Smile April 2015 - page 75

NO GEAR, NO FEAR
Freedivers require little more than a wetsuit,
lead weights and extra-long fins made especially
for the sport. Participants in some competitive
freediving disciplines don’t even use fins. For
beginners, training focuses on safety and breath-
holding techniques, first in a pool and then in
open water. (Fun fact: It’s actually easier to
hold your breath for long periods underwater
than it is to do so on land. This is thanks to the
mammalian diving reflex, which allows our
bodies to adapt to the absence of air underwater.)
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