The Freediving Buddy System - Rules, Roles, and Rescue Protocol

The buddy system is the most important safety practice in freediving. Everything else — correct breathwork, technique, controlled depth progression — reduces risk. The buddy system is the mechanism that makes a blackout survivable.

This is not optional or negotiable. Freediving alone — including solo pool training — has produced many fatalities among experienced divers. Rotate: after the diving diver completes recovery breathing and signals OK, roles switch.

• Tell your buddy the plan — target depth and expected dive time before each dive
• Signal before each dive — thumbs-up or OK to confirm readiness
• Signal on surfacing — hand to head (OK signal) and maintain it until buddy returns it
• Complete recovery breathing — exhale first, three full recovery breaths, every time
• Dive within your capacity — the intervention point is at or near the surface, not at the bottom

• Watch continuously — the entire dive, not periodically
• Know the dive plan — after agreed time passes without surfacing, move toward the line
• Recognize blackout — limp body, no response to calls, face returning to water — act immediately
• Watch through recovery breathing — LMC can occur during this window, not just on descent
• One-up, one-down — never both in the water diving simultaneously

A blacked-out diver presents as: limp body, no voluntary movement, face in the water, unresponsive to calls. Act immediately — do not wait to be sure.

1. 01 —Approach and support — get the head above water and face clear
2. 02 —Stimulate — firm tap, loud verbal call. Many brief blackouts resolve with stimulation alone
3. 03 —If no response — tilt head back, give two rescue breaths (mouth-to-nose or mouth-to-mouth)
4. 04 —Call emergency services — if not already done
5. 05 —Continue — move toward shore or the boat while maintaining support

Pool training feels safer than open water. It is not.

• Static apnea — the buddy should be in the water at the wall, not on deck
• Dynamic apnea — the buddy follows at the surface, staying directly above the diver
• Brief the lifeguard — they are not trained for freediving rescue; let them know what to watch for
• No shortcuts — 'just a quick session' without a buddy is how pool fatalities happen

If you don't have a regular training partner:

• Beginner courses connect you with other divers at your level
• Local freediving clubs and Facebook groups run pool training sessions
• Freediving centers at popular dive locations often pair divers for training

A buddy doesn't need to be at your depth level — they need to understand the protocol and be reliable about watching continuously.