Hi everyone! I’m Emma, and I manage the freediving program at Snorkel Venture. I’ve just got back from leading another unforgettable shallow water freediving workshop in Belize, and wanted to share with you all what happens on one of these trips, and how the skills you learn can improve your snorkeling experiences in the water.
I’ve taught thousands of people to freedive over the course of the last twenty-five years, and some of the biggest myths I’ve come across are that freediving is all about ‘going deep’, holding your breath for a seemingly inhuman amount of time, and that it’s a pastime only suitable for the young and athletic. That may be what the TV and the internet tell us, but it couldn’t be further from the truth.
Most life is in the top few feet of the ocean, and most people learn freediving skills in order to better see or photograph it. My most unforgettable freediving experiences have been at depths of less than twenty feet, and a typical dive is less than a minute in duration. I’ve taught Paralympians and non-athletes with severe physical challenges to freedive, and age is never a barrier! Annabel Briseno was a grandmother in her fifties when she started freediving, and she went on to break three world records.
I developed the shallow water freediving program specifically for Snorkel Venture guests. It’s an opportunity for you to learn freediving skills at your own pace, with a focus on real-world snorkeling application, and there’s never any pressure (pun intended) to do anything. At the heart of my approach is that freediving is an individual journey, which you will discover is more about what’s going on in your head than in your body. My role is to support you and ensure you feel safe to explore just what you might be capable of, whether it’s feeling confident dipping a few feet below the surface to see an interesting critter, or diving deeper to play with a dolphin.
So let’s dive right in (another pun…) and discover what happens on a typical day on a Snorkel Venture shallow water freediving workshop!
Turneffe Island Resort is a little slice of paradise, set within Turneffe Atoll, one of the crown jewels of the Belize Barrier Reef. The resort operates on ‘island time’, which is an hour ahead of the mainland, and this means the sun rises at a far more civilized time for a holiday. Just before seven, we meet on the boardwalk in front of the ocean, where nurse sharks cruise around in the shallows and the sky glows pink, ready for dawn.
This is the first session of the day, and it is half an hour of ‘Breathing Optimization’, a program I created first for Olympic and Paralympic athletes, and then adapted for everyone. The exercises are designed to teach you how to breathe more efficiently, decrease stress, and promote relaxation and confidence. It’s the most magical way to start the day as you breathe in the warm sea air and listen to the sounds of water lapping, wind gently rustling the palm trees, and the calls of birds as the sun rises.
We then go straight to breakfast, with all your favorite foods, as well as delicious specials each morning. And if you need a caffeine hit (or hot chocolate or herbal tea) before breathing optimization, you can place a hot drink order to be left outside your bedroom door each morning before you wake!
After breakfast, we get ready for the first open water session of the day. Guests are divided into small groups depending on previous experience and/or whether they’re traveling together. On this trip, our groups were named Tarpon, Trevally, Turtle and Trumpet Fish. Each group takes it in turns to be in the water with me, and those guests not learning skills with me go out snorkeling with the phenomenal local guides and my truly awesome assistant, Asha (more of her later!).
One of the many things I love about Belize is just how much there is to see from the surface. This means that the freediving buoy and line can be set on a patch of sand at a shallow depth, and you can also check out the terrain as you practice. My go-to spots for the training sessions are right by an incredible coral pinnacle with lobster and a resident moray eel, and another by an old shipwreck which is teeming with yellow snapper.
Using the line, we take it in turns, slowly pulling down and practicing equalization. Most people assume that breath-hold ability is the limiting factor for progressing in freediving, but it’s actually equalization and relaxation. It took me an entire year to learn how to equalize headfirst, so I have lots of tricks to help anyone who also finds it challenging! By pulling down the line, you can control your descent and there’s far less to think about than if you started with a duck dive and finning. It’s an opportunity for me to discover a little bit more about how you tick, and start to refine your technique. As the workshop progresses, we then move on to duck diving, finning, and body position, teaching you how to maximize the time you spend underwater.
You’ll be in buddy pairs, so you’ve always got an extra cheerleader in the water, and when you’re not in the water with me, your buddy can give you feedback on your technique now that they know what to look for. One of my best memories from this shallow water freediving workshop was towards the end of a dive session when I was with a lovely Canadian lady called Laura, who was buddied up with a super-cool dude from Hawaii named Batman. The other divers in our group had just got back on board the boat, so it was just the three of us in the water. Laura was a little nervous, so I was giving her a pep talk in my most soothing voice as she lay on the surface, breathing through her snorkel. I said, ‘You’ve got all the time in the world, Laura, so go when you feel ready. There’s no pressure, no one else waiting to go. It’s just you, me, and Batman…’ At which point, she cracked up laughing, then told me, ‘When I booked this holiday, I never thought I would ever hear those words!’
After the morning session in open water, I take a different group to the pool to practice breath-holding techniques, also known as ‘static apnea’. This is not about trying to hold your breath for as long as possible. It’s about learning the technique, practicing ‘relaxation breathing’ before the hold, ‘recovery breathing’ after it, and, most importantly, discovering what goes on inside your body and your mind when you are breath-holding. I like to say that freediving is ninety-nine percent mental, and the rest is in your head, and there is no better way to experience this than in the pool. And no matter what you think you can do, you will always surprise yourself!
