Here are a summary of the basic safety rules:

1 Do not push your limits without proper education.

2 Dive under direct observation of your dive buddy. Tell him/her what you plan to do.
not hyperventilate (no deeper/faster breathing). It can lead to black out without
3 Do
warning. 2-3 slow deep breaths is enough as preparation.
not go deeper if you feel pressure on your eardrums. Equalize all the time.
4 Do
Accept no discomfort.
5 If problems - drop your weights.
not exhale, or stop on the way up (it enhances the risk of Shallow Water Blackout).
6 Do
Swim straight up.
lowest level of oxygen is 20 seconds after surfacing.
7 Your
Keep breathing (or observing the freediver).
8 Rest without moving between dives. Rest twice the duration of your last dive.
drowning (death) may occur up to 24 hours after small amounts of water has
9 Secondary
entered your lungs.
a dive line to a secure buoy if you plan to push yourself. Stick to the dive line.
10 Use
NEVER ever swim passed the bottom weight!
not take air from scuba bottles.
11 Do
Do not freedive after scuba diving, rest more than 12 hours.
12 Drink lots of water before a freediving session. Do not be hungry, or too full.
not dive deep when you are cold. Dont dive with fever, infections or drugs in your
13 Do
body e t c
the dive site. Know about currents and good exit points.
14 Evaluate
Do not touch reef or animals (they or you might get harmed).
15 Relax, Enjoy and listen to your body.
elow is a more detailed descriptions on how to increase safety when freediving.

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Do not push your limits without proper education.

Freediving is much more complicated than scuba diving. The fact that your body and
mind decides your limits means that YOU are involved to a higher degree and have to
have more experience and knowledge. A short course will teach you how to perform in
a safe way.
Dive under direct observation of your dive buddy. Tell him/her what you plan to
do.
This is the main rule. People break it and die. Divers have died while doing quite
routine and simple performances while being alone (or in pools beside people that do
not understand freediving). Direct observation means that someone is observing you
from a few meters away. On the pools edge or at the surface observing you (specially
when you come up). Dive buddy means someone that actually understands freediving
(SWB and BTT). You have to inform your dive buddy, otherwise he/she will not be

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attentive and alert.

Do not hyperventilate (no deeper/faster breathing). It can lead to black out
without warning. 2-3 slow deep breaths is enough as preparation.
This rule has been broken by people that are not alive any more. Any added breathing
above the bodys normal breathing will lower the carbon dioxide levels in the blood and
the urge to breath might come after you have fainted because of low oxygen.
Do not go deeper if you feel pressure on your eardrums. Equalize all the time.
Accept no discomfort.
Beginners think they shall equalize when they feel pressure. That is wrong. Profesionals
never feel the waters pressure on the eardrums - they equalize all the time.
If problems - drop your weights.
Not many do, they rather take the risk, or are already too gone in the head due to low
O2, so it does not occur to them that they can drop the weightbelt and get an easy ride
to the surface. There is away around this. Release the belt and hold it in your hand, if
you suffer SWB you will drop the weights and insetad of losing all air from lungs and
sinking you might actually float up instead, if the weights are gone.
Weight yourself positive at 10 meters, at least.
Do not exhale, or stop on the way up (it enhances the risk of Shallow Water
Blackout). Swim straight up.
At the end of the dive and when the pressure decreasses the risk of shallow water
blackout increases every second. Do not stay in the risk zone go direct up and breath.
Preferably hook breath.
Your lowest level of oxygen is 20 seconds after surfacing.
Keep breathing (or observing the freediver).
Focus on inhaling when you break the surface, only a litre of new air is enough to
oxygenate the brain and keep you conscious. The professionals release some air right
before the surface and inhale directly when breaking the surface. They hook breath:
inhale and hold and crunch with the stomach for a second before taking another breath
and another hook breath. This increases blood pressure and even oxygen pressure in the
lung.
Rest without moving between dives. Rest twice the duration of your last dive.
It takes only a few breaths to oxygenate the blood that leaves the lung and the heart
(artreila oxygen saturation 99-100%), but the blood in the venous return (normally 80%
saturation) coming back from the tired muscles will stay low on oxygen for several
minutes. This you can not feel.
If you would start a new dive before these values have returned to normal, this new
dive will be much more dangerous than the first one.
Secondary drowning (death) may occur up to 24 hours after small amounts of
water has entered your lungs.
Water in your lungs will damage the lungs ability for gas exchange. This means less
oxygen will enter your blood and you might faint and suffocate. First signs and
symptoms consits of agitated breath (even if resting), coughing, headache and more. It
is enough with just small amount such as 2-3 deciliters. Death can occur many hours
after you stopped diving. You must be taken to hopsital for O2 treatment and
surveillance.
Use a dive line to a secure buoy if you plan to push yourself. Stick to the dive line.
NEVER ever swim passed the bottom weight!
This is especially important in low visibility. Things can go wrong in a dive. Damage to
eardrums may cause vertigo and you may lose your sense of direction. Cramp may

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inhibite your ability to swim up. Lots of things can go wrong.

Do not take air from scuba bottles.
Air expands on the way to the surface. If you take a breath at 10 meters, this air will
double in volume towards the surface. Your lungs can get damaged.
Do not freedive after scuba diving, rest more than 12 hours.
Scuba diving involves a lot of compressed air being breathed. Excessive levels of
compressed nitrogen will be stored in your blood. This nitrogen takes several hours of
breathing on land to get rid of. If you start freediving you will recompress this nitrogen
and nitrogen bubbles may end up in your brain. You might die.
Drink lots of water before a freediving session.
Just 1% of dehydration will affect your performance 10%. Dehydration will affect your
ability to act and think clearly. Swimming in water will trigger an urge to pee. You lose
water. When swimming in water you do not feel if you are sweating- you lose water.
You loose lots of water while diving.
It takes several hours to store water (or re hydrate). Your body can only absorb 2.5
decilitres an hour. Start drinking water the night before your dive session.
Do not be hungry, or too full.
If you have eaten too much and jump in the water, lots of energy (oxygen) is used to
digest your food. Do not push your limits if to full.
If you are hungry you will freeze more easily. If you run out of carbohydrates you will
start metabolizing your fat stores - this costs more oxygen (about 6% more).
Do not dive deep when you are cold. Dont dive with fever, infections or drugs in
your body e t c
Feelings of euphoria and agitation may be felt when diving and being in water. This
may hide any signs of your illness, but it is still there, having an adverse effect on your
body, limiting your capabilities.
Evaluate the dive site. Know about currents and good exit points.
It is easy to get in if jumping, getting out of a rocky or reefy shore is complicated even
in the slightest of waves.
Tides and currents may sweep you out at sea. It happens, and people die.
Do not touch reef or animals (they or you might get harmed).
Animals and plants have intricate ways of protecting themselves some of them
poisonous. If touching reef or fish you damage a tiny invisible layer that protects them
from diseases. Manhandling marine life may cause it to die later on. You are a visitor in
someone elses home.
Relax, Enjoy and listen to your body.
Do not dive against the depth gauge - listen to your body instead.