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So you live in the Vancouver area and want to know how to get into freediving. Where do you start? Where do you find equipment, courses and people to dive with? These are my personal answers to those questions:

Equipment

Wetsuits

For local water, most people use a 5 mm thick freediving wetsuit. It's plenty warm enough in the middle of the summer but not quite enough for the middle of winter. I highly recommend a freediving specific wetsuit, which is a two-piece suit with an attached hood, no zippers and smooth skin (no nylon) on the inside. Oceaner is the only local manufacturer of this type of suit that I know of, otherwise you'll need to get one ordered in. I know several people who really like their TopSub and Elios wetsuits from Italy.

Gloves and socks

Your best items for gloves and socks is to go to the paddling section at Mountain Equipment Coop. Their neoprene paddling gloves are the best thing for freediving and they are also cheaper than anything you'll get at a dive store. Same goes for their 3mm neoprene socks.

Socks are much better than hard sole boots for closed foot pocket fins. One pair of 3mm socks is fine for most of the year. In the winter I wear 2 pairs of socks and fins with bigger foot pockets.

Fins

It is hard to find good freediving fins locally. Dive & Sea have some long blade Sporasub fins. The Langley dive store has a few long blade Cressi fins. If you don't have the patience or money to get long blade fins, a closed-heel version of a Mares Quattro or similar fin is good for beginners.

Masks

Get the lowest volume mask that you can find. Almost all dive masks you'll find in a dive store (even Dive & Sea) are larger than what we use for freediving. I use a Sporasub Samurai and a Technisub Aquasphere. I've also used a Cressi Superoccio.

Weight Belts

Get a rubber one if you can so that it will stay tight and in place even after your suit compresses with depth. Use small blocks of either 1lb or 2 lb so that you can adjust the weight easily. Use the block style rather than bullets because bullets slide around too much and can be uncomfortable.

Courses

Performance Freediving is the most active freediving instruction company in North America. I am one of the instructors and have been primarily teaching the 12-week program that we've been running every spring for the past 8 years. Most active freedivers in the Vancouver area have been through that program. We're probably changing things around for next year though. It will probably be two shorter programs taught twice a year. Stay tuned for that one.

Another option for courses is the Langley Diving which offers beginner courses taught by Manfred Lippe.

Making Contact

The best way to get in touch with other freedivers is through the Vancouver Apneist club. The local freedivers can keep you out of trouble until you can take a course and it's also a good way to source out some of those specialty items. Some of us are in the water most weekends, either at Ansell Place, Whytecliff Park or other local sites. The $20 annual membership fee gets you on to the email group where we announce where and when we'll be going each weekend.