You’ve definitely heard about scuba diving in Cebu but free diving? How different are these? Here’s your answer to the basic question.

Method

The first difference – and it’s a major one – is the method of diving. In scuba, you have to wear the essential equipment: tank. Free diving, on the other hand, as its name suggests, doesn’t except for a snorkel or a mask. In fact, you dive by yourself and perhaps with other friends, and that’s basically it. In order to breathe underneath, you have to rely on your lung power and proper breathing techniques.

Wetsuit

Here’s an awesome discussion on the differences of wetsuits for both free diving and scuba diving. In summary, while both the suits are similar, they are not the same in terms of density.

Depth

Before you can enjoy Cebu diving, think first of these factors: age, health, and certification. These three, along with the weather, are some of the critical things to determine the depth of your dive. For example, if you’re a newbie, the deepest you can go is around 39 feet. Meanwhile, the depth limit set by Recreational Scuba Training Council is 130 feet. You can go as deep as more than 300 feet but with a lot of risks.

When it comes to world records, the deepest free dive is 831 feet achieved by Herbert Nitsch in 2012. In scuba, it’s 1,089 feet, thanks to Ahmed Gabr.

Biggest Worries

Again, reminder: any kind of dive has risks. However, the biggest causes of worry can also differ when you’re scuba or free diving in Cebu.

But first, let’s talk about your lungs, which you need to breathe underwater. As you go deeper, your lungs become compressed, so you need to fill them with something to avoid these vital organs from getting crushed. The tank in scuba remedies that by filling your lungs with compress gas.

In free diving, you don’t have a tank! So how do you ensure your lungs don’t give out? It’s all about adaptation. When you go as deep as 40 meters or 131 feet, your compressed lungs are filled with life-sustaining fluid (aka blood). The biggest worry among free divers is actually blacking out.

Training

Although a lot of people are now trying free diving, it’s still a relatively new sport, so there are not a lot of trainings available unlike in scuba. The good news is organizations like PADI, which is one of the recognized groups to offer excellent diving courses, is now offering instructor-led free diving programs. So if you’re interested to do free diving, all you have to do is ask the dive shop if it has one!

When you’re thinking of diving in Cebu, should you do free diving or scuba diving? It all depends on you, although you’ll make your visit here more worth it if you do both. Needless to say, regardless which one to pick, always heed to the side of caution. This is how you make your experience pleasurable and memorable.