What do Herbert Nitsch, Jacques-Yves Cousteau and the standard sun burnt tourist have in common? They dive!! Three very different names and very different backgrounds but connected in the fact that they spend time in the water. One is the bravest human being on the planet, the other a true innovator and the last (guess who) is in need of some lessons. Unless you are swimming competitively, water activities can be broken down into three categories; Free Diving, Scuba Diving, and Snorkeling. Now please, Proceed…(Cousteau)
The tourist devours blended fruity concoctions, all inclusive anything and Snorkeling. Le Commandant Cousteau fancied his croissant and fathered the Self Contained Underwater
Breathing Apparatus. SCUBA! But wait, who is this Nitsch Fellow? WELL, funny you should ask being as he is the World record holder for No Limit Free Diving, 214 meters, down, underwater, in ONE BREATH. Translation = Unless somehow Herbert Nitsch himself tracked down my measly blog in attempt to bolster his own mental resume and is now reading it, no reader of mine will ever compare to the set of lungs and err, yeah, this guy has. More to come on Nitsch… Snorkeling is beckoning.
The tourist devours blended fruity concoctions, all inclusive anything and Snorkeling. Le Commandant Cousteau fancied his croissant and fathered the Self Contained Underwater
Breathing Apparatus. SCUBA! But wait, who is this Nitsch Fellow? WELL, funny you should ask being as he is the World record holder for No Limit Free Diving, 214 meters, down, underwater, in ONE BREATH. Translation = Unless somehow Herbert Nitsch himself tracked down my measly blog in attempt to bolster his own mental resume and is now reading it, no reader of mine will ever compare to the set of lungs and err, yeah, this guy has. More to come on Nitsch… Snorkeling is beckoning. (Nitsch)
Small tube, set of flippers and a trusty mask… jump in, because you are now a veteran snorkeler. Most snorkeling is done in the warmer climates, where calmer waters are and something interesting, whether it be huge kelp beds, coral, or fish brighter than Fruit Loops can be found. Quick notes about the art of the snorkel; You are already floating in the water with fins 
you are not used to and a mask that enlarges your eyeballs at least double the size, please don’t draw more attention to yourself by being the one that splashes around imitating your household washing machine. You will soon have no friends in the water, lots of sand around you and maybe if you really have learned your lesson, a few friendly reminders from the coral that they may look pretty but they have a dark, or sharp side. Truth is, snorkeling is great. With nothing more than a plastic tube, the average person can glimpse at what wonder the ocean has in store. May it be the schools of fish or slimy sea cucumber, the sea anemone or the not so friendly sea urchin, the shore has so much to offer one who is willing to simply watch. Be patient, and realize that you are foreign to them, foreign and 6 times most of their size. Think if the tables were turned, a 60 ft fish, walking into your backyard… Howdy Neighbor!
you are not used to and a mask that enlarges your eyeballs at least double the size, please don’t draw more attention to yourself by being the one that splashes around imitating your household washing machine. You will soon have no friends in the water, lots of sand around you and maybe if you really have learned your lesson, a few friendly reminders from the coral that they may look pretty but they have a dark, or sharp side. Truth is, snorkeling is great. With nothing more than a plastic tube, the average person can glimpse at what wonder the ocean has in store. May it be the schools of fish or slimy sea cucumber, the sea anemone or the not so friendly sea urchin, the shore has so much to offer one who is willing to simply watch. Be patient, and realize that you are foreign to them, foreign and 6 times most of their size. Think if the tables were turned, a 60 ft fish, walking into your backyard… Howdy Neighbor! 
Remember in Free Diving, where have you been all of my life. This sport, you bet it’s a sport, is incredible. Courage, athleticism, a little bit of insanity and vast amounts of water sprinkled with as much oxygen as you can fill your lings with in one breath. If you bottled up the guts and pinch of madness in an airtight container (pun intended) that come with bungee jumping and released them into the ocean, you birthed free diving, congratulations. By definition, free diving is any 
kind of swimming done with no breathing apparatus. It could be children having contests to see who holds their breath underwater longest. Or maybe who can go “there and back” on one breath. Free diving is a loose definition which is why most likely, if you have been in the water, you have free dove. Most common free diving includes Spear fishing, underwater Hockey and underwater Rugby. Okay so the second two are not common at all but wow, how do you get tickets? Competitive apnea is really where the sport gets its exposure. All sorts of free diving are recognized consisting of fin and no fin depth contests, assisted and unassisted contests and plain old contests to see who can hold stay under longer. But who is Nitsch? Imagine this, grabbing a few weights, one huge monofin and the biggest breath you ever inhaled and diving the length of 2 ½ football fields and then coming back up!! Yeah, if cheerleading is considered a sport, free diving gets its own category. Goes with skydiving, arm-wrestling, rugby, and unassisted rock-climbing. Herbert, I’m not worthy.
kind of swimming done with no breathing apparatus. It could be children having contests to see who holds their breath underwater longest. Or maybe who can go “there and back” on one breath. Free diving is a loose definition which is why most likely, if you have been in the water, you have free dove. Most common free diving includes Spear fishing, underwater Hockey and underwater Rugby. Okay so the second two are not common at all but wow, how do you get tickets? Competitive apnea is really where the sport gets its exposure. All sorts of free diving are recognized consisting of fin and no fin depth contests, assisted and unassisted contests and plain old contests to see who can hold stay under longer. But who is Nitsch? Imagine this, grabbing a few weights, one huge monofin and the biggest breath you ever inhaled and diving the length of 2 ½ football fields and then coming back up!! Yeah, if cheerleading is considered a sport, free diving gets its own category. Goes with skydiving, arm-wrestling, rugby, and unassisted rock-climbing. Herbert, I’m not worthy. Water is for some relaxing, for others entertainment, and for a select few, a chance to prove their athleticism to the world. No matter what you find yourself doing in the water, do it. Because being weightless and floating seamlessly, being a part of what was here long before us and what will be here long after us, it’s an indescribable feeling.
-Anthony- Intern, Product Tester, Nature Lover and now, Published Blogger.
http://www.destinationwater.com/
- A C Walters Intercoastal Corporation
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