Difference Between Scuba Diving and Freediving

Ever wondered when underwater diving began? Based on the archaeological evidence, people have been freediving since 2,000 years ago (www. aidainternational. org). It first started in Japan, where pearl divers began collecting oysters to obtain pearls by diving into the ocean floor with just a single breath. Then, in 1943, Jacques Cousteau came up with his own invention called SCUBA, Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus, which helped divers to remain breathing in the water. It truly revolutionized the world of deep-sea exploration, scuba diving started to be mostly used in technical or military diving.

Nonetheless, tourism industries started to recognize the potential benefit from introducing scuba diving as a new leisure activity. For example SSI, Scuba Schools International, who started in 1970, had provided training, scuba diving certification, dive instructors and dive centers around the world (www. divessi. com). It expanded overtime as the demand increases; thus, the company received a very high return of profit. Eventually, diving turned out to be more popular as a recreational underwater excursion as it allows people to explore the beauty of underwater world in a new magical way.

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Although freediving and scuba diving are under the same category of underwater diving and are also quite similar in terms of the general rule, the equipment and techniques are significantly different. Obviously both sports allow people to dive into the water, but there are more similarities than one might think. They both require the diver to use the same basic exposure suit, snorkeling gear, and weight system. Likewise, taking a course to get certified is mandatory for both sports.

Before taking a course, the diver must perform 200 meters continuous swim or 10 minutes of treading water (Scuba Schools International).

The purpose is to allow the diving instructor to test the stress level of the candidate during the circumstance of being in the water. More importantly, success in doing proper equalization is compulsory for both sports in order to avoid ear pain. As what most people recognize, they both have the same jargon: “take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but bubbles, touch nothing but yourself,” which means both sports encourage the diver to explore the underwater world without degrading the home of the sea creatures.

In brief, both sports technically have the same rule and requirements in particular areas. Although both sports share several things in common, there are more differences between them. Starting from the most obvious one, scuba divers use oxygen from their tank to breath, while freediver only uses their lungs. Thus, scuba diving has longer dive times than freediving. Scuba diving allows the diver to do continuous breathing and he/she is not allowed to hold their breath, otherwise it could lead to an air embolism as well as other serious problems.

In contrast, freedivers must hold their breath; therefore, most people find freediving more challenging than scuba diving, but scuba diving could also pose some risks if not being done properly, especially in the process of ascending. Scuba divers must maintain safe ascent rates and make safety stops, whereas freedivers are able to do a fast ascent because over-expansion of air in the lungs is unlikely to happen as they only take a single breath at the surface. Additionally, due to the more bubbles scuba divers could produce while diving, some sea creatures are more sensitive to it; thus, prefer to swim away from the diver.

On the other hand, freediver does not produce many bubbles; therefore, they are more likely able to approach the creatures a little bit closer. While in terms of the diving equipment both sports use, scuba divers use complete scuba gear while freedivers use only the snorkeling gear. The fin itself is technically different with each sport. Scuba divers use the medium blade fin or bifin, whereas freedivers use the long blade fin or monofin. Yet another difference between these two types of sports is the buddy system.

The purpose of having a buddy while diving is to avoid and survive any accidents by diving in a group of two or three divers. Scuba divers must have at least one buddy, unless he/she has the solo certification. Conversely, freediving with a buddy is unnecessary but recommended. In my own experience, as an advanced scuba diver, exploring the underwater world gave me the opportunity to see the unseen beauty of what is beneath the ocean; however, it doesn’t matter which sport one might choose since both sports are perfect for vacation.

For those who want to enjoy the beauty of the underwater world for a longer time, it is better to take scuba diving courses to take advantage of the breathing apparatus. However, for those who want to experience underwater diving in a more challenging way, freediving course is the perfect match. Trying something new rather than just going to the beach during a vacation could make the best experience ever. Indulge the curiosity about what is in a deeper level of the sea by taking diving courses. It offers the certificate that allows the diver to experience the underwater world in a different way, and to become amphibious even for a while.