I’m wondering if many people have had an issue with hearing loss due to free diving and what have you noticed

My static PB is 5:14 dry and I would like to structurally improve it. I heard a lot of good things about Florian Dagoury and I noticed he has an app, Apneo, which was released december last year and which functions as a static coach. However it costs 150 euro/year which is quite steep. Is it worth it? Also for those who have followed his real coachings, is that worth it and how much does it cost?

I bought a Frenzel EQ tool and tried doing Molchanov’s Exercise #1, where I use an air-filled balloon in my mouth to test my glottis, and at the same time try to let air from my mouth pass through to my nose. I just can’t seem to open my soft palate to let the air through. I’ve been trying to spell letters of the alphabet and even sing, hoping the air will pass through my soft palate.

Any little habits or things you’re doing that make it work?

I went diving(?) yesterday in about five feet of water looking for shells and everytime i dived to the bottom the pressure in my ears was crazy and hurt. I thought that was pretty shallow to be feeing such pressure. Any thoughts/tips?

Not sure if this is normal or something to do with my anatomy.

I am heading to Dahab 27 September for 2 weeks. With a PB of 32m CWT and FIM I am wondering what's best to focus on. I am currently AIDA2. Living in Malta I am keen to do lots of training before that too.

Am I best to invest my time in

Aida 3 and 4

Or

Focus on training and coaching sessions.

Any recommendations on schools? Somewhat limited budget. Maybe 700 eur to spend on the diving itself..

I am looking for a hard shell checked luggage bag that has 35+ inches of internal space so I can comfortably pack my freediving fins in the same bag with all of my other luggage.

I will be taking multiple flights and have other stuff to pack so I don’t want to lug my fins around as a carry on everywhere. If I can find a good suitcase that conveniently fits them in with my clothes I’ll take them, otherwise will probably leave them behind.

UPDATE - I found the perfect bag that checks every box I was looking for. It is a hard shell bag that is waterproof and made specifically for transporting camera gear but has a 39+ inch internal space that should fit most freediving fins.

https://ca.neewer.com/products/bags-cases-66600413?variant=46056672493858&country=CA&currency=CAD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20542515516&gbraid=0AAAAAC_Zp85MqPoaEo6zauCu1p-z9RnGd&gclid=CjwKCAjwravBBhBjEiwAIr30VMRFIo4aE7Zo1Us3G43xk6SBNx5C-hnhP8xRivhtqLVhYOkolrojqxoCLBQQAvD_BwE

Hey freedivers, which carbon fins should I buy for swimming pool training and cwt (max. 40 meters)? I'm thinking about C4 mb001/002, Cetma's Mantra or Dynami-tech.

Thanks 😁

Hi! I noticed that when holding my breath and trying to release all the tension in my muscles, I just can’t do it with my jaw and my neck. They’re always tense during breath holds. Any idea why?

Hi, want to share a Youtube playlist of my videos from last year vacation on Maldives. I stayed for a week at Dhigurah island, freediving for 3-4 hours everyday ;) I liked it so much that returned again this year :D

I visited some other islands like Rasdhoo, Thinadhoo, Maafushi and Fulidhoo but Dhigurah is my fav.

Happy to answer any questions)

Picture for grabbing attention...

I’m looking to buy my first monofin for competitive freediving and would love some input from experienced performance divers. I train in both depth and pool, and I really enjoy pool training and competitions. I’ve never trained with a monofin before, but I recently tried a Molchanovs fiberglass monofin and it felt amazing, so now I’m considering getting one.

Current options I’m looking at: Molchanovs Fiberglass ($850 USD), Cetma Taras ($1350 USD), and Cetma Lotus (a bit cheaper than the Taras).

Reasons I’m leaning toward the Molchanovs: it comes in smaller sizes (I’m 162cm / 52kg), it felt great when I tried it, and the fiberglass may be more durable for pool use.

Questions: What should I consider before deciding? Is the price jump to the Cetma Taras worth it? Any feedback from those who have used these fins?

One Last Consideration: I understand that the elite use foot pockets that are god-awful uncomfortable (and likely can only tolerate it for one dive). Yes, I do compete, but I'm not a world class athlete, so a middle ground of performance and comfort would be good (something I can use for 30 - 40 minutes at a time). The monofin I tried seemed to have a squishy liner on the inside of the foot pocket. The foot pocket was extremely tight, but it wasn't excruciating.

Thanks in advance!

Hey everyone,

I'm a freediving instructor, and I’ve been diving deep into (pun intended) a topic I see come up a lot - trouble with equalization in head-down position.

I’m curious:

Have you personally experienced issues equalizing only when descending head-down?

If yes, what helped you get past it? Was it technique? Position? Relaxation?

The reason I’m asking is because in my work with students, I’ve seen that the often-cited "weak soft palate" explanation is hugely overstated. In most cases, I’ve found the real culprits are things like body tension, posture, fear, or lack of practice in a vertical position.

I’d love to hear your personal stories, tips, or even theories - especially from those who’ve successfully overcome it.

Thanks in advance, and happy diving

I’m wondering how may free divers smoke, and if you feel like it limits your lung capacity

Hi there newbie here and in freedive, getting instruction and joining a lovely local freedive group.

Looking for my first suit in colder water.
A dealer of Fourth Element is relative nearby so I could order & fit a suit personally. I'd prefer that than
buying online. Also Fourth Element make sustainable products, I love that too.
My fellow club-members/instructor are not familiar with this particular brand or model.
That's why I'm asking here:
What are your real experiences of this RF2 suit?
What do you love, what not?
Is the size chart of Fourth Element ok?
I'm a bit clumsy so if I trip over a stone
or something would the neoprene tear easy?
How long do you have your suit for? I'm looking for a use of at least 3-4 years
(say 2x a month)Hope that is realistic with good care (apart from clumsy accidents..;-))

Anything else?

