My name is Tyson Ward, I am 31 years old, a Professional Firefighter/Paramedic for 10 years, and have been freediving/spearfishing for the past 16 years. I signed up for Ted’s course for same reason I suspect many others do, I wanted to dive deeper, stay longer, and shoot bigger fish! What I did not realize was that I would not only be given the tools to make those things possible, but I would learn how to do so safer than I had ever done before. Within the first 2 hours of class I discovered several habits that needed to be corrected and Ted was there every step of the way to help me reprogram. Ted also provided excellent explanations based on science and/or personal experience. When you have a pool of instructors such as PFI you better believe the information you receive is the best. Like many others I considered myself “safe” based solely on the fact that I have never experienced a black out or Loss of Motor Control, that I know of. While this may be true, as the class went on I became aware of a few times that I may have been closer than I would like to admit. The good news to all this? Ted will show you the way. There is no ego, no intimidation, and no shaming. Ted provides you with the knowledge and skills to recognize and intervene should you ever witness a Loss of Motor Control (LMC) or blackout. Ted mentions that he now has 7 former students that have recognized and successfully intervened in a LMC or Blackout occurrence and I, without a doubt, expect that number to grow as he and his fellow PFI Instructors change the culture of spearfisherman and freedivers alike. Was Ted able to make good on his promise of diving deeper, staying longer, and being safer? Ted delivered in spades. 3 days before class out of curiosity I performed a static breath hold of 1:45. On the first day of class 2:45. Before this course the deepest I had ever been was 42 feet. On the second day of the course I hit 66 feet (course max) and felt as comfortable as I normally do at 25 feet. Ted performed every dive with every student and reinforced safe practices by having students act as spotters and safeties after every breath hold regardless. Ted also takes photos and videos so you can see how to correct your entry, kick, or any other technique that needs to be addressed. Immersion Freediving has a great thing going. I cannot recommend taking Ted’s course enough! I look forward to his intermediate course in the future as I now have a new confidence and comfort level that I have never before experienced. I thank you and my family thanks you for giving me the tools to be a safer and better freediver. Thanks again Ted!
Tyson Ward October 2015 3 day PFI Freediver course