Free Diving--An Inch and a Breath
Editorial by Joel Simon

Taylor’s head breached the surface, and extracting the small snorkel from his mouth, exposed a huge smile followed by upraised arms in a joyous expression of success. This 10-year old boy had just returned from his first foray into the third dimension. Taylor had become a free diver.

Most snorkelers begin by learning to establish a feeling of comfort and confidence on the surface. In fact for many, regardless of experience, success in snorkeling can be measured by how relaxed they are while floating effortlessly above coral gardens or other splendors of the underwater world.

Calm snorkelers, including ones on the surface, see more below. They aren’t preoccupied with other elements of the activity, and their tranquility is less intimidating to shy vulnerable creatures. Quick erratic movements cause pressure waves in the water, which along with large fast moving shadows, are interpreted as warnings of impending danger by many of the animals snorkelers want most to observe, particularly small fish. Also, numerous creatures depend on cryptic coloration for survival, and only slow careful surveillance will reveal their presence.

Especially novice snorkelers, seduced by the added speed of using swim fins, evidently feel they’ll miss something unless they dash around the shallows, briskly traversing the entire territory. Often, they miss everything. Much more can be observed by simply floating over an intricate coral head, hovering above a cleaning station, or simply following a single fish or school as it meanders along its daily rounds.

Many snorkelers are content to remain on the surface, and this a perfectly valid interaction with the sea. Remember that snorkeling in any form (except perhaps in a swimming pool) is a wildnerness experience. In the ocean there are no fences, no walls, no boundaries, and that when you are floating in the sea, entranced by the glories of a coral reef, you have literally immersed yourself in one of nature’s most extraordinary ecosystems.

While snorkeling exposes new vistas, free diving opens new dimensions. Even after many years of snorkeling, one of my greatest pleasures in the water is the liberty to explore in any direction, including up and down, virtually independent of the gravity that so limits our movement on land. This was really the joy, as a snorkeling instructor, I wanted most to share with Taylor.

At a cocktail reception, I recently had the privilege to meet some of the world’s greatest free divers. At this gathering was Pipin, renown for his record breaking breath-hold dives to over 400 feet. Also present was the charming and energetic 19-year old Mehgan Heaney-Grier, U.S. constant-weight free diving record holder for her recent 155-foot descent in the Bahamas. But the real inspiration came from Terry Maas, the soft spoken president of BlueWater Freedivers and author of Blue Water Hunting and Freediving.

After learning of my position with this magazine, Terry asked me politely to explain the difference between snorkeling and free-diving. Together, along with a few glasses of wine, we agreed that the appropriate answer was "an inch and a breath". Merely take a breath, and submerge. At even one inch below the surface, this qualifies anyone to become a free diver.

In a subsequent discussion among this august group of the world’s best free divers, we agreed that all dives, even the deepest free dives, begin at the surface. And except for breaking the record, free-diving goals should concentrate on the appreciation of marine life (most of which thrives in shallow water environments) and the independence of three-dimensional movement.

I believe that snorkeling’s highest priority is the simple enjoyment of being in water, and especially tropical seas, from a position of comfort and confidence. For many of us, this means lying peacefully on the surface while viewing the world below. However, many of the reef’s most fascinating creatures, as well as their intriguing behavior, are physically small and linked to submerged habitat. After mastering the skills of relaxed floatation and careful observation, there is a natural urge to go down and take a closer look. When you are ready to take that closer look, as was young Taylor, accept an invitation from the free diving champions of the world: Take a breath and go that extra inch.