm and wasn’t too cold, but also, I have a thing for the cold lol, and get gloves and socks as well, this is how you get to keep your fingers and toes! (Link to my YouTube video on suits here)
And a little share, we've been doing some Instagram Lives in the past few weeks and will recap on here weekly along with the blog post, its been exciting having discussions with different people from across the world, sharing knowledge and endlessly learning, I had the pleasure of speaking to these 2 ladies - Katie Storr and Danielle Bachew.
Katie Storr
Katie is a Bahamas based Scuba Diving Instructor, Underwater Photographer, Ocean Conservationist and Ambassador for Sharks4Kid. With vast experience in the industry, we talk bout all this and diversity in representation in the industry, this chat is linked here.
Danielle Bachew
Danielle is a Trinidad based Spearfisher Woman with some impressive catches from her time at sea! We chat all things spearfishing, representation and the importance of Ocean conservation within the spearfishing arena. The chat is linked here.
Thanks for popping in, have a fantastic week and don’t forget to subscribe to our mailing list if you haven’t already! Happy Diving!
Xx