We all love to see underwater images of vibrant coral reefs in crystal clear water and visibility that stretches as far as the eye can see, but is it realistic to expect this? Yes, in certain areas, and at certain times, it’s absolutely realistic, but that doesn’t mean it’s guaranteed. In other world-famous diving areas, visibility is significantly lower, but it doesn’t distract from the incredible diving that’s still on offer. Once you understand how to dive in limited visibility situations, even more dive sites become available to you. You’ll also find that lower-than-average visibility will stop being a disappointment and become an opportunity to try out your skills!

Every activity we undertake has some inherent risk. Whether we are driving to work, out for a jog, or diving to great depths on a single breath, there is always risk involved. While freediving has been around for centuries, it only recently hit the mainstream and has garnered media coverage. Unfortunately, much of this coverage only happens when something has gone tragically wrong. So, let’s answer the question, “Is freediving dangerous?” and, let’s look at how we can reduce some of the associated risks.

The simple answer is absolutely not. You can dive as shallow or as deep as you chose in the UK, providing you have the right diving certification!  I’ve been a PADI Instructor for 22 years and have been lucky enough to dive all over the UK, enjoying the huge variety of dive sites we have around our shores, both deep and shallow.

Sharks are some of the coolest and well-known fish in the sea. Some sharks, like great white, tiger and bull sharks, seem formidable and even invincible. While sharks have lived on Earth for over 400 million years, they are facing many threats today. Recent studies show that one third of all chondrichthyans (sharks and their relatives) are endangered, shark and ray populations fell by 71.1% from 1970 to 2018, and sharks are missing from 19% of the world’s coral reefs. This begs the questions, are sharks endangered? Are all sharks endangered, or at risk of extinction?

Many news headlines about the state of the ocean, like “With Florida ocean temperatures topping 100, experts warn of damage to marine life” and “NASA clocks July 2023 as hottest month on record ever since 1880,” are simply discouraging. It’s difficult to watch something you love be impacted, especially if the issue (like climate change and plastic pollution) is global. How can one person cool down the ocean and air so that corals don’t bleach? How can one person clean the ocean?