Breath Diving - Free Diver
People who want to push their diving mettle to the limit have to do one thing in their lifetime – free dive at Dean’s Blue Hole. Free diving at this dive site would be the ultimate test for any free diver, since it’s done without scuba diving equipment.
What is free diving?
Free diving is a sport that does not use scuba gear or any underwater breathing device in diving. Free divers rely only on their own ability to hold their breath until they resurface, it can also be called breath diving. Free diving is considered an extreme sport that has several competitions held to test who can hold their breath longer, or dive deeper on a single breath. It is these competitions that made free diving popular.
What is a blue hole?
A blue hole is a fissure underwater. It is an underwater sinkhole and it’s also called a vertical cave. It’s called a blue hole because of its depth and it has a darker blue hue compared to the lighter blue color of the waters that surrounds it. These blue holes are found in Belize, Guam, Australia, Egypt and the famous Dean’s Blue Hole found in the Bahamas.
Free Diver in the blue
Dean’s Blue Hole, Bahamas
Dean’s Blue Hole is a blue hole located at Clarence Town in Long Island, Bahamas. At 202 meters, it is the deepest blue hole known to be filled with seawater and the second largest underwater chamber in the world. There is no concrete theory on how Dean’s Blue Hole was formed but there are several theories that were formulated. One of the theories is that it used to be composed of two chambers but the roof of the other chamber collapsed, therefore creating the deep blue hole.
What makes free diving in Dean’s Blue Hole the best in the world?
A free dive in Dean’s Blue Hole is not for the faint hearted. It should only be done by seasoned free divers. Those who are seasoned free divers would however enjoy the experience because of these reasons:
- Calm waters. Unlike other blue holes that are disturbed by occasional waves, Dean’s Blue Hole is not disturbed by any swell or waves.
- Good visibility. The turquoise clear water of Dean’s Blue Hole gives it a really good visibility of up to 30 meters.
- Undisturbed. There are only a few developments around Dean’s Blue Hole, which gives it a feel of virgin seclusion. This is also aided by the fact that going to Dean’s Blue Hole to free dive is not as easy as going to other dive sites. However, there are free diving agencies that offer no hassle free diving sessions.
- Fish. Fish do not naturally visit the blue hole but there are occasional sharks, turtles, tropical reef fish, groupers and snappers.
You would be advised to take free diving lessons before taking a trip to Dean’s Blue Hole; this will ensure that you can free dive to a deeper level and get more from your free dive. When you want to go free diving, think of Dean’s Blue Hole in the Bahamas, because there is no experience greater than free diving in Dean’s Blue Hole.
Watch this video to see what I mean:
Guillaume Nery base jumping at Dean’s Blue Hole, filmed while breath diving.
Breath Diving/Free Diving Video
Photos by Cold Water Diver & Boogies with Fish