Freediving, or skindiving, refers to any aquatic activity in which the swimmer employs the practice of breath-holding to move about quickly and easily under water, i.e. for exploring or fishing. Sometimes the person might be equipped with a lightweight mask, foot fins, and sometimes a snorkle.
Examples of freediving include freedive photography, breath-hold spearfishing, mermaid shows, snorkling, synchronised swimming, and underwater sports (such as hockey or rugby). In the 20th and 21st centuries, Competitive Apnea attracted the attention of many. That form of freediving was considered an extreme sport and opponents tried to outdo each other in reaching great depths, or times and distances without the direct assistance of any breathing device like SCUBA gear. It is, however, no longer practiced in that capacity in the 24th century.
References[]
- Wikipedia, "Free-diving" [1]