Why you should hold your breath and try freediving in Taiwan
19.07.2023 - 08:59
/ nationalgeographic.com
Beneath a silvery tornado of sardines, freediving instructor Mia Hou glides through the halcyon waters around Kenting Chuanfanshih in southernmost Taiwan. She’s among the many freedivers in Taiwan joining one of the world’s fastest-growing water sports.
Freediving is the art of diving underwater on one breath, sometimes to depths of hundreds of feet. Spearfishers and seafood gatherers, such as Japan’s ama and Korea’s haenyeo, have been freediving for centuries, but an increasing number of divers around the world are joining the practice for fun and sport. According to the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), there was a 12 percent increase in PADI Freediver Certifications worldwide between 2021 and 2022. The premiere of Netflix’s stunning freediving documentary The Deepest Breath, on July 19, is certain to bring even more visibility to the sport.
AIDA International, the world’s most popular freediving certification agency, reported in 2020 that Taiwan—a self-governing island slightly bigger than Maryland—received the second most freediving certifications worldwide behind China, at number one. Today, there are more than 300 freediving instructors and 90,000-plus freedivers in Taiwan. It’s no wonder Taiwan is home to DiveCube, a diving hotel with Asia’s deepest hotel pool.
This boom is meaningful because, despite being an island, most Taiwanese don’t know how to swim. Reasons include a superstitious fear of the ocean and previously restricted coastlines under martial law for over 40 years.
“They’ve seen nothing but tragedy in the ocean,” says Raymond Ko, a freediving instructor in Taiwan. Drowning is a common cause of death in Taiwan, and there’s an underlying fear of China’s People’s Liberation Army
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