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A Deep Dive On Freediving

Freediving and its related products take center stage in Surf Expo's newest category: Dive. So what is this sport all about and what does it mean for your store?

Posted 2/21/2012

By Sean O'Brien

Look deep enough into any endeavor and hierarchy appears. Novices learn the ropes and either stall out, drop out, or advance toward true mastery. It's just the way of the world.

It's no different with surfing. The far right side of the bell curve takes years―a lifetime even―to achieve. Yeah, it's partially the realm of the inverted rodeo air and the ten-second Mentawai barrel, but the true masters also include those who have learned the facets of the ocean and are equally at home with all of them.

Gerry Lopez is right: the term "waterman" is an overused crutch used by surf industry marketing types. But there is a group deserving of the title who have captured the imagination of surfers of all types. At Surf Summit last year, Mark Healey held the normally boisterous surf industry nabobs in hushed respect―in no small part because of his exploits in the ancient but increasingly popular sport of freediving.

After photos of Healey surfaced taking a ride on the dorsal fin of a Great White Shark, he became this season's "it guy" for reasons that go far beyond his skill catching waves. Hot on his heels came the tale of Brandon Wahlers being dragged for three miles after spearfishing a 358 pound tuna―a perfect 21st century redux of Hemingway's fish tale. Suddenly, it seems, freediving is everywhere and its popularity has become more inclusive than those epics suggest.

Freediving is an advanced offshoot of snorkeling that's great training for big waves, often a way to put dinner on the table, and a new product category board retailers should consider. "Based on what we've seen, there's a strong correlation between being a freediver and being a good surfer," says Matt Larson, manager of Mitch's Surf Shop in La Jolla, California.

Mitch's has always colored outside the lines, with a product assortment that includes everything shapers need to turn out boards. Two years ago, however, after spying the initial success the Patagonia store in Cardiff By The Sea was enjoying with freediving gear, Mitch's went pretty darn hard into the freediving market.

The move made sense. Mitch's is down the street from some of the best diving in Southern California in La Jolla Cove, and Larson says history backed them up: "Where we're located has been a popular diving area since the early Twenties, with guys like Owen Churchill (innovator of the swimfin) calling it home. There's lots of history here and the store has always encouraged taking full advantage of what the area has to offer."

The standard "total freediving system" system includes long-bladed fins, rubber weight belts, a mask/snorkel combo, freediving wetsuit, safety knife, computer/depth gauge and equipment bag. Equipment can range in price from higher-end carbon fiber product to more affordable thermoplastic products, but on average a total freediving system could cost the end user as little as $300 to $500 for a complete kit to more than $1,500 dollars for high-end performance gear.

There are many accessory equipment choices also available, everything from floats and buoys to underwater fishing equipment. Larson says Mitch's has been particularly successful is selling aftermarket products for spearguns.

"Freediving is where SUP was a few years back, right on the edge of blowing up," says Australian Freediver Mike Wells, who entered the Guinness Book of World Records in 2007 by swimming through Fish Rock Cave in Australia. Surface to surface, this breath-hold dive lasted 2 minutes and 59 seconds. Starting from the surface, Mike entered the cave at 72 feet, swam horizontally and downward for 479 feet, and came out of the cave at 88 feet using a mono-fin (a single broad-bladed fin) while 60 Minutes filmed and aired the entire event.

Wells and Dive BVI's Casey McNutt hosted Surf Expo's Dive category at the September 2011 show, which featured seminars, videos, and product demonstrations explaining to retailers what freediving is all about, its gear, and the potential opportunity it represents for sales.

Dive at Surf Expo is supported by the Dive Industry Association whose focus is to refresh and refocus the industry while promoting economic development in the watersports community. "Surf Expo is the ideal business venue for the entire watersports community,” says Gene Muchanski, director of the association. “We are excited to see Dive as a new addition to the show and are looking forward to three days of solid Buyer-Seller relations and having fun in the process.”

New, Exciting and Edgy

"Opportunity. Excitement. New revenue. Training. Equipment. Travel. All of this comes hand in hand with Freediving," says Wells. "It's here and it's happening. We're seeing it become a massive growth activity that has incredible crossover with many other watersports. It has a low barrier to entry, and its wide demographic is attractive for any business. It's easy to see the many benefits to surfers and the surf industry. This is new revenue that is easy to acquire with the right business advice from the experts in Diving Sports, SSI."

SSI provides training, scuba diving certification, and educational resources for divers, dive instructors, and dive centers and resorts around the world. Started in 1970, SSI has expanded to include more than 30 Service Centers, is represented in more than 110 countries with over 2,400 International locations.

“Since breath-holding is synonymous with surfing, what better way to compliment such an amazing sport!" says Doug McNeese, SSI President and CEO. "This is that new product like snowboarding was to ski. It’s the new idea the watersports industry has been waiting for to bring in the younger generation looking for something new, exciting and edgy!

According to Wells, "Action sports athletes all agree: freediving has been long overdue in the mainstream and professional sports lineup. Freediving has a very low barrier to entry yet remains exciting and challenging. Freediving has both a competitive realm and a recreational realm. It's an open water/open ocean activity and also a pool activity. Freediving is an all-weather sport. Anyone can learn to freedive and can dive down from 30 feet to well beyond 100-feet deep under their own power and on a single breath of air.

"Freediving equipment is a specific niche and includes everything from long bladed fins and low-volume masks and snorkels to slick skin wetsuits and monofins," he continues. "The pool training side of the sport has massive potential for retailers, even those located in colder climates."

So is it right for your store? Larson at Mitch's cautions that proper expectations are paramount. "We're in a great location and have seen success, but deciding to carry freediving gear wasn't primarily a financial decision but one of offering a different retail experience to our customers," he says. "It has set us apart and we've become known as a destination shop for freediving gear, but the product is incredibly technical―much more so than selling a snowboard, for example. Having a staff educated about the product who can sell it properly is incredibly important."

Surf Expo has gone to lengths to offer just that sort of technical guidance and expert assistance, so take some time discovering this fast-growth sport for yourself and see why some of the surf world's most influential voices count it among their favorite activities. It could be just the thing to set your store apart from the pack.