Welcome to our comprehensive head-to-toe guide to the base freediving gear that you would need from beginner all the way to expert. The gear guide is not organized by skill level but by price because unless you're looking to compete at a cutting-edge competitive level, you can find the gear that will complement your skill level at all price ranges. On this page, we will highlight our personal recommendation with an explanation as to why for each type of gear and link to our other pages that will go into each type of gear in depth.
Table of Contents
Wetsuit: Performance Yamamoto 3mm Fins: Fiberglass Long Fins Weight Belt: Silicone Dive Computer: Sunnto D4i Novo
Freediving Mask: Aqua Lung Sphera X
As a freediving instructor, I am always on the lookout for the best gear to recommend to my students. One piece of equipment that consistently rises to the top is the Aqua Lung Sphera X freediving mask. In this blog post, I will delve into the details of this popular mask and explain why it is worth the investment for serious freedivers.
One of the standout features of the Aqua Lung Sphera X is the newly designed curved plastic lens. This lens provides a 180-degree field of vision, giving divers an unparalleled view of their surroundings. In addition to the wide field of vision, the Sphera X boasts a low-profile design that minimizes drag and allows for easy equalization. This means that you can use less air to equalize the mask, which ultimately leads to longer and more comfortable dives.
Another key aspect of the Sphera X is the soft silicone material used in the mask's construction. This material provides a comfortable and reliable seal, which is crucial for long dives. With this mask, you can spend hours exploring the underwater world without worrying about water seeping in and interrupting your dive.
Of course, with any investment in diving gear comes the concern about durability. While the Sphera X's plastic lens is more susceptible to scratches than glass lenses, Aqua Lung includes a hard case with the mask to protect it during travel. With proper care, such as avoiding dropping the mask on a sandy beach, the Sphera X can provide many years of reliable use.
One of the biggest stand out points is that the Aqua Lung Sphera X is reasonably priced compared to other masks on the market, and it is well worth the investment for serious freedivers. With its wide field of vision, low profile design, and reliable seal, this mask will enhance your diving experience and allow you to explore the underwater world with ease. If you are looking for a high-quality freediving mask, the Aqua Lung Sphera X is definitely worth considering.
Freediving Snorkel: Hele i Waho
This is your cheap and cheerful snorkel perfect for freediving.
Hele i Waho is the house brand of the scuba diving shop Aqros based in Ikebukuro, and they have created a line of freediving goods that a fairly priced (in comparison to an overpriced domestic market) while high in quality.
This snorkel will set you back 2693円 at the time of writing, available in black, white, and clear, and has three main stand-out features.
The snorkel does not have a valve at the bottom. Unlike snorkeling or scuba diving snorkels, when freediving you want to avoid having a valve at the bottom so that when you're ascending you can clear the snorkel but have a small amount of air into the snorkel that will expand so that by the time you reach the surface it will be clear. (This only applies to skin diving, when freediving along a rope you should always spit out your snorkel.)
The snorkel is flexible and rolls up, so it is light to pack and squish into the buoy. The mouthpiece is also removable if you want to clean the inside to ensure that there is no mold but with proper care, it is unlikely that there will be mold in the first place
The mask attachment is loose and so it is my personal preference to remove it and simply slide the soft snorkel between the mask strap and my head. In doing so, allows me to remove the snorkel easily when it is my turn to freedive but also put it back quickly and fasten it in place when I am supporting my freediving buddy.
Freediving Wetsuit: Performance Yamamoto 3mm
Freediving wetsuits are different from wetsuits made for scuba diving, surfing, and spearfishing in distinct ways. Freediving wetsuits are often split into two halves, allowing for less restricted lung expansion as well as warmth around the core of the body without limiting physical movement. We recommend the Leader Performance Freediving Wetsuit if you're looking to get your first wetsuit. Often, people will go so far as to get a custom wetsuit which can also be reasonably priced if you're looking in the right places, but if you're just starting out, I would recommend getting something off the shelf to see if the sport is for you. With the Leader Performance Wetsuit, you have the lower half that would come to just under the rib cage and an upper half that includes a hood that comes down to cover the core. The hood is important as when you're at the surface of the water, it can tend to become a little bit chilly. On top of that, when you're freediving head first, the hood made of the smooth-skin material will reduce friction. This wetsuit is 3mm which is perfect for Tokyo temperatures where the ocean ranges from 19~25 when it is summer freediving season. 3mm also means that the amount of weight needed to compensate for the suit's buoyancy is not to the point where you will notice it while freediving. The main highlight is the material of the wetsuit. There are many different styles that you can find, such as smooth skin interior and nylon exterior which is common for spearfishers who will find themselves rubbing against rocks. When it comes to scuba divers, the neoprene is often coated in nylon on both sides and prioritizes warmth over mobility. The Leader Performance, as with many recreational freediving wetsuits is nylon on the inside and smooth-skin on the outside. The benefit is that nylon inside makes the wetsuit very easy to put on and take off, while the Yamamoto SCS Smooth-Skin is perfect for slicing through the water and drying quickly.
Freediving Fins: Fiberglass Long Fins
Our recommendation would be the Leaderfins Fiberglass Long Fins.
Fiberglass: Freediving fins are generally made out of three materials; plastic, fiberglass and carbon (fiber). Each has their pros and cons, for example, plastic fins are very durable but do not provide as much power transfer per kick while carbon is competition grade in terms of efficiency but remarkably fragile. Fiberglass sits between these two ends of the spectrum and is perfect for a budding freediver all the way to those participating in competitions.
Length and stiffness: 80cm is the length to go with, because if the fin is too short, it will significantly cut down on the propulsion provided from a single kick. As for the hardness, there are those in freediving that believe that softer is always better, but if you have a powerful kick then you hit a plateau in terms of power output if the fin is too soft. I personally use medium strength and I am not a strong swimmer.
Freediving Weight Belt: Silicone
When it comes to weight belts, those who scuba dive might be familiar with a nylon belt used to hold weights around your waist to counter the buoyancy of the wetsuit and tank. When freediving, however, a nylon belt is not ideal because as you swim from the surface down to 20 meters, the wetsuit will compress and so what was well fitting at the surface will now be wrapped around your chest as you make your decent.
In the same vein of cheap and cheerful, our recommendation is this silicone weight belt from Aqros. Available in black, white, pink and blue, this weightbelt will set you back 4948円 but is well worth it.
Freediving Dive Computer: Sunnto D4i Novo
Now, you might be wondering why we are recommending the D4i Novo over the Suunto Freediving Specific D4F, and the reason is that the D4i is comparable in price but also has scuba diving available.
Even if you're a hard-core freediver, this watch allows you to enjoy both sports without having to change computers. I personally have used the D4i for my first 6 years as a scuba diving instructor and when taking the freediving recreational courses before becoming an instructor and I feel that for someone who is getting into freediving or taking it seriously and wants to see more details, the D4i will be a great companion for a long time.
In Summary,
In the above gear guide, I have tried to lay out the base set of gear that is accessible price-wise but will also be a great companion as you start out on your freediving journey all the way to reaching competition levels. If you have any questions regarding freediving gear, please do reach out in the comment section below, contact us or save the question for one of our freediving training events.