General Info
It all started in Ancient Greece, around 5000 years ago, the island of Kalymnos was a main centre of diving for sponges. By using weights to speed the descent, breath-holding divers would descend to depths up to 30 metres (98 ft) to collect sponges.
Since then, freediving without the aid of mechanical devices was the only possibility, with the exception of the occasional use of reeds and leather breathing bladders. Freediving was practiced all over the world in ancient cultures to gather food, harvest resources such as sponge and pearl, reclaim sunken valuables, and to help aid military campaigns.
The idea of using a snorkel most likely comes from around 350 BC when Aristotle observed an elephant under water, using its trunk to breathe. This story cannot be confirmed but is the first written account of the idea of snorkeling. The earliest written mention of people snorkeling describes the practice of using tubes made of reeds to escape from enemies or lure them into an ambush.
The origins of today’s snorkel lie in the late 18th century, when helmets designed specifically for diving were developed.The earliest effective snorkels arrived in the early 19th century and had little in common with the diving equipment we use today. These early designs were made of leather and metal and had integrated air lines. The air was supplied by a compressor located on board a ship, severely limiting the range divers could swim. During the 20th century, the snorkel as we know it today was first developed. For scuba diving, they served as an emergency back-up in case the supply of oxygen runs out, or for saving on oxygen when swimming on the surface. In 1940, Dottie Frazier pioneered freediving in the United States and also began teaching classes. It was also during this time that she began to design and sell rubber suits for Navy UDT divers. Nowadays, technical progress has made great leaps in recent years, meaning today’s water sports enthusiasts enjoy more comfort than ever before.
Snorkeling
Snorkeling is the practice of swimming on or through a body of water while equipped with a diving mask, a shaped breathing tube called a snorkel, and usually swimfins. In cooler waters, a wetsuit may also be worn. Use of this equipment allows the snorkeler to observe underwater attractions for extended periods with relatively little effort and to breathe while face-down at the surface to observe what is going on under the water.
Essential equipment includes the snorkel for breathing a diving mask or swimming goggles for vision and swimfins for more efficient propulsion are common. A snorkel is a device used for breathing air from above the surface when the wearer's head is face downwards in the water with the mouth and the nose submerged. Snorkelers normally wear the same kind of mask as those worn by scuba divers. By creating an airspace, the mask enables the snorkeler to see clearly underwater. Environmental protection against cold, sunburn and marine stings and scratches is also regionally popular, and may be in the form of a wetsuit, diving skins, or rash vest. If necessary, the snorkeler may wear a weightbelt to facilitate freediving, or an inflatable snorkeling vest, a form of buoyancy aid, for safety.
For snorkeling safety one should not snorkel alone, but rather with a "buddy", a guide or a tour group. Snorkelers may progress to freediving or recreational scuba diving, which should be preceded by at least some training from a dive instructor or experienced free-diver.
Freediving
If you think freediving is just like snorkeling deeper - think again. Freediving is an entirely different way to experience the underwater world. You’ll dive deeper, stay down longer, and feel part of the ocean itself. Freedivers silently blend into the underwater environment. They enjoy magical encounters with marine life and hear all the sounds of the ocean. Freediving is the perfect way to reconnect to the sea and explore the depths of the oceans with minimal impact. Some people freedive for the personal challenge, but for many, the true appeal of freediving is in the silence and calm it brings.
There is a trend in using the sea and nature as a medium and source of inspiration for rediscover of mindfulness. Non-competitive breathing techniques and relaxation before the dive and visualization under water are practiced.
Freediving can also be a competitive sport. Divers around the world train for years to set world records in static apnea, dynamic apnea, free immersion and constant weight freediving. There are also a range of "competitive apnea" disciplines; in which competitors attempt to attain great depths, times, or distances on a single breath. There are currently eleven recognized freediving disciplines and a dozen more that are only practiced locally. All disciplines can be practiced by both men and women.
Besides the limits of breath-hold, immersion in water and exposure to high ambient pressure also have physiological effects that limit the depths and duration possible in freediving.
Courses
If you are looking to learn how to use basic snorkeling equipment or increase your comfort in the water while exploring, there is a course for you like the Snorkeler course.
Though freediving appears to be relatively simple, there is a lot to know about safety and physiology. Because individuals have different levels of ability and interest, there is a plenty of training programs as Skin Diver, Freediver and other freediving specialties. An experienced freediving instructor can help you advance your skills and avoid serious risks. If you already have some freediving experience, learning more techniques can help you quickly increase depth and time underwater but also enhance your personal and buddy-related safety skills with the Safe Buddy course.
Do you have greater aspirations and want to learn even more and teach your passion? Become a Skin Diver Instructor and embrace your future!
Excursions
Umbria Wreck
The Umbria wreck site has the reputation of being one of the world's best wreck dive sites. The 150m (492ft) long wreck lies on the Wingate Reef near Port Sudan at about 40m (131ft) deep. The Umbria was built in 1912 in Hamburg, Germany, and had been in service for 28 years before she was deliberately sunk in 1940 during wartime.
This area has fantastic diving conditions all year long, with a low temperature of 24°C. On average, the sea temperature is 28-30°C, with the warmest water in June and September. The best time to snorkel or dive is from November to June, when the visibility is the best, sometimes reaching over 35m (115ft).
Snorkelers and freedivers can admire the wreck sea life, there are such species as sea lilies, sponges of various colors, corals, and algae, as well as floating butterflyfish, snapper, barracudas, and cleaner shrimp.
Sanganeb
Sanganeb Atoll was the first marine national park to be gazetted in Sudan in 1990. The only atoll in the Red Sea, Sanganeb has one of the most unique reef structures in the whole Red Sea whose steep slopes rise from a sea floor more than 800m deep.
Sangeneb is renowned among divers as one of the best diving spots in the world. The park is known for its richness of marine life and breathtaking underwater vistas, hosting at least 300 fish species including numerous endemic and rare species of sharks, dolphins, marine turtles, and a good representation of other invertebrates such as molluscs.
Sanganeb Atoll Marine National Park is renowned for its beautiful and unique coral reef which are among the best in the Red Sea. Sanganeb’s reef rises from 800m depth to the surface. The reef itself, has one of the richest displays of hard and soft corals in the Red Sea, and supports a total of 124 coral species.
Dungunab
Dungonab Bay and Mukkawar Island, situated 125 km north of Port Sudan. It includes a highly diverse system of coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds, beaches and islets. The site provides a habitat for populations of seabirds, marine mammals, fish, sharks, turtles and manta rays. Dungonab Bay also has a globally significant population of dugongs.
Shaab Rumi
Without a doubt it is one of the most picturesque dive sites in the Red Sea. This reef lies 48km from Port Sudan and encircles a beautiful lagoon which we can cross through a man-made strait (actually blown up by Cousteau).
The outer reef, surrounding Shaab Rumi’s various dive sites, contains a place that makes this area unique. Outside of the lagoon, about 100m from the entrance, Cousteau built his futuristic world, the Precontinent II, in 1963. During the experiment he researched whether a group of scuba divers could survive for several weeks underwater in a village specially designed for this purpose. What also makes this place so unique is the always present barracuda, tuna, batfish, and reef, grey and hammerhead sharks.
