Tony Young's advice for safely getting into spearfishing is to start with a level one freedive course, then build a longer breath hold through running, nasal breathing, and dry-land CO2 tables. In this How 2 Tuesday I sit down with my friend Tony Young, an advanced spear fisherman with a charter service in the Florida Keys, to lay out how a beginner can learn freediving the right way and safely extend their time underwater.
Watch now: press play in the player above and follow along.
Tony Young recommends starting with a level one freedive course. There are several agencies, one of the largest being PADI, which is an easy transition if you already scuba dive. The two-day course, usually $350 to $550, covers body physiology, water entry technique, equipment, and the safety you need because you are holding your breath underwater. Most people reach a 50 to 66 foot depth in that first course.
Because when you freedive you are holding your breath and cannot get air underwater, so understanding what your body is going through on a dive is essential. Tony Young says the level one course opens your eyes to what the body is capable of and teaches the safety protocols, then level two and level three build from there. Learning the safety first is what keeps the sport safe.
Outside of the structured freedive courses, Tony Young leans on running. Your cardiovascular system has to be as efficient as possible, because extending your breath hold comes down to how efficiently your body exchanges oxygen and how well it tolerates CO2. He pairs running with nasal breathing to push that efficiency further.
Tony Young explains that nasal breathing restricts your air at first and can feel claustrophobic, but as you condition to it your heart rate drops on runs and you run longer and more efficiently. It lets CO2 climb, dilates your blood vessels, and helps oxygen bind and flow through your muscles, so you maximize each breath. Tom Rowland adds the same idea from The Oxygen Advantage, where you build another gear.
Tony Young describes CO2 tables as a dry-land breath-hold exercise you do on the couch, not in water, and never alone in a pool or bathtub. An app or a CO2 table runs you through cycles, breathe up, then hold, with shrinking rest, to build your body's CO2 tolerance safely over time. Your breath hold extends, and just as important, you train your brain to stay calm.
Tony Young recommends Breath by James Nestor, which breaks down how our respiratory system developed and how to make adjustments, even overnight. Tom Rowland adds The Oxygen Advantage, which devotes more than one chapter to nasal breathing across all kinds of training, from cycling to running to CrossFit, and explains how performance dips before climbing back as you adapt.
I walk through each step in the episode. Press play in the player above.
Tony Young is a friend of mine and an advanced spear fisherman who runs a charter service here in the Florida Keys, so he was the right person to talk about getting into the sport safely. Spearfishing is really hunting, and the longer you can stay down, the better you do. I wanted Tony to map out the safe path for a beginner and point people to the resources that exist now. He lays out the starting point in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Tony Young's answer is clear, take a level one freedive course. Agencies like PADI make it an easy jump if you already scuba dive, and the two-day course covers body physiology, equipment, water entry, and, most importantly, safety. He notes most people reach 50 to 66 feet in that first course. Because you cannot breathe underwater, understanding what your body is doing matters. He walks through the course in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Beyond the courses, Tony Young trains with running, because a longer breath hold comes down to how efficiently your body uses oxygen and tolerates CO2. He pairs that with nasal breathing, which feels claustrophobic at first but drops your heart rate and helps oxygen move through your muscles. I jumped in about The Oxygen Advantage and building another gear. He explains the physiology in the episode, so press play in the player above.
One of the most useful things Tony Young shares is CO2 tables, a breath-hold exercise you do on the couch, never in water, never alone in a pool. An app cycles you through breathe-ups and holds to safely raise your CO2 tolerance, and your breath hold extends over time. Just as important, he says, is training your brain, because your attitude in the water can be what limits you. He details it in the episode, so press play in the player above.
The day after this conversation, what stays with me is how much of freediving is mindset and preparation. Tony Young's path, course first, then running, nasal breathing, and dry-land CO2 tables, is a safe, sensible way in.
If you want to get into spearfishing, take a level one course before anything else, and train your breath hold on the couch, never alone in the water. Tony Young shares how to reach Forever Young Spearfishing in the episode. Press play in the player above.
How 2 Tuesday is my weekly series where I break down one fishing skill at a time, from knots and casting to gear, tactics, and the habits that make you a better angler. Watch and listen to every How 2 Tuesday episode from Tom Rowland.
Tom Rowland · Tony Young · Forever Young Spearfishing · Florida Keys · PADI · freediving · CO2 tables · James Nestor · Breath (book) · The Oxygen Advantage · Hostage Tape · How 2 Tuesday · Saltwater Experience
Tony Young is an advanced spear fisherman and freediver who runs Forever Young Spearfishing, a charter service in the Florida Keys working with both beginner and advanced spearfishers. He can be reached through Forever Young Spearfishing online, on Instagram at @captaintonyyoung, and at diveyoung.com.
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