Freediving in Mallorca
Went in with no plans, left with a freediving certification :)
Why Mallorca? Mallorca is a little island off the east coast of Spain. If you love being outdoors, you can find everything here - hiking, biking, and the ocean of course. After visiting two cold places, Iceland and Alaska, I was craving to be someplace warm. Seattle’s long, cold, wet winter this year also really got to me. So there I was - in Mallorca with no plan with just an AirBnB reservation. I knew one thing though - I wanted to learn how to freedive.
What is Freediving? Freediving is a form of diving where you dive underwater while relying on breath holding, rather than something like scuba gear. I knew nothing about the sport until a few months ago when I saw some of my snorkeling guides in Hawaii and Mexico doing magical things underwater while just holding their breath. The more I learnt about it, the more I was mesmerized by the idea of being underwater just by yourself without bulky gear. So here I was in Mallorca, in search for a school where I could learn the magic of freediving.
The Search. After landing in the city of Palma, I started calling multiple diving schools to see if they were offering any freediving lessons. Honestly, with my last minute plans, and the ridiculous holiday crowds, I had very little hopes of finding anything. Several disappointing phone calls later, one diving school in the town of Port de Pollença said they could make it work for me. Not only would I be able to learn freediving, I could get a certification! I was overjoyed!
I hopped on to a bus the next morning and I was off! I was impressed by public transportation on this island. I paid 5 euros for a 1 hour bus ride, which was pretty awesome. Fully air conditioned and clean buses with WiFi and charging ports! I dropped off my luggage at the hotel and left for my class!
Day 1: Theory + Pool Session
I met my instructor, Mario, at the Tramuntana Diving center. My first class was going to be a 4 hour theory + pool session. I learnt a ton of things about the anatomy of the respiratory system and how the body uses oxygen and carbon dioxide. Yes, stuff from school, but even better! I was mind blown when I found out about the magical abilities of the human body underwater. I learnt techniques to hold your breath for longer. I learnt about pressure underwater, which increases pretty quickly - at a depth of 10 meters, the pressure is twice the amount at the surface of water. I also learnt a real life application of Boyle’s law (volume is inversely proportional to pressure, remember?) I learnt about how various organs respond to pressure and how to equalize cavities in your ear etc. It felt like I was back in school, except this was SO much more fun!
After the lecture, the first pool session would involve a static apnea test - putting all the theory and techniques into practice to test my breathholding time. The techniques that Mario taught me around breathing and staying calm were impressive! Just using the methodology taught to me, I was able to increase my breathhold time significantly! I was elated and mind blown! I couldn’t wait for day 2.
Day 2: Theory + Pool Session
Theory on day 2 included the safety of freediving. I learnt about things that can go wrong during freediving, how to recognize and prevent them, and of course rescuing your partner in case of an emergency. I also learnt about the dangers of mixing scuba diving and freediving.
My second pool session would involve dynamic apnea where I would wear my wetsuit, mask, snorkel, fins and demonstrate my ability to swim underwater while holding my breath. I struggled in the beginning, but my instructor was extremely patient with me. With time, I got more and more comfortable, and I finally passed all the tests for the day :)
I successfully completed the SSI Pool Freediving Certification! :D In two days, I uncovered some magical abilities of my body and couldn’t wait to test my new skills in the ocean!
Day 3: Open Water Dive
I got really lucky and was offered an open water session the following day with a group doing another course. In our open water session, I would get a chance to dive up to maybe 5-10 meters.
Diving in the ocean is completely different from breath holding in a pool. For the initial 30 minutes, I was petrified and could hardly dive beyond a couple of meters. The feeling of being under a lot of pressure while holding my breath was extremely uncomfortable. To add to that, the ocean was rough. Slowly, my body started to adapt to being underwater. An hour later, I was still struggling with getting a perfect dive on the line, but I got much better and was able to dive up to 7-8m comfortably.
If I had one word to describe the feeling of freediving, it would be “peaceful”. Freediving is the most calming, magical, and wondrous thing I have experienced in my life. It is a serene underwater dance. Being suspended weightlessly in the infinite ocean like a little dot is the most pristine feeling I have experienced. Disconnected from the chaos above the sea, the only thing that matters is your mind, and your breath.
I couldn't have asked for a more amazing time on this island.
Adios Mallorca! Thanks for the ride :)
PS: I don’t have any pictures/video of me diving because I was so nervous and focussed on getting the skills right. Hopefully next time. Meanwhile, here’s some pictures of Mallorca :)
I am still to learn to swim😭. Still afraid...
Cannot dream of doing such brave adventurous things...