Breathing Techniques for Beginner Freedivers
Master the fundamental techniques—and understand why proper instruction matters
Introduction
Breathing techniques form the foundation of safe freediving. Unlike other water sports, freediving requires you to consciously control something your body usually manages automatically. Done correctly, these techniques enable longer, more comfortable breath-holds. Done incorrectly, they can be genuinely dangerous.
Important: This guide provides educational information about breathing techniques, but it is not a substitute for proper instruction from a qualified freediving instructor. Certain techniques—particularly those involving breath-holding—carry real risks that require hands-on supervision to practice safely.
Why Breathing Matters in Freediving
Oxygen Management: Your body stores oxygen in three places: lungs, blood (bound to hemoglobin), and muscles (bound to myoglobin). Proper breathing techniques help you maximize oxygen stores before a dive.
Carbon Dioxide Control: CO2 buildup is what triggers your urge to breathe. Understanding this helps you manage the sensations during a breath-hold—but it's also where danger lies if mismanaged.
Relaxation Response: Slow, controlled breathing activates your parasympathetic nervous system, lowering heart rate and reducing oxygen consumption. This is fundamental to extending breath-hold time safely.
The Critical Safety Warning: Hyperventilation
Before learning any breathing techniques, you must understand why hyperventilation is dangerous.
What is hyperventilation?
Hyperventilation means breathing faster or deeper than your body needs. It doesn't increase oxygen stores significantly (your blood is already nearly saturated at rest), but it dramatically lowers CO2 levels.
Why is this dangerous?
CO2 is your body's primary signal to breathe. By artificially lowering CO2 through hyperventilation:
You delay the urge to breathe
You may feel comfortable longer than you should
You can lose consciousness (blackout) without warning
This can happen underwater, with potentially fatal consequences
The bottom line: Hyperventilation has caused deaths in freediving. Any technique involving rapid or excessive breathing before a breath-hold is potentially dangerous. A qualified instructor will teach you to recognize and avoid hyperventilation.
What quality instruction looks like: A good instructor will spend significant time on this topic, teach you to recognize the signs of hyperventilation in yourself and others, and never encourage techniques that artificially suppress the urge to breathe.
Foundational Technique: Diaphragmatic Breathing
Diaphragmatic breathing (also called "belly breathing") is the foundation of all freediving breathing. It's how your body naturally breathes when relaxed.
Why Diaphragmatic Breathing?
Uses the most efficient breathing muscle (the diaphragm)
Requires less energy than chest breathing
Promotes relaxation
Maximizes oxygen intake with minimal effort
How to Practice:
Lie flat on your back in a comfortable position
Place one hand on your chest and one on your belly
Breathe in slowly through your nose
Focus on making your belly rise while your chest stays relatively still
Exhale slowly, feeling your belly fall
What you're looking for: Your belly should expand outward as you inhale and deflate as you exhale. Your chest and shoulders should move minimally.
Common mistakes:
Forcing the breath (it should feel effortless)
Chest rising before belly
Shoulders lifting
Holding tension in neck or jaw
This technique is safe to practice at home and forms the basis for all other freediving breathing.
Relaxation Breathing (Pre-Dive Breathing)
Before a freedive, you'll spend time in "relaxation breathing" to prepare your body and mind.
Key Principles:
Longer exhale than inhale: When you exhale, your heart rate naturally decreases. By extending your exhale, you enhance this relaxation response. A common pattern: Inhale for 4 counts, exhale for 8 counts.
Natural pauses: There are natural pauses at the end of inhalation and exhalation. Don't force these, but don't rush past them either.
Tidal breathing: This means breathing the amount you would naturally breathe at rest—about 20% of your lung capacity. You're not trying to take huge breaths; you're trying to relax.
Think "falling asleep": The best mental model is the way you breathe when you're about to fall asleep. Quiet, effortless, relaxed.
What Quality Instruction Adds:
A qualified instructor will help you find your personal optimal breathing rhythm, watch for signs of tension or hyperventilation, teach you to recognize when you're truly relaxed, and adapt techniques to your individual physiology.
The Final Breath
The breath you take immediately before a freedive is different from relaxation breathing. It's a complete, full breath designed to maximize the air in your lungs.
The Three-Part Final Breath:
Diaphragm: First, expand your belly, filling the lower lungs completely
Ribs: Then expand your ribcage, filling the middle lungs
Shoulders: Finally, a slight lift of the shoulders to top off the upper lungs
This should be done calmly, not frantically. It's a full breath, not a panicked gasp.
This is a technique best learned with hands-on instruction because the sequencing requires feedback, it's easy to create tension, and individual anatomy affects how it should feel.
Recovery Breathing (Post-Dive)
Recovery breathing is what you do immediately upon surfacing from a breath-hold. This is a safety-critical technique that should become automatic.
The Hook Breath:
Upon surfacing, immediately take a breath IN through your mouth
Hold it briefly with gentle pressure (as if making a "P" sound)
Release with a quick exhale
Repeat at least 3 times
Why This Matters:
After a breath-hold, your oxygen levels are depleted and CO2 is elevated. The first 30 seconds after surfacing are when you're most vulnerable to blackout. Hook breathing rapidly re-oxygenates your blood, creates positive pressure that helps maintain blood flow to the brain, and signals to your buddy that you're okay.
Critical point: Recovery breathing should be performed after EVERY breath-hold, no matter how short or easy it felt. This must become an automatic habit.
What Self-Study Cannot Replace
Personalized feedback: Everyone's body is different. An instructor can see tension, inefficiencies, or dangerous habits that you cannot detect in yourself.
Safe breath-hold practice: Any practice involving breath-holding should be done under supervision. Blackouts can occur without warning.
Emergency response: Learning to recognize distress in yourself and others requires hands-on training.
Progressive skill building: A qualified instructor structures your learning safely and systematically.
Red Flags in Breathing Instruction
Be wary of instructors who:
Encourage hyperventilation — Any instruction to take many rapid, deep breaths before a breath-hold is dangerous
Minimize blackout risks — Blackouts are a real risk that should be discussed thoroughly
Rush through safety content — Breathing safety deserves significant time and attention
Don't teach recovery breathing — This is a non-negotiable safety skill
Push students past comfort levels — Good instructors respect your limits
Skip buddy system training — You should never practice breath-holding alone
Practicing Safely at Home
Safe to practice alone:
Diaphragmatic breathing — No breath-holding involved
Relaxation breathing patterns — Focus on rhythm, not duration
Body awareness — Notice where you hold tension
Meditation and mental relaxation
Never practice alone:
Any breath-holding exercises — Always have a trained buddy present
Breath-holds in or near water — Even in a bathtub, blackout risk exists
CO2 or O2 tolerance tables — These require supervision
Conclusion
Breathing techniques are fundamental to freediving, but they're also where significant safety risks exist. While this guide provides educational context, it's not a substitute for proper instruction from a verified, qualified instructor.
Before enrolling in any course, verify your instructor's credentials using agency databases, ask about their approach to safety, ensure they spend adequate time on breathing safety, and confirm they teach recovery breathing as a mandatory skill.
Your breath is quite literally your lifeline in freediving. Learn to use it correctly, with proper guidance, from someone qualified to teach you safely.