Freedive photography isn't without its dangers

Short vacation in hawaii to get some photos and gear review for Eye of mine. After using the Gopro for so long, I just wasn't use to the nauticam housing, and pushed a little too far.

depths at about 80+ feet, shooting ambient with 10-22 lens on a t2I

I had some stress factors on the first B/O, In all honesty the dive was well within my limits and I thought it was just a fluke. After a 20min rest I decided to go at it again.

embedded movie:

Neat, I had a friend of mine die pushing himself like that.

He was a surfer and super a fit guy too.

Grazy guys...

Sport? Not worth it... for me atleast!

Cheers

Karel

You guys are pretty amazing; well handled!

It is a crazy sport, but I sure wish I had that ability.

Neat, I had a friend of mine die pushing himself like that.

He was a surfer and super a fit guy too.

Grazy guys...

Sport? Not worth it... for me atleast!

 

Cheers

Karel

Freediving can be VERY dangerous, a handful of spear fishermen die every year.

However with proper training, And a trained buddy at the surface waiting for you to surface; freediving is no more dangerous then standing up too fast after a tv show. Once a person blacks out their airways will close automatically, and reopen as soon as air hits particular points on the face. The problem happens when a diver is over weighted and sinks back below the surface ( which is why you should never be waited negative above -30ft) Or falls face first in the water.

Well those of us who have training(Performance Freediving or similar classes) know that if you experience shallow water blackout or loss of motor control(LMC) Your diving day is OVER

you are just asking for trouble.the CO2 level in your system is too high and your body needs time to purge and recover and replenish your O2 or oxygen levels Also two Freedivers should not be down at the same time unless they have someone else safety-ie what if they both surface and blackout.When you surface you should be observed for AT LEAST 30 seconds cause as you saw from the video it did not happen right away. YOUR NUMBER ONE CONCERN WHILE FREEDIVING SHOULD BE SAFETY NOT HOW DEEP CAN I GO OR WHAT KIND OF SHOT YOU CAN GET. If you want to be serious about freediving get trained and APPLY the training.Also wear a strap from your camera to your wrist so you don't lose your rig.All The Best and SAFE diving.

Well those of us who have training(Performance Freediving or similar classes) know that if you experience shallow water blackout or loss of motor control(LMC) Your diving day is OVER

you are just asking for trouble.the CO2 level in your system is too high and your body needs time to purge and recover and replenish your O2 or oxygen levels Also two Freedivers should not be down at the same time unless they have someone else safety-ie what if they both surface and blackout.When you surface you should be observed for AT LEAST 30 seconds cause as you saw from the video it did not happen right away. YOUR NUMBER ONE CONCERN WHILE FREEDIVING SHOULD BE SAFETY NOT HOW DEEP CAN I GO OR WHAT KIND OF SHOT YOU CAN GET. If you want to be serious about freediving get trained and APPLY the training.Also wear a strap from your camera to your wrist so you don't lose your rig.All The Best and SAFE diving.

So much anger in your post, There was no need to yell

But yes, you are correct!

And we did have a third diver watching our resurface from the ski. But yes in a perfect world we would have two safeties meeting us half way... I don't know about you but I don't live in a perfect world. Getting my shot in the safest manner plausible is my main goal. I have been trained, and I know the risks involved ( intimately).

By Posting the video I hope that others can see why its important to be trained

Derek, nice images, and thanks for posting. It takes some guts to put yourself out there in public. Obviously your team worked because you're here posting about it, eh?

As an aside, earlier this year I had two experienced spearfishers in the freediving class I teach. During introductions I always ask "why are you here?" One of the spearos said "I'm here because I want to black out, and I want my buddy to see me black out". At first I was horrified - I mean, talk about being a cowboy! - but as the class progressed, I could see the value for him to actually experience the lead-up to a blackout, and the value in his buddy seeing those small clues, too. I was gratified that they changed many things about their diving because of the class.

Again, nice images, keep at it!

All the best, James

Thanks for posting...as a Freedive Instructor Im always grateful for footage like this as it clearly illustrates the need for propper training and nothing beats being able to show someone why.

I do all of my underwater photography while freediving now (http://jdvos.com/photography/underwater/freedive/) and given the distraction of what it is you are doing (focussing on getting the shot) its even more important to stay well within what I consider to be my limits.

Thanks again...

Awesome photos and really like the pole-cam go pro idea:)

Well those of us who have training(Performance Freediving or similar classes) know that if you experience shallow water blackout or loss of motor control(LMC) Your diving day is OVER

you are just asking for trouble.the CO2 level in your system is too high and your body needs time to purge and recover and replenish your O2 or oxygen levels Also two Freedivers should not be down at the same time unless they have someone else safety-ie what if they both surface and blackout.When you surface you should be observed for AT LEAST 30 seconds cause as you saw from the video it did not happen right away. YOUR NUMBER ONE CONCERN WHILE FREEDIVING SHOULD BE SAFETY NOT HOW DEEP CAN I GO OR WHAT KIND OF SHOT YOU CAN GET. If you want to be serious about freediving get trained and APPLY the training.Also wear a strap from your camera to your wrist so you don't lose your rig.All The Best and SAFE diving.

If we assume that msdeedee's capitalization is for emphasis rather than shouting, then what they are saying is the most sensible advice I have read in this thread. And if she/he is shouting...same applies anyway.

The underlying message here, is invest in some proper training. Treat freediving with the same respect you would your Scuba training. There is so much misinformation out there on message boards and forums, and even books. Things like the old chestnut of, "if you hyperventilate you can stay down longer", or "I've always freedived straight after Scuba diving and never had a problem". Both of these are things to not do if you enjoy being on the planet.

I also teach freediving regularly, judge at AIDA competitions, and used to compete myself, for what it's worth.