One Breath
By Aquacity Freediving
All photos are taken in Cornwall by Daan Verhoeven
Thank you to Daan and George for coming to see Aquamarine Medicals for their HSE Diving Medicals. Daan and George both hold national records in freediving and together they run Aquacity Freediving, based in Porthkerris. Enjoy their stunning photos and words on exploring the underwater world on a single breath. We hope their enthusiasm for freediving comes through and after reading you just want to jump in the sea.
I’m remembering a day out last summer with really good friends. We jumped off the back of the boat into absolutely crystal clear, blue water. It could have been the tropics (aside from the temperature!) We were close to one of Cornwall’s most picturesque beaches, but on the seaward side of an island of rock, sticking close to the high cliffs, we had a beautiful calm day.
Black, pink and green whorls of colour from the serpentine rocks rose up above and below us to a carpet of white sand at the bottom. The rocks walls became more fractured and soon opened up into deep gullies and the entrance of caves appeared from the deeper parts. Shoals of white bait were hanging around the entrances making it difficult to see the shape of the caves behind. We free dived down into them, exploring, coming across a friendly seal, and some weird shaped rocks that I later found out were cannon, possibly from a Dutch ship wreck in the 1700s, according to the coins and buckles that have been discovered there. I think we must have forgotten about the cold as we spent around two hours swimming along through the gullies, around the beds of kelp and shy fish, feeling amazed at the marine architecture.
We were then picked up by our amazing skipper Mike, who, I’m sure has eyes in the back of his head. He is able to spot a bunch of free divers in blue or black hoods, while keeping an eye on the horizon for dolphins, basking shark or a myriad of other wild life that he knows we would love to see. Retiring into a very comfortable boat for a bit of lunch, a hot cup of tea and off to a different site for more exploring. This is one of the many reasons I love free diving in Cornwall.
When you imagine free diving, it conjures associations of warm clear blue water and may be an extreme sport...not something that you would associate with the UK. However, Cornish waters have a surprise. The UK does not always have the best reputation for good conditions, but something that has become more apparent during lock downs when we are not able to travel, it has caused us and many others to really embrace cold and the nature of UK adventures. The sea is not always cooperative, but it is very charming for it. When you have good equipment, and a good facility in which to train, you get to appreciate how excellent the diving is here. Free diving is the sport of diving underwater on a single breath. It is not just about competitive diving, where you hold your breath for as long a you can or see how deep that you can swim, although that is certainly a big draw, it is also a lovely way to explore the underwater world and interact with wild life.
My husband Daan and I moved to Cornwall 7 years ago to set up our Freedive school. Daan is a world class, free diving photographer and videographer and 8 time dutch national record holder. I am a competitive Freediver and instructor. I have held 6 national records in Static apnea, been Uk national champion 3 times and can hold my breath for longer than 7 minutes and dive to more than 65m depth on a single breath.
Taking a Freedive course with a qualified instructor is really important. It is a very safe sport when people are properly trained and always diving with a buddy. In order to learn to freedive safely we practice calming breathing techniques, that lower the heart rate and oxygenate the body. That way everything operates with efficiency, prolonging the oxygen that we need. It is an extreme environment we are in; however, it is not an extreme sport.
The more relaxed you are, the better the results. When you take a course with a qualified instructor, and learn all about the breathing techniques, our mammalian dive reflexes and how to freedive safely- you will be amazed at how much longer you can hold your breath. When you are underwater, its quiet and you are in such a different environment- it's easy to lose the sense of yourself and relax into it peacefully. It's not about targets or numbers- this comes with patience and practice at being calm and present. This is one of the reasons that free diving appeals to so many, you are unhindered by heavy equipment and truly free to explore.
Free diving has its roots in yoga, meditation and breathing techniques. It goes way beyond a duck dive and snorkel. Many free divers would argue that it is a good life skill, learning to face your fears, control your breath, still your mind, calm your heart, relax and focus.
All humans share something in common with our aquatic friends the dolphins and seals: the Mammalian dive reflex. When your face comes into contact with water, your heart rate will slow, and this conserves valuable oxygen for when you hold your breath. Your blood will also move into your core, protecting your lungs and vital organs. Your body already knows how to hold its breath. People have been free diving for millennia, looking for food and exploration, it is a really natural thing to do.
So why Cornwall? As a peninsula we have miles and miles of coastline to explore, which so many different environments. The coast has wonderful long beaches, attracting surfers, but many are also drawn to the rocky shores of the south coast for its wild life and shipwrecks. We are lucky here at Porthkerris to be sheltered on the most part form the prevailing westerly winds, on the edge of a marine conservation zone- the famous Manacles. Catching the gulf stream, the water here is more temperate. For this reason it attracts a huge amount of Marine life. The reef is so pretty, really colourful and bright, it will surprise many with its almost tropical bright colours. The ship wrecks are world famous, although often fairly broken up by the wild winter storms. We are lucky to have many resident and visiting cetaceans as well- whales and dolphins. Seeing them breach and swim past the dive boat is always breath taking.
Cornwall is also home to the Atlantic grey seal, who can sometimes be very curious and approach to nibble a fin. Freedivers make no sound as they explore underwater, so it means that you can get really close to wildlife.
Another fascinating visitor to these waters are the beautiful blue shark, the very best way to get close to them is freediving.
We also have access to deep water by boat for the more experienced free divers who want to go a bit deeper. The depth diving here is in many ways easier than the cold lakes of the UK as the thermoclines are less pronounced and it is a lot less dark. You also have a stronger dive response in cooler water, so arguably its good for competitive performances too. Although, we do have more water movement, making the windows to go deep free diving with a line a bit smaller. On a good day it can be world class.
To me, Cornwall is a very real habitat. Nothing here is fabricated or manufactured for diver training- it is alive, visceral and mercurial in its changes.
Learning to Freedive here in the sea will really give you an understanding of why our oceans are so vital, for both the planet and as food for your soul. I have met some of my closest friends through freediving- it is a fantastic community to be a part of.
www.aquacityfreediving.com is located at Porthkerris dive centre which has 5 star facilities. Porthkerris has boats, on site classrooms, accommodation, pool and the diving is right off the beach. Coming out to a hot shower and a warm cup of tea at the cafe makes things a lot more civilised. We teach SSI freedive courses from beginner to instructor level.
