Inland Freediving Courses – What Are The Benefits?

Inland freediving courses have been increasing in popularity (particularly in the UK), and with good reason. Gone are the days when inland freediving involved jumping into a murky quarry, void of any marine life with poor visibility and only the remnants of a rusty shopping trolley to explore!

Inland freediving sites, such as Vobster are an attractive location to dive and attract scuba divers, freedivers, open water swimmers and paddleboarders alike. So what are the benefits of an inland freediving venue and how does this benefit students undertaking freediving courses?

#1 – Safety

Safety, safety and safety! Embarking on a new sport, such as freediving comes with general risks such as tiredness, overexertion and muscle cramps through to more serious conditions such as  blackouts, hypoxia and other medical emergencies. Learning to freedive at an inland freediving venue provides students with a safe open water environment for learning, exploring and perfecting the skills needed to become a competent freediver. Instructors also have a greater ability to teach students in a calm environment. Safety facilities are right by the water and a student can get out of the water if they are tired or need to use a proper toilet (not their wetsuit!) whenever they want to.

photo credit Jason Brown

#2 – Convenience

Diving at an established, registered inland freediving venue usually means parking is convenient, there are amenities close to the water for changing before and after your dive, and you are close to the water from the get go – you don’t have to take a boat ride to a suitable dive point. You can just dive straight in! For those who suffer from motion sickness on boats, this is a definite plus!

So when you want to dive you can get in the water almost as soon as you arrive – and just as important, once you are done diving, you can just get out of the water and make your way home (telling your buddy, of course), without waiting for a boat to fill with everyone else on that dive with you. For our less confident swimmers this convenience gives them added reassurance that they are closer to the water’s edge – which can help with relaxation and perception of their own comfort zone.

#3 – Temperature

As there are no wild currents or crashing waves, the water at an inland freediving venue is often warmer than a coastal freediving venue (based in the UK, of course!). This can make the difference between a comfortable dive and a miserable one!

#4 – Visibility

While the visibility on a coastal freediving course could be amazing, the varying weather conditions in the UK will often make this an unreliable attraction.

The water at an inland freediving venue is calm, with no currents, pollution or silt, meaning that the water is generally much clearer when we conduct our freediving courses. In addition, Vobster has a colony of zebra mussels which continually filter the water.

#5 – Marine life, other underwater attractions plus opportunities to experiment with more equipment and kit.

Purpose built inland freediving centres such as Vobster are carefully managed and stocked with a wide variety of thriving local marine life, which you will be guaranteed to see during your dives. Vobster is also an ARC site for the endangered white claw crayfish, although they are pretty elusive if you want to try and find one!

However, in addition to this, there are a number of fantastic underwater attractions including a submerged plane in three parts, Sea King helicopter, car, caravan, boats, crushing works and more!

Our inland freediving courses, mean we can have more equipment to hand for you to experiment with. Students are often able to experiment with monofins, dive computers and other equipment.

#6 – Facilities

One of the reasons we chose Vobster as our dedicated inland freediving centre for our students was because of the on-site facilities they are able to offer. Not only do they have plenty of parking, they have changing facilities, hot showers, hot and cold food catering, classrooms, shop, equipment hire and sheltered preparation and eating areas.

The site itself is also beautifully located and suitable for family or friends to spend time relaxing and enjoying the weekend too. Non divers get into the site for free! We believe this provides our students with the most comfortable, convenient learning experience possible.

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