On the first couple of days on the island, after a tasty lunch, I’ll give a presentation about breathing for freediving and equalization techniques so that everyone has the knowledge to practice safely in their buddy pairs when they’re snorkeling with the guides. Then it’s time for the afternoon open water session, followed by another pool session for the two groups I haven’t yet had one-to-one time with.
At 6 pm before dinner, there’s a happy hour where you can try some of the island’s delicious cocktails or a fresh coconut whilst you’re plied with freshly made snacks from the kitchen. It’s a chance to hang out, leaf through the fish identification books, and watch the sunset. On your first full day on the island, the Turneffe rangers come and give a talk about the atoll during this time, which is fascinating, and on most other nights, I’ll be giving a presentation on anything from equipment, to finning technique, to sinus massage and buoyancy. I’ll even bring my otoscope so I can look in people’s ears, show you how much fun you can have with a balloon, and introduce you to Freediving Barbie (aka Barbacuda the Shequalizer), who’s going to teach you how to do the perfect duck dive!
After a spectacular dinner, it’s time for yoga nidra on the beach under the stars. Don’t think yoga is for you? Just wait until you experience the only form of yoga that’s done lying on a sun-bed mattress with your pillow and a blanket, and where you’re encouraged to fall asleep. Yoga nidra (literally ‘yogic sleep’) is a practice where you’re guided by the sound of my voice into a place of profound relaxation. I’ve been teaching it for decades and absolutely love it. It can be a tool for transformation, recovery, integration, or just a wonderful way to chill out!
Not every day on the freediving workshop follows this pattern. Some days there will be an extra snorkeling/freediving training session with me in the morning instead of a pool session before lunch, and there’s also a complimentary night dive on offer, as well as the beach BBQ and hermit crab racing on Friday night.
On Tuesday, there’s also a trip to the Great Blue Hole, Half Moon Caye Nature Reserve, and Long Caye. This is a fantastic day out with three snorkel sessions and lunch on Half Moon Caye, which is the home of the red-footed booby bird and magnificent frigate birds. My favorite thing to do is to follow the forest trail past industrious hermit crabs and huge termite mounds in the trees to the bird tower up in the canopy. It feels like you’re in the middle of a nature documentary, watching the fluffy white babies in their nests and the male frigate birds inflating their bright red throat pouches until it looks like they’ve got red balloons tucked under their beaks.
There are three snorkeling sessions on this day, and it’s the ideal place to spot a white-spotted toadfish (native to Belize), squid, and reef sharks. Long Caye Wall also holds a very special place in my heart, as it is where I saw my first ever octopus!
Assisting me in running the freediving workshops is the amazing Asha, one of Snorkel Venture’s loveliest tour leaders. We make an unintentionally amusing double act, as I am six feet tall and she is about four feet ten… Asha is in the water with you when you’re not with me, helps out in the pool, takes fabulous pictures and videos, keeps me on track, and ensures the daily schedule is communicated accurately and efficiently to you all.
And helping all of us are the outstanding Turneffe staff. Whether it’s accommodating your dietary preferences or most-loved drink (with a lime segment carved to look like a nudibranch), or putting poems on your pillow at night, they’re always there to make your holiday enjoyable and run smoothly. There are also kayaks, paddleboards, and Hobie Cats available if you want more activity, and a spa if you’d rather not… The dive guides also get a special mention for their encyclopedic knowledge and ninja-level fish-spotting skills, ensuring that everyone gets to see that scorpionfish that is almost indistinguishable from a rock, or pointing out a southern stingray partially hidden in the sand.
One of the many benefits of the atoll location is that, no matter the prevailing wind, it’s always possible to find a sheltered spot. The area is also home to spotted eagle rays, a huge variety of reef fish (including my top picks, the juvenile spotted drum fish and the juvenile yellow-tailed damselfish), manatees, and dolphins, which guests were lucky enough to snorkel with. You might also get a chance to meet Stevie, a shy crocodile who likes to sun herself as we head out to one of the multiple snorkel sites around Turneffe.
Everyone comes into a shallow water freediving workshop at a different level, and everyone’s journey is their own. Some guests have never taken their snorkel out of their mouth before, and some are comfortable duck diving down a few feet. The teaching groups are small and the program is completely individualized, so you can go at your own pace. Everything I teach is about helping you feel more comfortable, more capable, and more relaxed in the water.
We pack a lot into the workshop, but everything is optional, and the most important thing is that you enjoy yourself. Freediving truly is for everyone, and for many guests, this workshop is just the beginning. They come back year after year to consolidate their skills, build their confidence, and keep learning from me.
And the learning doesn’t stop when we say our goodbyes! I’ve also created a resource package for you to peruse after your workshop. This includes free yoga nidra recordings and breathing optimization class recordings, freediving course manuals and equalization resources, as well as freediving kit recommendations and more. And of course, I’m always on hand via our WhatsApp group or email to answer any freediving-related questions!
I hope this has given you a taste of what a Snorkel Venture shallow water freediving workshop is all about and shown how much you could get out of the experience. Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions, and I can’t wait to see you in the water soon!
Don’t miss out on our upcoming Indonesia Freediving Workshop taking place in the fabulous Siladen Island Resort and Coral Eye Resort in North Sulawesi!