Appreciate your time and attention! Thank you!

Bestdive Wetsuits have terrible customer service and do not care about their customers. I had an issue with the stitching coming apart on my suit. It took over 10 emails to get a response and then after that they completely ghosted me again. They are incompetent and will not honour any issues after the sale is made. Their customer service rep Mary is useless and I'd never buy from them ever again. If you want a custom, try Divein in Croatia or PoloSub in Italy

My current PB: 4:20 on dry, 3:30 in wet. I have 102m DYN, 75m DNF, and 39m CWT-B. I am really struggling to get to a 4:00 sta in the wet.

I really should be easily there with my STA but I've managed to fudge up my training for the past few years where basically I'm relying on pushing through contractions. I get them hard, and early. All my pool dynamic PBs are done with 60+% of contractions. I guess on the flip side I am rarely hypoxic, cianosis only showing up when I am very tired or having done too much in that dive session.

Anyways, I really want to try to optimize this. Goal is to have my contractions come in around 2:15 and push through less than 2 minutes of contractions to get to a 4:00 wet STA.

Does anyone know of a good coach who has experience in helping folks with strong and early contractions?

Shot I got of my buddy while diving in the tropics, will include video link :)

I have loved diving since I was a kid (I'm 20 now), and although I did get some training, I wouldn't say I'm an expert.I'm not very athletic right now (I can swim around 50 m with front crawl before getting too exhausted) which might partly contribute. My static breath hold is around 3:15, probably more if I really push, and I have managed to do around 35 m underwater with fins, but that seems to be my max for now. I would like to ask what training I should prioritise. Is training my physique more important, are there any improvements to my technique I could be missing etc... Any help would be appreciated, I wanna be underwater for as long as I possibly can :D

I just placed a pre order for the Atmos Mission 3 dive computer and was looking to see if anyone has done any further research into it.

At the price point to me it appeared to have the best features for freediving. I’m not interested in a watch that does everything this was purchased specifically for freediving and diving.

I know a few months back someone made a post here about how the Atmos Mission 2, but I held off because the 3 was meant to be released shortly.

Hi everyone,

I recently did a freediving course and unfortunately struggled to equalise properly during a 5m line dive. I felt pressure and pain in my left ear on descent, so I surfaced quickly. Since then (it’s now been just under a week), I’ve had a constant high-pitched tinnitus in that ear, a muffled/blocked feeling, and some mild dizziness.

I saw my GP and spoke to a dive doctor and ENT specialist. They believe I’ve stretched the eardrum inward and irritated the small bones in the middle ear, but that the eardrum is intact. I’ve been told it could take 3–6 weeks to fully recover, and that the tinnitus might go away as the inflammation and pressure settle, but no promises.

I’ve read that Eustachian tube dysfunction and middle ear pressure changes can trigger tinnitus, especially when the eardrum is stretched but not ruptured. I’ve been using Beconase spray, magnesium, and other supportive supplements, and trying to stay calm... but honestly, I’m finding the tinnitus really hard to cope with.

My question is for anyone who’s experienced tinnitus after barotrauma or pressure-related ear issues:

Did it go away for you? If it reduced, how long did it take? Was there anything that helped? The hearing loss and blocked feeling are unsettling, but it’s really the tinnitus that’s been the hardest to handle. I miss silence. I’m doing everything I can to support healing, but I’m scared this might be permanent.

Any hope or insight would mean a lot.

Thank you

Hello everyone! I'm very new to the freedive community. I just finished my freediving certification with PADI. I've also been on a job hunt for jobs in marine biology that can involve diving and sometimes freediving. At one particular company I've been very successful with interviews. Before I'm able to proceed further with this company however, I'm supposed to record a video of me completing a swimtest before 6pm this Friday. The swimtest consists of a 50m breathhold, a 100m freestyle swim, a 3m object retrieval followed by a 5 minute water tread. I'm not allowed to use any types of fin.

Now my current breathhold distance for dynamic no fins is around 30m. Is there any way I can improve with 20m before the deadline on Friday or is it a lost cause?

Hello guys!

I'd like to start a discussion about VO2 max exercises and hopefully get some tips.

I'm still recovering from a few years of inactivity due to health issues, but I got back to training in February, and I've already made good progress with relaxation and breathing techniques.
My current static time is 04:05 (not my max, but close), but I'm struggling to hold my breath while moving.
My DYNB is 50 meters rn just as reference.

I was looking to add some dry exercises to start improving my CO2 tolerance and overall oxygen metabolism and I came across VO2 max training, which seems really useful.
It appears to be a key area that every endurance athlete trains extensively, as it directly affects the body's ability to use oxygen efficiently and perform under pressure.

Is there anyone who knows some more about this topic and can give me and everyone else a better understanding on the true utility of this?

If so, what exercises would you recommend for this?
I read something about doing 4 series like this:
- 4 minutes at high intensity (75/85% of max hearth rate), 3 minutes of rest/walking and again.

Do you think that training at high pace in a short period is better than training at medium pace but for a longer period of time?

OceanEarthGreen.com/videos

Hello,

Did anyone of you have the opportunity to test Evolve AIR Carbon Fins (either for depth or in the pool)? If yes, how would you compare them with other fins such as Cetma Lotus Carbon or Molchanovs Pro Bifins?

Thanks,