6 Min. Read Time

Imagine diving down. No tank on your back, no regulator in your mouth. Just you, your lungs, and the sea. 10 meters, 20 meters, 30 meters. Around you, it gets quiet. Your pulse slows. Your body switches to a mode you never experience on land. Freediving is the sport where less equipment means more experience.

What happens when you dive: The Diving Reflex

As soon as your face touches cold water, the diving reflex is activated. An evolutionary remnant that works in every human. Your pulse drops by up to 25 percent, the blood vessels in your arms and legs constrict, and the blood is redirected to the core of your body. Your body automatically optimizes oxygen consumption.

From 10 meters depth, the pressure starts to take effect. Your lungs compress, and the residual volume decreases. At 30 meters, your lungs have shrunk to a third of their volume. This doesn’t feel uncomfortable, more like a firm hug. And this is exactly where freediving becomes meditative: you hear your heartbeat, nothing else.

Getting started safely: Your first course

AIDA or SSI course (Level 1): A weekend, 200-350 Euro. You learn breathing techniques, pressure equalization, safety signs, and make your first dives to 10-15 meters. Most schools offer pool sessions and open-water dives.

What you need: Swimsuit or wetsuit (depending on water temperature), mask, snorkel, fins. Everything is provided in the course. Your own equipment from 150 Euro (mask + fins). No expensive equipment needed.

The most important rule: Never dive alone. Always with a buddy. Blackout underwater happens without warning. This is not a risk you can control, but one that a buddy will immediately recognize. Those who work on their basic endurance in parallel also have more reserves underwater.

Freediving in Germany: Where you can train

Indoor: The diving tower scene is growing. Monte Mare (Rheinbach, 10m), Dive4Life (Siegburg, 20m), and the Gasometer in Duisburg offer year-round controlled conditions. Perfect for technique training in winter.

Lakes: Lake Constance, Attersee (Austria), Kulkwitzer See near Leipzig. In summer, from 5 meters depth, pleasantly cool and clear visibility. Most German freediving clubs train in lakes.

Sea: For the next step. Egypt (Dahab is the freediving capital of the world), Croatia, Greece. Here, depths beyond 30 meters are possible. Those who are used to cold training have fewer problems when entering open water.

Land Training: Breathing Technique and Mental Strength

Static Apnea (Holding Your Breath): Sit comfortably, breathe calmly for 2 minutes, then hold your breath. Beginners can manage 1-2 minutes. After a few weeks of training: 3-4 minutes. This training works anywhere, even in the office. But: never in water without supervision.

CO2 Tolerance Training: Repeatedly hold your breath with short breaks in between (e.g., 8x 1 minute hold, 30 seconds break). This trains your body to cope with the CO2 increase that triggers the breathing reflex.

Mental Training: Freediving is 70% mental. Visualization, meditation, and body scan exercises help control panic underwater. Many freedivers use yoga and breathing exercises as a foundation.

“Freediving is the only sport where you get better the less you do. Less movement, less thought, less oxygen consumption.”
Umberto Pelizzari, Freediving legend and world record holder

Source title image: Pexels / John Cahil Rom