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As all experienced divers will emphasize, freediving courses are critical to advancing as a safe and competent freediver. In these courses, you will learn everything from how to advance your own diving, to how to confidently safety your buddy, and everything in between. One essential skill that is taught once you’ve gotten past a beginner level, is how to make a secure training setup. This includes your line, buoy, pulley, bottom plate, stopper, and weight. With advancements in freediving technology, most divers can get by clipping a few carabiners to their buoy and line and let their essential knot-tying knowledge from their courses drift away with lack of practice. But if the day comes when you need to use a setup that doesn't already have a pulley installed and the proper knot for your bottom weight ready for you to attach, you might wish you had studied up earlier.
If you frequently dive on someone else's buoy, or on a platform, it can be difficult to find time to practice your knots - or even know where to start. For myself, this was the case. I was never a girl scout! The only time I had practiced and was given feedback on my knot-tying abilities was in my freediving courses. Since then, I had only made my own freediving setup a handful of times, and over time, the skills I had learned were fuzzy in my brain with a lack of practice. Luckily, we live in a time where we have access to all the information we could ever need about skills such as knot tying- as long as you know what to look for. This is what this article is here to show you.
These are the basic knots and hitches that you should be able to create efficiently and on command as a freediver.
Rarely used on its own, the half hitch is an essential hitch to add additional security to your setup.
One of the most useful knots you can know. The Bowline forms a secure loop that will not jam and is easy to tie and untie. The Bowline is most commonly used for forming a fixed loop, large or small at the end of a line. This knot is reliable, strong and stable. Even after severe tension is applied it is easy to untie. This is the knot that we use to create a loop for our bottom weight to attach to. It's also used to attach your buoy to a mooring or another bouy when training. The bowline can come undone when not under constant tension, so always add a half hitch once completed for additional security.
A Yosemite Bowline can be a very secure loop knot when tied correctly, and is a version of the Bowline with the free end wrapped around one leg of the loop and tucked back through the knot. This knot loses its benefits when tied incorrectly. Be sure to practice the Yosemite Bowline and in particular the tightening of the knot many times before trusting it. This is another way to create a secure loop for your bottom weight.
Easy to tie and untie with many uses. The Clove Hitch is a good binding knot. However, as a hitch, it should be used with caution because it can slip or come undone if the object it is tied to rotates or if constant pressure is not maintained on the line. In freediving, it is used to secure your line to the carabiner, attached to the buoy. You can also use the clove hitch paired with a half hitch to attach your equipment to your surface line. This combination is secure, however, it will slide up and down the line without constant tension.
The Noose or Slip Knot is very quick and easy to tie. It is technically a “slip noose” and is made using just one, two, or three turns. I like to leave a lot of loose lines at the end of my bowline (paired with a half hitch) to ensure nothing comes undone. To keep this excess line secure, you can create a slip knot. This is a secure knot that will add additional security to your setup.
One of the most essential knots to know, so essential in fact, that it's knot no 1 in the Ashley book of knots. Also known as the weaver's knot or becket bend. The Sheet Bend is a useful knot for tying two ropes together, even when rope sizes and materials differ greatly. It is important that the free ends of both ropes of the sheet bend be on the same side of the finished knot. For more security use the doubled version which is the same as the single version but with an extra coil around the standing loop.
It turns a training rope into a pleasing chain. When pulled, all of the knots easily uncoil, making it perfect for dropping a line. It is also used by climbers as a means of coiling a rope to prevent it getting tangled when being washed or stored.
The Gasket Coil is used for storing rope when it isn't in a buoy. It is a secure knot that will stand considerable handling without unraveling. This is due to the tying of two half hitches on either side of each other around the coiled rope. You can tie it with a long end and use that for hanging it up.
Knot tying is a universal skill that will help you in much more than freediving. They can assist you around the house, boating, first aid & rescue, climbing, and fishing. The first thing you need is a learning resource. If you don't have someone around who can teach you knots, you can find tons of online resources! One of the most useful apps on my phone right now is “Animated Knots 3D” for only a few dollars. I have access to every knot I could care to know, with a step by step on how to create them. Keep 2 soft pieces of rope on hand (different thicknesses if possible) that are at least a few meters long to practice with. Also, if you train with a buddy who is always in charge of the buoy, ask them if you can put the setup together from time to time for some hands-on practice.