—— Field guide

Freediving Safety - Risks, Blackout Prevention & Safe Practice

Freediving is statistically safe when done with a buddy, proper training, and respect for physiological limits. The fatalities that occur are almost always preventable - caused by solo diving or hyperventilation before a dive. Understanding the risks clearly is the first step to avoiding them.

Core Safety Rule

Never freedive alone. Shallow water blackout can occur without warning. A trained buddy watching from the surface is the only reliable protection. This rule has no exceptions.

—— In this guide

5 guides on safety.

Safety

Is Freediving Dangerous?

An honest look at risk, how it compares to other sports, and which behaviors actually cause accidents.

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Critical

Shallow Water Blackout

What causes shallow water blackout, how hyperventilation makes it worse, and how a buddy prevents it.

Read guide →

Safety

The Buddy System

Why buddy diving is a strict safety rule - not a preference - and how to set up a proper buddy system.

Read guide →

◐ safety

Safety

Can You Get the Bends Freediving?

When decompression sickness is a real risk for freedivers and what repeated deep dives can do over a session.

Read guide →

◐ gear

Gear

Best Freediving Buoy & Line

The right buoy and line setup for open water training - what to buy and how to rig it.

Read guide →