My name is Ralph Fuentes and I have been freediving and Spearfishing for about 36 years in the Miami/Florida Keys area. In addition, I have been a certified scuba diver since 1980. Like many, I enrolled in Immersion’s three day PFI freediver course to acquire the knowledge and techniques to increase my bottom time and dive deeper in order to spear larger fish. After many years of researching freediving courses and instructors, I chose Immersion freediving over the others because; Ted is a full-time instructor – and that’s his chosen career, and he has been an instructor since 2005. He owns the boat used for the ocean sessions – a big plus. His classes are limited to 5 students which create an intimate and personal experience. Besides, he’s an accomplished freediver and competitor! Before taking Ted’s class, my spearfishing depth was between 15 to 35 feet with the occasional dive to around 45 feet. My best static apnea was a 3:32 minute breath hold. My personal best dive was a 60 foot dive at one of Florida’s natural springs, and, of course, that dive was done under duress. When Spearfishing with my buddies, what I consider to be safe practice was being able to see them from 15, 20 and 30 yards away and communicating by whistling/calling out to check on each other. “That’s what we called being safe”. I know now, after completing the course, that spearfishing that way is not safe! During the course, I performed a static apnea breath hold of 3:30 which is the maximum allowed for this course and a personal BEST DIVE TO 66ft, with a total dive time of around 1min 23 sec. That dive was not under duress and thanks to Ted, it was calm, relaxing and under my control! What an awesome feeling! After taking Ted’s freediver course, I realized that it’s not just about learning the techniques to dive deeper and staying longer but how to do it safely. In his course, Ted’s curriculum revolves around the safety aspects of freediving and the practice of those safety protocols and techniques throughout the three days. I have to say, that the course is intense and not just physically demanding but mentally challenging as well. That being said, Ted’s passion, devotion and teaching style helps overcome those obstacles and amount of material covered. Ted, It was a pleasure meeting you. You made me feel as though we’ve been friends for years, and in the near future, I will be enrolling in the intermediate class. All the best, Ralph Fuentes 66 foot safe freediver!!!!
Ralph Fuentes May 2016 3 Day Freediver Course
