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Whether you are looking at line training, diving to explore the underwater world or discover the megafauna, there’s enough wet spots in the world to please every taste. It’s hard to make a choice because each place is so unique, but looking back, here are my top 5 freediving destinations.
Whether you want to do depth training or explore the reef, Dahab has a lot to offer and is often referred to as the Mecca of Freediving. For those seeking depth training, the Blue Hole is Egypt’s most famous freediving site- being a sinkhole with 92m of available depth it has no currents and no thermocline with the added benefits of being surrounded by a colorful coral reef with occasional sights of megafauna including manta rays and dolphins. It also features The Arch at 55m depth, connecting the Blue Hole with the outside sea, so that there is light even at depth. Close to Blue Hole, there’s a lot to explore too, from exploring the depths of the Canyons site, or letting yourself sink in El Bells natural aquarium, there is enough variety in Dahab’s underwater world to please most freedivers.
Located in the Northwest region of Madagascar and more precisely in the bay of Nosy Be, The Madagascar Whale Shark Project (MWSP) is a private foundation that aims to protect the whale shark. Created in 2016 by Stella Diamant, scientist and passionate, the foundation's ambition is to combine research work with the awareness of communities for the preservation of marine fauna. Today, the team has identified more than 400 individual whale sharks, putting the island of Nosy Be on the map as one of the world’s best places to swim with the world’s biggest fish. Not only is Nosy Be bay is full of whale sharks but the abundance of krill and plankton brings a wealth of megafauna species. On a day at sea, you can encounter a variety of species of dolphins, turtles, rays and whales. The bay is home to a large population of the very rare Omura’s whales, which were only discovered in the area in 2012. They come to feed in the area, and while it is prohibited to swim at sea with whales in Madagascar, you will catch all the action from the boat. Line training is also available with depth limited to 60m and a fully functional Hyperbaric Chamber was installed with the support of DAN on the island.
With a staggering 9330m of coastline plus sinkholes and lagunas, Mexico offers an incredible variety of options. In the Riviera Maya, one can explore the underwater world of the Cenotes, Bacalar Blue Lagoon and Cenote Azul as well as train line diving in the Cenotes Angelita and swim with whale sharks in Isla Mujeres. A bucket list wildlife adventure is to volunteer with Whale Shark Mexico Research Program in La Paz, Baja California, where large pelagics abound including hammerhead sharks, schools of mobula rays, orcas, and whales.
There are three main hubs to learn and train freediving as a sport in Nice, these are Cipa and Chango mainly for advanced freedivers, and Bluenery Academy for courses. The main freediving spot is in Villefrance Sur Mer, a beautiful bay on the French Riviera accessible by boat with unlimited depths and calm waters throughout the summer. That’s where freediving as a sport really kicked off and became history.
We all know that there is more to freediving than just diving on a line. Ustica, a volcanic island one hour away by speedboat off the coast of Palermo, has so much underwater life to offer. Acclaimed as the scuba diving capital of the Mediterranean Sea, it’s a wonderful island to explore on a single breath. Its seascapes include blue grotts and dark grotts accessible only by boat, as well as a protected marine reserve with great marine biodiversity and groupers a meter long roaming just below the water surface of its uncontaminated waters.