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Cassandra Cooper is a competitive freediver & instructor from Canada and currently holds the National Record in DYNB (AIDA). In this episode of The Complete Guide, Cassandra talks about how to go from being a novice freediver to a competitive one, explaining important aspects such as finding the right instructor, getting proper gear, entering competitions, focusing on a certain discipline, and engaging with the freediving community.
Now, the first thing that you're going to want to do when you decide that you want to start freediving is find the right instructor. Now, it's really important to do a bit of research before you start, and see if you want to go with someone who's teaching freelance, or a school. If there's anything you want to progress in specifically, say you want to focus on a certain discipline, you can find an instructor that specializes in whatever it is that you want to be doing. So, the first thing you want to do is find an instructor that suits you.
The next thing you're going to want to do is to invest in the correct equipment. So, it doesn't mean you have to go for the top of the line right away, but maybe switching out a pair of plastic fins for carbon fins, and you'll see a real difference in your diving. The next thing you're going to want to do is to find a nice wetsuit. Something custom is ideal but if you want to just go for something that has an appropriate thickness for where you're diving, and that fits you comfortably, that you feel good in and you think that you could dive well in. Another thing that you're going to want to invest in is your weights. So you can try on a neck weight and a belt and see which you prefer. Some people like to wear just the neck weight, some people like to wear all their weight here, try them on play with it and see what makes you feel most comfortable.
Once you've gotten settled with your instructor and you're feeling comfortable in your equipment then it might be time to start looking for competitions that are in your area. So, you can start either with a pool competition or a depth competition. You can go into any of the organization's websites and see which ones are going to be coming in your area, or if you want to travel somewhere in order to compete, then you can see which ones are happening around the globe because a lot of these competitions are happening internationally.
One of the things you're going to want to keep in mind while you're training is which discipline you favor the most. So, in a competition you can try all four, however, it can be overwhelming. So, if you want to pick just one or two, maybe even three, that you're a bit more drawn to and focus on those, then your training will be a bit more focused and will result in a better competition experience. And most importantly you want to remember that this is all about gaining a new experience, having fun, and engaging with the freediving community more. The great thing about freediving is that the community is so welcoming, and during competition, no matter how deep you're going, everyone's going to encourage you and on each step of the way. So, if you decide that you want to do your first competition, it's nothing you should be intimidated by because it's going to be a supportive environment no matter if you're a beginner, or if you've been doing this a while.